France

Avignon is surrounded by some of France's most attractive countryside. It continues its traditional role as a patron of the arts, most notably through its performing-arts festival, held annually in the last three weeks of July.

Before the 20th century

The name Avignon is derived from the Roman name Avenio, meaning 'town of violent winds' or 'town of the river' - the former being less likely to have graced papyrus pamphlets as a welcoming slogan for passing trade. Before the area gained this name, it was home to, in turn, a troglodyte settlement in the Rocher des Dames outcrop, a Neolithic population, and a Celtic-Ligurian river port called Cavares. After these incarnations the Romans reigned supreme and the city of Avignon flourished. (Gallia Narbonensis was the name for the Provence region of the Roman Empire.)

Avignon's history for three centuries after the fall of the Empire in the 5th century is one of invasion, devastation and renewal. Chronologically, it belonged to: Goths, Burgundy and Arles kingdoms, Ostrogoths, the Austrasian Frankish-Merovingian kings and the Saracens. While under Saracen control, it was destroyed by the Franks after the Saracens made an ill-fated alliance with the Arabs.

While under German control in the 11th and 12th centuries, the people of Avignon edged towards becoming a republic. The city declared independence at the end of the 12th century, but stumbled when King Louis VIII of France undertook a three-month siege against the city. By the end of the 13th century, the city had been brought under the united French crown.

It was in the 14th century that Avignon really came to be the beautiful city of today. Pope Clement V chose, in 1309, to make the city his residence while Sicilian kings ruled the region. The exiled papacy established ramparts and built the fortified Palais de Papes (Palace of the Popes). Artists, architects and builders flocked to the town. Cash promptly followed. The flurry of activity bestowed the city with more than 100 religious buildings, many of which have been subsequently converted for more secular purposes. The wealthy religious hangers-on built palatial houses nearby and in the city. But the Avignon Papacy came to be known for more venal pursuits - around 1350, the poet Petrarch wrote with disgust of the city's corruption: 'instead of soberness, licentious banquets; instead of pious pilgrimages, preternatural and foul sloth'.

This reputation forced the papacy back to Rome in 1378. Tumult followed: a schism developed in the Catholic Church, later dubbed the 'Western Schism'. It saw an ongoing tussle between the Roman and Avignon groups. During this time, several 'antipopes' resided in Avignon. (An 'antipope' is something like an antichrist - a popular but unofficially recognised replacement for the sanctioned thing - only with a better hat and more brimstone: there was, at one stage during the schism, three popes.) The controversy was resolved in 1417 and from then until the French Revolution, the town was a Pontifical State, as the Vatican City is today.

Modern history

After the exit of the papacy, the town lost some of its self-important lustre (the most significant events in the 19th century involved the installation of gas lamps, a sewerage system and public fountains), but the buildings and the legacy remained. Avignon's 19th-century anonymity drifted into the 20th century, during which time its historic ambience and rich architecture drew in artists and other culture-vultures. This culminated in 1947 when theatre director Jean Vilar was invited to stage a performance at Cour d'Honneur in the Palais de Papes. He ended up staging three - Shakespeare's Richard II, Claudel's Tobie et Sara (Toby and Sarah), and Maurice Clavel's La Terrasse de Midi (The Midday Terrace) - and single-handedly initiated the great Festival d'Avignon. It's still running today and offers challenging new works and trusty faves in theatre, music and performance to over 100,000 eager patrons. This no doubt helped the city gain its place as a 'European Capital of Culture' in 2000. It has also aided the city's strong tourist industry.

The town was targeted in both WWI and WWII. Around 1200 residents were killed during WWI raids. WWII saw the city occupied by the German army for two years and some of its bridges were targeted in attempts to close down traffic over the Rhône. In 1944, French and American troops liberated the city. Around 450 citizens had been killed and 1200 injured by the end of the war.

Recent history

The designation as a 'European City of Culture' in 2000 gave a name to something people had already recognised in Avignon - its high standing in French (and European) cultural pursuits. Its festival is still vibrant and the gilt lining of art bestowed by the papal reign gives the city a wide stretch of artistic history; it draws visitors interested in historical and contemporary works.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

Situated in the south of France, less than 100km (62mi) from the Mediterranean coast, Avignon has a temperate climate. From June to September days can regularly get above 30°C (86°F). In winter days and nights are cold - but the odd blast can send temperatures plummeting to below freezing. Although the tourist office claims there are '300 days of sun a year', rain, in its many guises, is a persistent threat. Heavy thunderstorms can rip through in summer; autumn is a little less extreme but still with its share of downpours; sleet and snow can tumble during winter; spring sees a lighter sprinkling. One of the weather peculiarities in the city is the so-called Mistral wind (named after the region's late Nobel Prize-winning resident). In August, this cold wind blows down the Rhône Valley and can blow ceaselessly for days at a time. The benefit of this strong bluster is its cooling effect in summer.

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

There is no public transport from the airport into town; a taxi costs about 15.00. Bike-hire places in town include Provence Bike (04 90 27 92 61; www.provence-bike.com; 52 blvd St-Roch), which also hires out scooters and motorbikes. Local TCRA (www.tcra.fr) bus tickets are cheap and can be bought on board. Buses run Monday to Saturday 07:00-19:40 and Sunday 08:00-18:00. The two most important bus transfer points are the Poste stop at the main post office and pl Pie. Carnets of 10 tickets and free bus maps (plan du réseau) are available at the Agence Commerciale TCRA (av de Lattre de Tassigny; 04 32 74 18 32; Mon-Fri 08:30-12:30 & 13:30-18:00). Villeneuve-lès-Avignon is linked with Avignon by bus 10, which stops in front of the main post office and on the western side of the walled city near Porte de l'Oulle. Navettes (shuttle buses) link Gare Avignon TGV with the centre (10-13min, twice hourly, 06:15-23:30); Mon-Sat buses use the bus stop in front of the post office on cours Président Kennedy, and the Cité Administrative bus stop around the corner on cours Jean Jaurès on Sunday. Pick up a taxi outside the train station or call 04 90 82 20 20 any time.

Getting there and away

Avignon has two train stations: Gare Avignon TGV, 4km (2.5mi) southwest in the suburb of Courtine, and central Gare Avignon Centre (42 blvd St-Roch), where local trains to/from Orange (20min), Arles (20min) and Nîmes (30min) arrive/depart. Some TGVs to/from Paris stop at Gare Avignon Centre, but TGV services such as Marseille (30min) and Nice (3.25hr) only use Gare Avignon TGV. Thanks to the TGV, you can travel from Paris to Avignon in 2.75hr. On Saturdays in summer, there's a direct Eurostar service from London to Avignon (6hr).

The bus station (04 90 82 07 35; blvd St-Roch; information window, Mon-Fri 10:15-13:00 & 14:00-18:00) is in the basement of the building down the ramp to the right as you exit the train station. Tickets are sold on the buses. Bus services include Aix-en-Provence (1hr), Arles (1.5hr), Carpentras (45min), Marseille (35min), Nîmes (1.25hr) and Orange (40min). Most lines operate on Sunday at reduced frequency. Long-haul bus companies Linebus (04 90 85 30 48) and Eurolines (04 90 85 27 60; www.eurolines.com) have offices at the far end of the bus platforms.

Most car-rental agencies such as Europcar (Ibis Bldg: 42 blvd St-Roch, 04 90 85 01 40; TGV station: 04 32 74 63 40) are either inside the main train station complex or nearby (and well signed). To reduce traffic within the walls, the city has over 900 free, monitored parking spaces at Parking de L'Ile Piot, served by a free shuttle bus.

Aéroport Avignon-Caumont (04 90 81 51 51) is 8km (4.9mi) southeast of the city. Marseille-Provence International Airport (35min by bus or train) is served by a smorgasbord of carriers, including Ryanair.

Ferries sail from Marseille to Sardinia, Tunisia and Corsica.