France – livingmydream.travel

Arriving in Avignon

After spending two days in Paris, we took a direct OUIGO train from Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy train station in Paris to Avignon center booked via SNCF. The train journey took around four hours. We booked our stay at an Airbnb located in the city center for two days.

Things to do in Avignon

Avignon is a very charming small city with lots of history. You can enjoy most of the places of interest on foot if you stay close to the center. We had two days there before we headed out to our next destination. Here is a list of our favorite things that we recommend in Avignon:

Take a tour to Palais des Papes

The Palais des Papes is considered one of the largest medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. It was built to accommodate the popes who fled to Avignon from corrupt Rome. Its immense scale illustrates the medieval might of the Roman Catholic church.

The Palais is today a palace of culture and primarily a tourist attraction. The courtyard of the Palais des Papes is a central performance location during the Festival d’Avignon In, which holds every year in July. It is also the site of many cultural and economic events.

You can take a tour of the Palace by paying an entrance fee which includes an augmented reality(AR) powered tablet and a headset. The interactive AR experience is a fun way to know about the history of the palace. You point the tablet in any direction inside AR enabled rooms and you look through the tablet to see what the room looked like in the past. Once you reach the roof of the palace, you will be awarded with beautiful views of the city. There is also a snack bar at the roof where you can grab some quick bites to eat.

Visit Pont d’Avignon

The Pont d’Avignon is a famous medieval bridge in the town of Avignon. The bridge was the inspiration for the song Sur le pont d’Avignon and is considered a landmark of the city. During the 17th century, various parts of the bridge collapsed due to floods. In 1995, the four surviving arches of the bridge were listed as the World Heritage site.

We recommend visiting the bridge to know more about the history of Avignon. The bridge is a great spot to relax and to take some beautiful pictures of the city.

Relax at Place de l’Horlage

The Place de l’horloge is Avignon’s main square where you will find the city hall and the opera house. The square is one of the most happening part of the city especially during the peak seasons. Here, you will find a lot of restaurants and cafes with open seating. It’s a good place to sit and enjoy food and drinks with live street entertainment.

Walk the streets of Avignon

Wander around the narrow streets of Avignon or just sit and have espresso in one of the small cafe. We had some waffles and espresso at a popular local coffee place: The Milk Shop. Don’t forget to click some pictures as every street in Avignon is photo worthy.

Ride Petite train

This is a great way to explore the whole city if you don’t have time or are travelling with kids. The ride is about an hour with an audio guide. The trains starts outside of Palais des Papes and takes you all through the narrow streets and cover all major points of the city.

Take a day trip to Gordes from Avignon

Gordes is one of the most beautiful hilltop village in Provence. It has everything the beautiful winding street, the cobblestone path, the amazing hilltop view and various shops and restaurants. The Impressive Chateau de Gordes which dominates the village was built in 1031 and rebuilt in 1525 and is a major tourist attraction.

How to get there

There are various tours available for a day trip to Provence villages from Avignon and most of them includes some time in Gordes. You can book the tours via Expedia, viator or similar websites. If you are not driving and don’t want to spend on tours, you also have the option to take bus. If you decide to take bus, we suggest going to the information desk at the Avignon central bus station and getting detailed bus schedules.

There is no direct route to Gordes from Avignon via public transport. We took a train from Avignon Centre to Cavaillon and then took a bus from Cavaillon PEM Gare Routiere to Gorde Les Bories. The bus stop is right next to the Cavaillon train station. The entire commute took around 2 hours.

What to do

Visit the Chateau and the museum that it houses, the Pol Mara museum, contemporary Flemish painter and inhabitant of Gordes. The entry fee is EUR 7.

The best part of Gordes is its winding streets and the beautiful homes built on the hillside. Just take a walk and get lost in the streets of Gordes. You will find lot of spots with beautiful views of the valley. Don’t worry you will find your way out as it is a small village!

Buy some locally made souvenirs. There are plenty of beautiful shops all around the village.

Provence region is famous for its lavender. If you are here in summer between June and late July you can visit lavender field just outside of Gordes. Unfortunately, you can visit the lavender fields only if you are driving or if you have booked a private tour. We could not visit the fields but we did buy some locally made lavender products to take home with us!

Time for some tips!

You can buy tickets for Pont d’Avignon and Palais des Papes together and save some money. We bought it from the ticket counter at the palace.

Book your stay close to center of the city. You don’t want to be too far from all the activities.

Take bus to see Provence villages from Avignon if you are not driving or taking a tour. Visit central bus station’s information desk for detailed bus schedules.

Arriving in Paris

We landed in Paris CDG airport and took a regional RER train to reach the city center. You can also take Uber or taxi if you are willing to spend more. We booked two nights at a boutique hotel in the central Paris: Hyatt Paris, Madeliene. This is one of the expensive hotel in the area which costs around 700 USD per night during the peak season but we booked it using Chase UR points for free. We will talk about how to book it using points in the upcoming posts.

Best things to do in Paris

There are so many things to do and see in Paris. Of course, we couldn’t cover everything in two days. But, here are some of the things that we did and really liked during our stay:

Top of the Eiffel Tower

If you want to save time pre-book your tickets online by visiting their official website so that you don’t have to stand in queue for hours just to get the tickets. We got the tickets to top of the tower. There is an option for just the second floor as well which is little cheaper. You will have to stand in line again for the top floor lift from the second floor. But, the line for the top was not too long when we visited during the peak season. The view are amazing from both the second floor and the top. But, we recommend going to the top of tower as well for more expansive views. Do remember to book tickets online!

After visiting the tower, we spent some time sitting near the fountain in front of the tower. It was really hot when we visited in summer and there were lot of people taking a dip in the fountain pool to get some relief from the heat. It is a great spot for pictures as well! Once you are done, climb up to the nearby stairs of Trocadero for more insta worthy pictures.

Take a cruise on Seine River

A Seine river cruise is a must do in Paris. The views along the river is mesmerizing. The boat takes you through many of the cities landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre as you cruise by!
We booked Bateaux Mouches Seine River Cruise which included dinner, drinks and live music along with the beautiful views of Paris from the deck. They were vegetarian friendly as well. We had a wonderful time and we highly recommend it. Here is the Expedia link for the one we booked.

Visit Arch de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees

It is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle. It commemorates French military victories and French soldiers who died in battle.
In order to get to the Arc take the underground passage, so that you avoid crossing the busy traffic.
If you are planning on going to the top of Arc de Triomphe you have to buy the tickets and climb few stairs. The view from the top is worth taking those stairs as you have the 360 degree view of the entire city and the Eiffel tower.
After visiting Arc de Triomphe you can walk down the Champs- Elysees: “A Shopper’s Paradise”. It is 1.2 miles long street known for its theaters, cafes, and luxury shops.

Visit the Saint Chapelle

The Sainte-Chapelle is a royal chapel in the Gothic style. It has amazing stained glass windows. Arranged across 15 windows, each 15 metres high, the stained glass panes depict 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments recounting the history of the world until the arrival of the relics in Paris.
Don’t forget to go to the upper level which can be accessed via staircase. You will be amazed by the spectacular stained glass on the upper level.

Louvre Museum

The Louvre is the world’s largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris. The main attraction of the museum are the Mona Lisa and the statue of Venus de Milo.
We would highly recommend buying tickets in advance. We couldn’t go inside the museum because the tickets were sold out for that day. However, we did take some good pictures outside the museum.

Take a walk along the Seine River

You will find many locals sitting along banks of the river just hanging out with friends and family enjoying food, wine and music. We spent an hour or so sitting/walking along the banks and it was really relaxing time for us. We highly recommend finding some time for this in between visiting the touristy spots.

Paris Delicacies

No trip to Paris is complete without indulging yourself in some delicious sweet treats. So don’t forget to indulge in Macarons, Eclair au chocolat, Crepe to name a few.

Time for some useful tips!

Buy your tickets in advance – If you want to avoid waiting for hours in line, book your tickets online ahead of time. During peak season the tickets on the counters are sold out early or there will be a long line, so planning ahead will be useful. Always try to use the official websites for buying online tickets.

Be ready to walk – Wear comfortable shoes as most part of the city can be enjoyed on foot.

Buy Museum pass – If you are planning to visit lot of Museums in Paris, consider purchasing Museum pass. The Museum pass allows for free admission to number of attractions in Paris. It will save you time as well as some money.

Take Metro/Bus – Taking Uber or taxi can be very expensive. Save some money by using public transport within Paris. Also, if its your first time in Paris you can use Kapten (app like Uber) and get new customer discounts for first few rides.

Buy local travel SIM – There are travel SIM cards available at Relay Stores. We bought the one from Orange, valid for 14 days in 30 EU countries. Here is the link.

Know the greetings – It comes in handy if you know the greetings in French. When entering and leaving a shop, greet and say good-bye to the staff. A simple bonjour(Hello), monsieur/madame(Mr/Madam) , au revoir(Goodbye) and merci(Thank you) are considered a virtual necessity for politeness.

Beware of Pickpockets – Only keep essentials in your wallets. Don’t carry too many cards. Keep your backpack over your chest and always be vigilant.

Tag: France

Trip to Avignon: A Gem in Southern France