A Long Weekend in Avignon — Discovering the Heart of Provence

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A Long Weekend in Avignon — Discovering the Heart of Provence

Falling in Love with Avignon

Visiting Avignon feels like you're stepping into your own personal fairytale. Between the amazing medieval walls surrounding the city, pedestrian friendly streets and the Palace of the Popes as your castle, you can't help but feel like you're transported to another time. The pace is slow and the people here are incredibly friendly. As you wander through all the winding streets you come across beautiful family run shops and restaurants full of provencal charm. And the best part, very few cars. You will see them on the outer streets but nothing in the interior. So if you're traveling with children, it's one less stress to have.

Exploring the Heart of the City: The Palace of the Popes & Place de l’Horloge

Avignon is a nicely condensed city, so you'll easily find the Palace of the Popes. You can purchase tickets to tour the interior, but just be aware that it's sparse in there. It doesn't have barely any of the original furniture in it. But definitely an interesting walk around especially on a rainy day or if you need a respite from the heat.

The Place de l'Horloge is the heart of Avignon. Here you'll find the most amazing carousel, my kids rode this at least once per day while we stayed here. It's only open in the afternoon and early evening. It is 4 euros per ride, so a little pricey, but what an experience. There are quite a few restaurants in this square, most of them are very touristy. I really recommend getting out of this space to find some amazing dishes. But this is a great place to grab and apero and people watch. You'll feel incredibly French and enjoy all the beauty Avignon has to offer. One thing I saw everyone with were these beautiful market bags. I completely regret not getting one while I was in Avignon but this is a great second choice. And you can buy it here and have it delivered right to your door.

A Peaceful Escape: Île de la Barthelasse

Île de la Barthelasse is the island across the Rhône just a short ferry ride from Avignon. You can easily walk right to the ferry stop and it's a very short ride across the river to the island. So if you're traveling with young children it's very doable. It probably took maybe ten minutes to get across the river. While we were there a ferry left every 30 minutes, but check online for the latest ferry schedule as it is dependent on what time of the year you go.

And for us, by this point in our France trip we were ready for a quiet day away from a bustling city. We had spent several days in Paris, rode on the train for about four hours to get to Avignon and had already went on a few days trips. The kids, and us adults, definitely needed a break from the constant go go go of our trip. If you are planning a longer trip to France, over a week long, I do recommend taking at least a half day if it's just an adult trip or a full day if you're traveling with kids to take a break.

No day trip, no museums, no agenda, just a quiet day of enjoying your surroundings. It's very easy to get caught up in over thinking about your trip, "when's the next train", "where is our dinner reservation tonight", "what's next on the itinerary". You're in France, and especially when in you're in the south, take a beat and just savor the delight of being in one of the most amazing places on Earth. Stroll with no destination, seek out those little hidden gems that the tourists don't find, and truly enjoy being where you're at. That's what this excursion to Île de la Barthelasse was for us.

So after you take the very short ferry ride across the river you'll arrive on the island. There's a nicely paved walking path that circles the outer bank that's a great route, especially if you have a stroller and young kids in tow. And enjoy the absolute beauty of the amazing little villages across the river that you can't see from Avignon proper. With how many people go over to the island it's easy to find your own space. It's also a fantastic spot for a picnic! So grab some amazing food from Les Halles and a blanket and enjoy a wonderful day that's relaxed and rejuvenating.

Shopping Local: Soap Shops & Provençal Treasures

While in Avignon we found a wonderful little soap shop, Le Monde du Savon de Marseille. Marseille is known for their soaps and they do not disappoint. Here there are walls of soaps in more scents that you could ever imagine. And the best part, they're very affordable. I always grab about 10 bars of soap to bring back as little gifts for my friends. They pack easily into a carry on and usually don't end up too damaged in transit. Shops like these usually have a deal if you buy ten or so bars of soap and it comes out to about $2-3 per bar. And for the time and love that goes into making these traditional soaps, it's an amazing deal and will transport you right back to Avignon every time you use one at home. If you want to bring a little bit of the South of France home you can buy several different Marseille soaps here. That way you can enjoy some of the beauty and ritual that goes into creating that provencal lifestyle.

And for all the foodies, my husband and I found the most amazing culinary shop called Les Delices du Luberon. It's full of amazing olive oils, artisanal mustards, herbes de provence, and so much more. You could get lost in this little shop and bring back so many delicious flavors. We sampled several olive oils here and found one that both of us love. And now every time we use it at home it reminds us of the sunshine and flavors of Provence. This is a similar olive oil that you can buy right here to have that same burst of sunshine at home.

Dining Delight: Dinner at Le Vintage

So I am always on the hunt for authentic dining experiences wherever we travel and this restaurant absolutely gets tops marks. It's tucked back on this lovely little backstreet, it's full of almost solely locals, the staff are so kind and helpful, and most importantly the food is beyond delicious. It was so good we ate here twice for dinner while we were in Avignon. Plus if you're traveling with young children you have to get the chicken nuggets. I've never seen chicken nuggets like this in my life. Beautiful white meat chicken hand coated in this batter that's full of delicious grains and seeds. My daughter asked over and over again to go back to dinner here and I could not say no. She's a picky eater and she devoured these.

The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. We sat outside both nights and I do recommend you grab a reservation. You can get one online very easily so no having to worry about piecing together enough French to make a reservation on the phone. I will say the second time we came for dinner it was a Saturday night during peak time for France, 8pm, and we managed to luckily get a table without a long wait. But that was pure luck. They get very busy because it's an excellent restaurant. If you are traveling with younger kids I do recommend trying to eat a little earlier that peak dinner time, 7pm is usually what I made reservations for and it worked out really well. Dinners take a lot longer than they do here at home because the French know how to slow down and enjoy each moment of a meal. But if you have young kids and imminent bedtimes, a 7pm dinner that ends around 8:30pm is about all we could usually do. Plus I love eating outside with kids on trips like these. If they're loud for a moment or need to take a break, one of us just takes them for a little walk around to get things back on track. Definitely takes some of the stress out of longer meals.

On that note too, with kids we only went out to eat for dinners. Breakfasts were coffees and pastries or a granola bar or yogurt, something quick, and lunches were usually quick sandwiches or charcuterie back at the Air BnB (this is the one we stayed at and it was fantastic). That way you're not spending all your time eating, because even lunches in France take a while. Which is great if it's just you and a friend or your spouse but with young kids, time is of the essence. And this method worked really well for us. I did do quite a bit of research to make sure the menus at the restaurants I selected either had a menu enfant (a kid's menu) or had dishes on the menu that I knew they would eat. Lots of French restaurants will make kids dishes for you if they don't have a kid's menu too. So don't be afraid to ask if there's a restaurant you really want to try but they don't have a kid's menu listed.

Wandering Without a Plan: The Joy of Getting Lost

If you can't tell already, Avignon is one of my favorite places to visit. Wonderfully walkable, full of Provencal sunshine and warmth, beautiful sights and quant shops. Avignon invites you to slow down and be enveloped in history and joy. My favorite thing to do is just walk through the streets and find gorgeous little pieces of authenticity that not everyone finds. We found this adorable little hidden park behind the Palace of the Popes with this little water feature that this other little boy was using as a splash pad with his father. So of course my kids joined right in and got completely soaked in their clothes. But truly, this is probably my favorite part of our whole trip. It was just pure joy and I savored every second of it. I hope that you get the opportunity to travel to Avignon too and make you're very own joyful moments.

Bringing Provence Home

In the meantime though, you can always bring a little piece of Avignon right to you with the click of a button. Below are some products you can buy right here in the states to make you feel like you're in Provence.

• Bring all the pieces of Provence right to your home with these:

  • 👜 Woven Market Bag

  • 👟 Samba Tennis Shoes

  • 🧼 Marseille Soap

  • 🌿 Herbes de Provence

  • 🫒 Provençal Olive Oil