Avignon

The Palais des Papes, the bridge and Villeneuve over two days

Two days suit Avignon. On the first, see the Palais des Papes at opening time, the Rocher des Doms gardens, the Pont Saint-Bénezet, Rue des Teinturiers and the Petit Palais. On the second, take the free river shuttle to Barthelasse and cycle to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon for Fort Saint-André and the classic view back.

Morning. Be at the Palais des Papes when it opens, before tour groups stack up in the great courtyard. Allow two hours for the Consistory, the papal chambers with their painted vines and birds, and the Chapel of Saint-Martial. Then climb the ramp beside the cathedral of Notre-Dame-des-Doms to the Rocher des Doms gardens, with the Rhône below and Mont Ventoux on the north-east horizon on a clear day.

Late morning. Walk down to the Pont Saint-Bénezet. Its four surviving arches carry the small chapel of Saint Nicholas, and from the end you look straight at the water the rest of the bridge once crossed. Go back up into town for lunch on Place de l'Horloge or Place des Corps Saints, where terraces stay in the shade of plane trees.

Afternoon. Head east to Rue des Teinturiers, where mossy waterwheels still turn on the Sorgue canal beside the street, then loop back via the Petit Palais, whose early Italian paintings are an overlooked counterpoint to the bare palace.

Day two. Take the free river shuttle to Barthelasse, rent a bike and ride to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon to climb Fort Saint-André and the Tour Philippe-le-Bel for the classic view of the city. Return for an evening glass of Côtes du Rhône inside the walls.

Les Halles market, Provençal daube and papaline chocolates in Avignon

Start eating in Avignon at Les Halles on Place Pie, the covered market behind a wall of living plants. The local dish is daube avignonnaise, lamb or mutton braised in white wine with orange peel, and the sweet to take home is the papaline. Eat in the side streets around Rue des Teinturiers.

Start with Les Halles, the covered market on Place Pie, easy to spot thanks to the wall of living plants that covers its façade. Inside, butchers, cheesemongers and fishmongers trade from early morning into lunchtime, and a few counters cook what is on sale for a glass of wine and a plate at the bar. Spring brings asparagus and Carpentras strawberries, early summer the small, fragrant Cavaillon melons, and winter black truffles from the Vaucluse.

The city's signature dish is daube avignonnaise, lamb or mutton slowly braised in white wine with herbs and orange peel, a cousin of the beef daube found across Provence. Vegetable dishes are just as good here: tian, oven-baked courgettes and tomatoes in an earthenware dish, and ratatouille made with produce from the Comtat plain east of town.

For something to take home, look for papalines d'Avignon, pink chocolates filled with an oregano liqueur from Mont Ventoux, and the striped boiled sweets called berlingots from Carpentras. Wine bars and cavistes inside the walls pour the whole Rhône range, from everyday Côtes du Rhône to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Avoid the menus with photographs on Place de l'Horloge and eat in the side streets around Rue des Teinturiers, where the cooking is more personal.

Pont du Gard, Orange and the Luberon within reach of Avignon

Within easy reach of Avignon lie the Pont du Gard, about 25 km west on bus 115, the Roman theatre at Orange 15 to 20 minutes north by train, Arles about 20 minutes away by train, and the Luberon villages of Gordes and Roussillon by car. L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue holds a Sunday morning market.

Avignon sits at a crossroads, and the best day trips all run in different directions. To the west, the Pont du Gard, the three-tiered Roman aqueduct bridge over the Gardon, is about 25 km away; regional bus line 115 runs there from Avignon, and on a hot day you can swim in the river below the arches. Further on, Nîmes has its arena and the Maison Carrée temple.

Northward, trains reach Orange in about 15 to 20 minutes for its Roman theatre, whose stage wall still stands at full height, then a short drive takes you into the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where the ruined papal castle overlooks the vines and cellars offer tastings.

East is the Luberon, the region of hilltop villages that is easiest by car. Gordes perches on its rock, Roussillon is built from ochre earth that turns the streets red and orange, and the Abbaye de Sénanque frames lavender fields that flower from late June into July. Closer in, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue holds a large antiques and food market on Sunday mornings beside its clear green river.

South-west, Arles is about 20 minutes by train, with Roman monuments and Van Gogh sites. Go early in summer, since Provence afternoons from June to August regularly pass 30°C.