{"id":8207,"date":"2025-03-04T03:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T03:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/24-hours-visiting-avignon-provence\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T09:46:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T09:46:59","slug":"24-hours-visiting-avignon-provence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/24-hours-visiting-avignon-provence\/","title":{"rendered":"24 Hours Visiting Avignon, Provence"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the longest time, I’d wanted to properly explore the Provence region of France<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s always been up there with the likes of Bordeaux<\/a>, the Dordogne<\/a> and, of course, Paris<\/a>. That being said, It’s taken all this time to actually get myself over to Provence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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I’m almost ashamed that it took so long in truth, and I have no real reason as to why I hadn’t been yet. I’d even been through it briefly and stayed nearby but never properly ‘done’ Provence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For the longest time, I’d seen loads of pics online of the lavender fields, the vineyards and the gorgeous little hilltop towns.<\/p>\n

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They always looked so typically French, if that makes sense? You know, the kind of France that you see in quaint old films or romantic tales of a dashing man that falls in love the baker’s daughter… those kinda films! Anyway, you get the idea.<\/p>\n

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And you know what, Provence didn’t disappoint! Over four days, I explored some of the places I’d longed to explore and I planned to soak up as much of that French charm as possible.<\/p>\n

That’s why an early morning flight to Montpellier<\/a> was necessary, to make the most of the four days with the region of Vaucluse in Provence<\/a> (who showed us some of the places I’d be itching to experience).<\/p>\n

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Now, I have a love\/hate relationship with any flight that departs before 10 a.m. I know It makes me sound a little lazy, but it usually means I have to be at the airport 2 hours before the flight, a one-hour drive from Central London and enough time to swish my bed hair into some sort of acceptable shape.<\/p>\n

Honestly, I can’t tell you how many times I’d arrived at an airport looking like a shabby dog due to me squeezing an extra few minutes of sleep.<\/p>\n

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Well, on this occasion, I knew an early morning flight would be pretty good, especially as it would give me a whole day in Avignon. Best of all, I think we actually arrived in the city just in time for lunch.<\/p>\n

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After quickly checking into the H\u00f4tel de l\u2019Horloge<\/a>, which was smack-bang in the centre of town, I headed out with Claire, Laura<\/a> and Rich<\/a> to grab ourselves some grub.<\/p>\n

By this point, I was starving! I’d forgone my normal ‘breakfast Nandos’ at the airport (don’t judge until you try it) to save my appetite for some yummy French food.<\/p>\n

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That’s where the Grand Caf\u00e9 Baretta<\/a> came in. After a short stroll from the hotel, we popped right in.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, we seemed to have just beat the lunchtime rush as it got much busier about 30 minutes after we arrived. At the rate at which my tummy was rumbling, I was just so glad our food was going to be the first on the griddles.<\/p>\n

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With a menu in hand, I resisted ordering everything on the menu and went for a cheese starter that came with a literal wheel of cheese. There are no prizes for guessing that this was devoured in a matter of minutes.<\/p>\n

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For the main, I opted for a rare steak with seasonal veggies.<\/p>\n

Now, I want to say I skipped pudding as I was ‘being good’ (that old chestnut) but in reality, I scoffed it all before I even took a photo. It was one of those chocolate fondants that’s still warm and gooey when it arrives. My. Literal. Dream.<\/p>\n

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After filling my tummy, I decided to pop out and explore some of the Avignon. After all, It seemed like we were getting the last few spells of summer.<\/p>\n

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The sky was blue, it was that lovely warm but not too warm kind of afternoon that just seemed perfect. (I love it when it’s a little crisp).<\/p>\n

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With that, I left Place Saint-Didier and stumbled through some of the local craft stores and art studios (whilst, of course, getting lost a few times along that way).<\/p>\n

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Saying that, Avignon is a relatively small city which means you’re never truly lost for long.<\/p>\n

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After a little stroll through the ancient and twisty streets, I came across a local flea market (which honestly always gets me so excited – you just never know what treasures you might unearth at these places \ud83d\ude00 )!<\/p>\n

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I always have dreams of finding a Rembrandt or a Van Gogh and being one of those people on the news that paid two euros for a painting that’s worth millions.<\/p>\n

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Now, before this goes any further, let me just put your mind to rest… that certainly didn’t happen.<\/p>\n

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Nursing my lack of finding Rembrandt, I stumbled over to Mus\u00e9e Calvet and downed my sorrows with a swift little visit to Patisserie Vernet for a cheeky afternoon dessert. Yup, two puddings in one afternoon. I was living the dream!<\/p>\n

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Thankfully, all that sugar wasn’t in vain as I planned to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring some of the iconic spots in Avignon.<\/p>\n

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First stop was the Pont d\u2019Avignon (or Avignon Bridge for us Brits). Now, there’s been a bridge on this site for almost 1,000 years.<\/p>\n

Some were destroyed, others were made of wood and one, like the present, is still standing for us to see…<\/p>\n

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…albeit slightly less long than originally intended.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, the bridge forms part of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a protected area of the city itself.<\/p>\n

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After a little wander across the bridge,  I headed back to dry land to explore the former seat of the Catholic Pope(s) way back in the 14th Century – the Palais des Papes.<\/p>\n

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You see, this area was once part of the Papal States and not really France at all. This was the case up until the 18th Century – a fact, I had no clue about until arriving in Avignon.<\/p>\n

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Still, to this day, Palais des Papes is one of the most iconic and impressive medieval Gothic buildings that you can still go inside.<\/p>\n

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After wandering around the grounds and seeing the Grand Chapel, the Cour d’honneur (in layman’s terms – “the courtyard”) and the chambers inside, the sun began to set.<\/p>\n

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It had already been quite a long day, but I just couldn’t resist one last look at the city from the roof of Palais des Papes itself.<\/p>\n

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By now, my feet had that dull ache where you know you’d been exploring way more than usual but in truth, I didn’t care – especially from the views from the top. I think I visited at just the right time!<\/p>\n

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After watching the sun go down, I popped back to the hotel (which was literally a 3-4 minute walk away) to chill before dinner.<\/p>\n

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Dinner in itself was at Le 46<\/a> on rue de la Balance which serves up some yummy French Mediterranean cuisine that’s so good. Of course, I went for all 3 courses again… I just couldn’t resist!<\/span><\/p>\n

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For starters, it was prawns with a herby dressing, whilst for main, it was cured meat and freshly cooked pasta that totally hit the spot… especially so, after a long day traipsing around Avignon.<\/span><\/p>\n

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To call it a night, I nursed a delicious glass of white wine and finished the night off with a trio of desserts. Yup, I’d officially overeaten but I didn’t care. <\/span><\/p>\n

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And with that, I stumbled back to the hotel for a well-deserved sleep. It had been a long day, but totally worth it. I think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, which, in hindsight, was a good thing since I was raring to go for tomorrow’s adventure through Provence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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14 Very Best Places In Provence To Visit<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n