Alternative sights in Avignon

The Chapelle Saint-Ruf is an ancient chapel from the Romanesque period situated in a quiet corner of Avignon. It forms part of a route through the city's historical churches, monasteries, and gardens. The chapel stands alongside other sights including the Rocher des Doms, the Mint building, and the Petit Palais Museum.

Rocher des Doms is a public garden perched on a rocky outcrop that complements this tour of historical churches, monasteries, and gardens in Avignon. The garden offers views across the Rhône River and toward Pont d'Avignon. Visitors can stroll through shaded paths and find benches to sit and take in the scenery around them.

The Hôtel des Monnaies is the baroque mint building on this tour of alternative sights in Avignon. Built during the time when Avignon was under papal rule, it once produced coins for the Papal States. With its distinctive baroque architecture, it fits into this collection of historical sites that includes churches, monasteries, gardens, and art museums like the Petit Palais with its Italian Renaissance paintings.

The Musée du Petit Palais houses a significant collection of Italian Renaissance paintings in a historic palace building. This museum is part of a route through Avignon that connects historical churches, monasteries, and gardens. Visitors can explore artworks from the Italian Renaissance while discovering the palace's own history.

Rue des Teinturiers is a medieval street in Avignon that contains four water wheels along a canal. These wheels powered textile workshops from the 14th century until 1950. The street shows how the canal's water shaped daily life and craft traditions in the city. Today, visitors can see the old wheels and understand the role they played in Avignon's economy.

Collection Lambert occupies two 18th-century mansions and displays contemporary art from Yvon Lambert's personal collection, including paintings, photographs, and installations. Within the context of alternative sights in Avignon, this museum complements visits to historical churches, monasteries, and gardens, offering insight into modern artistic expression alongside the city's classical heritage.

The Synagogue of Avignon was built in 1846 on the site of a 13th-century synagogue. As part of this tour through Avignon's historical sites, it stands as a neoclassical building that reflects the city's Jewish heritage. Inside, the synagogue holds historical Jewish artifacts that speak to the community's past. Like the other stops on this route—from the Romanesque Saint-Ruf Chapel to the baroque Mint building—this synagogue offers insight into the diverse religious and cultural history that shaped Avignon over the centuries.

This river island is part of Avignon's alternative sights and offers a green escape from the city's historic churches and museums. With its farms, cycling paths and walking trails, the Île de la Barthelasse lets visitors experience the landscape while catching glimpses of the Papal Palace. The island connects nature with history, complementing the tour through Romanesque chapels and art collections.

Les Halles d'Avignon shows how the city maintains its trading traditions. The covered market houses stalls selling regional products including vegetables, fruits, cheese, meat and fish. It is a place where locals shop and where visitors can discover the flavors and colors of Provence.

The Palais du Roure displays collections about Provence's history through documents, artworks and ethnographic objects that reveal how people lived in this region. As part of the tour through Avignon's historical sites, this museum complements visits to Romanesque churches, monasteries and gardens. Walking through its rooms, you encounter pieces that tell the story of Provençal life and traditions, making it a natural stop alongside other discoveries like the baroque Mint building and the contemporary art at Collection Lambert.

The Jardin des Carmes is part of this collection of alternative sights in Avignon, offering a green retreat within the city. The garden features stone fountains and benches set among old trees that provide shade. Mediterranean plants grow throughout the space, creating a warm southern character that welcomes visitors to rest and wander.

The Chapelle des Pénitents Noirs is a 16th century chapel that forms part of this tour through historical churches, monasteries and gardens in Avignon. Its interior features baroque frescoes on the walls and ceiling depicting religious subjects. The chapel documents the artistic and spiritual history of the city and complements other sites on this route, including the Romanesque Saint-Ruf Chapel and the Petit Palais Museum with its Italian Renaissance paintings.

Place Pie is the central square of Avignon with stone pavement, featuring market stalls, restaurants and shops housed in 19th century historic buildings. It is part of this route exploring historical churches, monasteries and gardens in Avignon, including the Romanesque Saint-Ruf Chapel, Rocher des Doms overlooking the Rhône, the baroque Mint building, and Petit Palais Museum with its collection of Italian Renaissance paintings.

The Pont de Bénézet is a medieval stone bridge from the 12th century that crosses the Rhône river. Four of its original 22 arches remain standing. This bridge represents one of Avignon's historical structures and reflects the city's importance as a crossing point over the Rhône during the medieval period.

The Pénitents Gris Chapel is a 16th century chapel and part of this tour through alternative sights in Avignon. Its interior displays baroque architectural elements and houses religious paintings and sculptures. It represents an important aspect of the city's religious life alongside other sites like the Saint-Ruf Chapel and the Petit Palais Museum.

This park in Avignon offers playgrounds, sports facilities, and green spaces for visitors and locals. A lake with ducks and fish sits at the center, giving the park its distinctive character. As part of this tour through alternative sights in Avignon that connects historical churches, monasteries, and gardens, this park provides a restful spot where you can enjoy nature between visits to structures like the Romanesque Saint-Ruf Chapel and the Petit Palais Museum.

The Maison Jean Vilar is a cultural center dedicated to Jean Vilar, the founder of the Avignon Theatre Festival. As part of this route through historical churches, monasteries and gardens, this house tells the story of a man who shaped the city's cultural life. Visitors discover how Jean Vilar transformed the theater scene and the role he played in establishing the famous festival.

The Musée Louis Vouland displays decorative arts from the 17th and 18th centuries and fits into this tour of alternative sights in Avignon. The museum presents carefully crafted furniture, ceramics, and other objects from these centuries that show how people lived and decorated their homes in earlier times.

Île Piot is a small island within this tour of historical churches, monasteries, and gardens in Avignon. It offers peaceful trails and scenic views over the surroundings. The place invites visitors to step away from the city's bustle and enjoy nature at a slower pace.

The Théâtre des Halles is a theater in Avignon that presents a diverse range of performances. It fits into this tour of alternative sights in the city, which alongside historical churches, monasteries, and gardens also includes contemporary art venues like Collection Lambert. The theater contributes to the cultural life of Avignon.

Fort Saint-André sits in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon as part of this tour exploring historical churches, monasteries and gardens in the region. This medieval fortress from the 14th century was built to protect the French border. It stands out for its massive stone walls and defensive towers that reveal the military strength of its era.

The Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction is a 14th century Carthusian complex that fits naturally into this collection of historical churches and monasteries around Avignon. This monastic site contains three cloisters, forty monk cells and Renaissance frescoes that reveal the spiritual life and artistic traditions of the community that lived here.

Église Saint-Agricol is a church built in the 12th century and expanded in the 14th century. It fits naturally into this tour of alternative sights in Avignon, as it houses medieval sculptures and stained glass windows that reflect its long history. The building shows how religious spaces in this city were shaped over centuries and preserve artwork from different periods.

Built in 1973, the Pont Edouard Daladier connects Avignon to Villeneuve across the Rhône with a concrete structure. This bridge is part of the route through alternative sights in Avignon, offering a modern contrast to the historical churches, monasteries, and gardens you encounter while exploring the city's Renaissance paintings and contemporary art.

The Tour Philippe-le-Bel is a 13-meter stone tower built in the 13th century that controlled the Rhône crossing between Avignon and Villeneuve. As part of this tour of alternative sights in Avignon, this tower reveals the medieval history of the region and complements the route through Romanesque chapels, baroque buildings, and art museums that showcase the cultural depth of the area.

The Musée Calvet displays French paintings from the 15th to 20th centuries along with archaeological artifacts and decorative art objects within a city palace. This museum complements the tour of alternative sights in Avignon, offering visitors a deeper look at the city's artistic heritage alongside contemporary works found elsewhere in the route.

The Place de l'Horloge is the main square in Avignon and part of this route exploring historical churches, monasteries and gardens. The square holds the city hall and is lined with numerous restaurants featuring terraces beneath plane trees, offering visitors a pleasant place to rest and observe daily life.

The Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs is a 17th-century baroque chapel included in this tour of historical churches, monasteries and gardens in Avignon. Inside, religious wall paintings decorate the walls while a marble altar, adorned with ornamental details, serves as the focal point of the chapel.

Cloître Saint-Martial is a 14th-century cloister with Romanesque arches and a garden growing medicinal plants. It is part of this tour's exploration of historical churches and monasteries in Avignon, offering a quiet place to observe religious architecture and how medieval gardens were arranged.

This medieval stone staircase with 48 steps connects the upper town to the lower town and is part of the route through Avignon's historical churches, monasteries and gardens. The Escaliers Sainte-Anne shows how medieval builders solved the challenge of moving between different levels of the city, offering visitors a direct passage through the historic center.

Église Saint-Pierre is a 15th-century church that forms part of this tour through alternative sights in Avignon. Inside, you will find frescoes, soaring vaults, and a historical organ dating from 1524. The church sits among other significant places on this route, including the Romanesque Saint-Ruf Chapel, Rocher des Doms overlooking the Rhône, the baroque Mint building, and Petit Palais Museum, which displays Italian Renaissance paintings.

This cemetery is part of a tour through Avignon's historical churches, monasteries, and gardens. The Cimetière Saint-Véran holds graves of significant local figures and tombs from the 19th century. It is a quiet place where the city's history is told through monuments and inscriptions, reflecting Avignon's past.