Avignon is emerging as one of the key tourism destinations in France . It offers an informative insight into the rich cultural heritage and the decadent lives of the Popes who lived there. The City of Popes is located at the junction of the Rhone and the Durance rivers. The beauty of the medieval past in Avignon never ceases to delight . Avignon is well known for its ramparts, its famous BridgeSaint-Bénezet and the Palate of the Popes. Due to the imposing majestic architecture and the history behind these palace fortresses it has given immense boost to the Avignon Tourism . Avignon has a cluster of museums like the Musée du Petit Palais (Little Palace Museum) , Musée Louis Vouland (Louis Vouland Museum) and Musée d'Art Contemporain (Contemporary Art Museum) and Musee Calvet (Calvet Museum) that houses an impressive collection of frescoes, sculptures and religious paintings from the 13th to 16th centuries, including works by great artistes like Botticelli, Carpaccio and Giovanni di Paolo. Due to such key attractions it is a perfect tourist destination for the people who have a knack for historical facts.
Avignon Tourism is given a major boost by the range of hotel accommodations and guest houses it offers. The tourism industry of Avignon is flourishing widely due to the world class facilities that these hotels have come to offer to their travelers.
Avignon's strategic location on the mighty Rhone river and at the cross-roads of major routes has provided it with an influential role on the international scene. Its easy connectivity and accessibility has promoted Tourism in Avignon .
The reputation of Avignon's prestigious cultural past and thriving present culture, its well famed Theater festival and other events attracts visitors and artistes to explore this city, thus giving the Avignon Tourism a major boost.
History Of Avignon
The earliest history of Avignon can be traced back to at least four thousand BC. The earliest inhabitants of Avignon were Chaseens , and they settled on the Rocher des Doms around this time. In 2000 BC, the Chalcalithic and Campaniforme civilisations settled here and for posterity they have left behind an anthropomorphic monolith. It was discovered in 1961 AD and is displayed in the Calvet Museum . In 500 BC the city expanded to the clifftop oppidum and was under the occupation of Cavares who were Celto-Ligurian people. It was in 2nd Century BC that Avignon got its name. Avenio means the Lord of the River according to a Celtic translation and City of the Violent Wind from Ligurian translation.
The history of Avignon continues with the extension of the Roman influence Roman from the Alps to the Pyrenees in 49 BC and Avignon becomes a Latin city. In the successive centuries several onslaughts by the Franks, Alemans, Goths and Burgundes lessen Avignon to a seventh of what it was earlier. King Vitiges surrenders Avignon and Provence to the Frankish King Clovis and the city becomes a part of the kingdom of Burgundy in 561 AD and remained so until the second half of the eighth century. In 932 AD, Provence is united with Burgundy. This union formed the Kingdom of Arles . The importance of Avignon grew day by day and successive kings of various dynasties tried to annex this region to their kingdom.
In 1226 AD, Louis VIII laid a seige to Avignon and won. With this victory the power of Avignon ended. Meanwhile for the trials and tribulations of Avignon's destiny continued and in 1580 AD plague wiped out the majority of Avignon's population. After some of centuries Avignon became the a vital center of protest in one of the most celebrated and complex events in the history of human civilization, the French Revolution. The agitation and frustration of the common people burst out and this tidal wave swept away the old regime in France.
From the history of Avignon , it is known that when Napoleon came to power, he brought peace to the country and the slow process of economic recovery started. But he still was not popular and on his way to Elba, Napoleon stopped in Avignon. He was mobbed but managed to escape. After the French Revolution was over, with many modern ideas and modern outlook of life, Avignon finally started on his journey of becoming what it is today, a vibrant and colorful city.Festivals and Events in Avignon
Avignon. is a French city of great cultural importance. Festivals and events in Avignon. is a big cause of bringing about felicity in the society. Avignon is named as the City of the Popes or Altera Roma. Avignon retains the indelible mark of the Popes' stay in the city, which was for a while the capital of the Medieval western world. Today, it is a prestigious cultural capital with its world-renowned Theatre Festival.
Avignon Theater Festival :
Avignon's cultural scene reaches its zenith with the Avignon Theater festival which is held in France each July. It is a time for pure entertainment. The Avignon Festival, created by Jean Vilar in 1947 has become an essential summer stopover in the cultural life of France.. It is the oldest and most famous of the festivals in France. Originally it showcased pure theater but the event now includes contemporary and religious music, dance, poetry, circus, films, exhibitions and debates involving up to 600 separate organizations
Followed by the Theater Festival that takes place here Avignon is also well known for other festivals and events that keep the French and the visitors busy all round the year.
Other Festivals And Events in Avignon.
- Les Oléades takes place in Feb. It is also called as a olive tree festival with exhibitions, cooking demonstration and debatestaking place all around
- Les Hivernales d'Avignon, is a festival of contemporary dance and music that takes place in Feb-Mar.
- Fête de la Musique held in Jun is a music festival with free concerts, throughout the city
- Festival Off held in July is a three-week arts fringe festival taking place at various venues
- Festival Provençal again takes place in the eventful month of July promoting Provençal music and theatre held at various venues
- Marché du Festival occurs in July. It is a festival market
- Fête Nationale is held on14 Jul. It is a national festival celebrated with fireworks, on the banks of the Rhône and in the city centre
- Tremplin Jazz takes place in Jul-Aug
- Fête des Foins (Hay Festival) is held in the last weekend in Aug. It is the traditional festival to celebrate the end of summer with the gathering of the last bale of hay, followed by street parties, craft exhibitions and music
- Avignon Blues Festival, occurs at late Aug-early Sep, blues concerts in various venues
- Ban des Vendanges (Harvest Banns) takes place in Sep, wine and gastronomy celebration to observe the start of the harvest of the Côtes du Rhône, on the banks of the river
- Festival de Musique Ancienne, first fortnight in Oct, medieval music festival is held at various locations
- Fête des Côtes du Rhône Primeurs is held on the third Thurs of Nov, wine festival at du Palais des Papes
- Foire de la St André, late Nov-early Dec, traditional fair
The Festival and the events in Avignon is not-to-be-missed. It is a cultural happening city in France. They offer an insight into the French history, its tradition, customs and its rich culture.
Sightseeing in Avignon
Provence in France will offer you one of the best holidays in the world. And when you are in Provence, you cannot miss out on Avignon, in fact sightseeing in Avignon will make you come back with glorious memories for a lifetime. Avignon is an industrial city and one of the three major cities of Provence. The other two are Arles and Marseille. It is beside Rhone River and in the past had contributed significantly, to make French civilization reach its nadir. In the 14th century, Avignon was the seat of quite a few anti-popes (1378 AD to 1408 AD). Pope Clement V left Rome and its politics to establish residence in Avignon and thus the city became a new center of Christianity. The main activity in the city is found in the restaurants and shops lining the Place d'Horloge.
Avignon is prosperous and home to some of the well known personalities of France. But you are on a holiday, so check the nightlife and restaurants in Avignon, but indulge in some historical tours which will take the time machine back by some decades if not centuries. Start your sightseeing in Avignon with a visit to Cathedrale Notre-Dame des Doms. It was built in the 12th Century and is very elaborate. There are some distinguishing Baroque galleries and a gilded Virgin Mary lantern. A tour to Palais des Papas will be equally interesting. It is one of the most important Gothic palates of the world and has some mind boggling frescos. There are several cultural activities taking place here through out the year.
You need not restrict yourself to indoors only while sightseeing in Avignon. There are some well designed and structured outdoor garden which are a delight to be in specially in summer. You can try spending some time in Rocher des Doms. It is a rocky outcrop which falls sharply to the Rhone River. It was here that the first settlement of human population began around 4000BC. The garden here offers a really breathtaking view.Getting to Avignon
Avignon in France is a famous tourist spot, and visited by tourists from all over the world. This travel guide provides you with the handy information about getting to Avignon . The geographical position of Avignon is such that you can reach there from any European city.
By train
Getting to Avignon is really easy because of the strategic location of Avignon, which lies between the Paris-Lyon-Nice-Italy train line and the Montpellier-Narbonne-Perpignan-Spain line. You can come here from many European cities because several European train companies have direct train services to Avignon. Otherwise you might take a high speed train any day from Paris and it will get you at the La Gare TGV station in Avignon in about 3 hours. If you choose to take a train from Marseille it will take you about 30 minutes to be in this city.
By car
For those who love long drives and driving hours, getting to Avignon by car is also possible. Avignon is situated on such a traffic crossroad axis that you can drive from most of the European cities to Avignon. Highways connect Avignon to Germany, Italy and all the major French cities, because of the geographical position of Avignon and therefore from all the destinations north of the city you can take the A9 motorway and come to Avignon. If you are coming down from Nimes, Barcelona or any other destination from the south of the city then also you can take the A9 motorway. The motorways of Avignon are excellent and have clear signposts; therefore you will have no problems while driving into Avignon. From Marseilles you can reach Avignon in about 1 hour time but it will take you about 6 hours if you plan to go from Paris.
By busFor getting to Avignon , you can also take the international bus services provided by Linebus and Eurolines from the cities like Brussels, Morocco, London, Prague, Italy and Spain. Any bus will take to Avignon's Gare Routière coach station, lying on the boulevard St Roch, within reasonable time.
By airThe best way of getting to Avignon is however by air. Avignon lies near the Marseille Provence Airport. It is about 80 km southeast of the city. Here you get the facility of getting connected with all the major European countries. You can get into the city either by taking any shuttle bus or by hiring a taxi or a car. However, you can get into the city from the Caumont Avignon airport also.
By ferry
For those who want to know whether you can come to Avignon by availing the waterway the bad news is that there is no direct ferry service into the city of Avignon. Therefore if you want to come by the cross channel services, then you have to sail from any of the ports of UK and come to any French port like Calais, Cherbourg or Le Havre. From there, you can come to Avignon by taking a bus, taxi or by your own car. However it will take lots of time if you come this way to reach Avignon and the route is complicated and lengthy too.
So getting to Avignon is quite smooth due to the strategic location of Avignon and transportation facilities especially the excellent motorways of Avignon and good train and air service.Hotels in Avignon
