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Tourism in Avignon : city of the popes
Avignon is one of the largest cities of Provence located in the south of France. It is the major city of the Vaucluse department and is situated on the banks of the Rhône River. Around 200,000 people live in Avignon, 16,000 of which live in the town itself within the ramparts built in the 14th century. Avignon is famous for being the place to which the Popes fled when leaving the corruption of Rome in the 14th century. The palace they built is the largest Gothic building in the world.
A popular tourist destination is the Place du Palais and its cafés, though the tourists may find these places very expensive, and crowded with tourists during the summer. However, smaller squares near by frequented by the locals have much lower prices.
The famous song "Sur Le Pont d'Avignon " refers to the Saint-Bénézet bridge, a ruined bridge not far from the Palais des Papes. The bridge was built in the Middle Ages. The bridge itself is too narrow for dancing and the original lyrics of the song was "Sous (under) le pont d'Avignon", referring to the festivities and entertainments that took place on the Barthelasse island.
Avignon has nice museums, from Modern Art Museums to museums housing artifacts from the Roman and pre-Roman time.
Theatre Festival of Avignon is world famous and takes place once a year. For three or four weeks in July the city is crowded with street performers, actors, musicians, and tourists. The festival is an pretext to turn any room with enough seating into a show room and the city is host to a large variety of entertainment. The best of this festival are the performances that take place inside the Pope's Palace itself. The vast majority of performances are, of course, in French but many foreign companies perform in English. Even without attending any events, the atmosphere and street theatre give the city an amazing ambiance.
Museums and monuments to visit
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La Tour RoyaleOpen to the public from July 1 to September 30 Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 12pm and from 14h to 18h Free admission Public transport : lines 3 and 23 ( Polygon stop) ...
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Pont Saint-BénezetBuilt during the twelfth century and composed of 22 arches, the bridge of Avignon was destroyed several times by the flooding of the Rhone. It is rebuilt in the seventeenth century, but collapses ...
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Collection LambertInaugurated in 2000, the Lambert Collection brings together works of art acquired by the gallery owner and collector Yvon Lambert. Representative of his personal tastes, the collection allows the ...
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Musée du Petit PalaisIn 1791 the palace was seized as national property and served as a place to deposit thousands of artworks seized from emigrants and from the clergy. These works of art were then sold or transferred to ...
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Musée CalvetArchaeology, Ancient Egyptian art, Art Deco, and fine arts from the sixteenth to twentieth century compose the rich collections of the Calvet Museum opened in 1835. They are due to bequests and ...
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Collégiale Saint-PierreThe Church of St. Pierre is a Gothic church situated in Avignon on the Place Saint-Pierre. Built at the site of a first construction of the seventh century, its present reconstruction dates from 1358. ...
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Palais des PapesThe Palais de Papes is the symbol of the glory of the Church in the christian western world in the 14th century. It was built in 1335, in less than 20 years, by two popes, Benoit XII and ...
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Fort Saint-André de Villeneuve-les-AvignonOverlooking the town of Villeneuve-Les-Avignon, Fort Saint-André offers visitors a testament to the history of the region and France. Sponsored by Philipoe le Bel in 1292, he had the dual ...
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Château de BarbentaneYou will discover the elegant castle of Barbentane from the XVII. Its recalls the architecture of the homes in Ile de France and remains consistent with the canons of classicism. The castle was built ...
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Tour Anglica de BarbentaneOn your arrival you will see Anglica Tower which is dominating the village from its height of 28 meters and ends with a round turret. Built in 1365, it was the episcopal castle dungeon. She is the ...
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Château de ChâteaurenardThe castle of Châteaurenard is a fortified work of the xiieme century located on the commune of Châteaurenard in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, approximately 10 km in the south ...
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Musée des AlpillesThe Musée des Alpilles de Saint Rémy de Provence, created in 1919, is housed in a former Renaissance mansion, the Hôtel Mistral de Montdragon, which is classified as a historic ...
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Musée EstrineThe museum is housed in a beautiful private mansion, the Estrine Hotel, built in 1749. An exceptional example of 18th century Provençal architecture, it was the residence of the ...
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Site archéologique de GlanumGlanum was an ancient city, built in the 2nd century B.C., located today in the city of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The site is characterized by its different architectural styles. We can see there ...
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Collégiale Notre-Dame-des-AngesClassified as "Historic Monument" for more than a century, the Notre-Dame-des-Anges collegiate church is a very beautiful monument of Romanic style. Built by the Cavaillon's bishop at ...
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Avignon, city of the poes in Provence
- Thème : Sciences and discovery
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With its bridge, famous the world over in the beloved children's song, the Palace of the Popes, testimony to its prestigious past as Capital of Christianity in the Middle Ages, Avignon offers grandiose architecture, ranked among UNESCO's World Heritage. The Avignon theatre festival in the ...
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