Getting To Avignon

Avignon is well connected to France’s superbly designed road network, making reaching the city by hire/private car or by coach an uncomplicated affair from most major French cities. Rail services also connect the city with the country’s capital with regular and speedy services. The nearest international air facility is some 80kms away and is the Marseille Provence Airport, which provides connections with both domestic and international cities.

By car

From Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, Nice and Italy and destinations north of the city you can take the A9 motorway to within seven kilometres of the city centre and then follow the signs. From Nîmes, Perpignan, Barcelona and destinations south of the city, you can take the A9 motorway to within six kilometres of the city centre and then follow the signs. From Marseilles, you can expect to make the journey in about 1 hour; from Paris, in about 6 hours and from Barcelona in approximately 3 hours, 45 minutes.

By rail

Rail services from La Gare TGV station, situated a couple of miles south of the city centre, provide connections between Avignon and Paris, with an average journey time of around 2 hours, 40 minutes. Buses connect the city centre with the rail station. From Paris, you can make connections to a variety of destinations including Lille, Nantes, Rouen, Brussels and Geneva.

By bus

International bus services from destinations such as Brussels, Morocco, London, Prague, Italy and Spain are provided by Linebus and Eurolines, and run to Avignon’s Gare Routière coach station, located on boulevard St Roch. Services are generally speedy and reliable. Regional connections are also available to towns such as Carpentras, Cavaillon, Aix, l’Isle/Sorgue and Nîmes.

By air

Marseille Provence Airport is the nearest major airport to Avignon and is situated 80kms southeast of the city. It’s a two-terminal facility providing connections with major EU and international destinations such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, London, Milan, Munich and Paris. The airport is reasonably well served by ground transportation options, with shuttle buses and taxis on hand offering connections to various destinations in the Provence region. The Caumont Avignon Airport is closer at only eight kilometres away and offers limited connections.

By ferry

There are no ferry services operating to the city of Avignon and visitors wishing to make use of cross channel services can sail from various UK ports to French ports such as Calais, Cherbourg, Roscoff, St Malo and Le Havre. It is possible to negotiate the route from these ports by road, but this can be complicated and lengthy.

Avignon airports

At 80kms away, Marseille Provence Airport is by no means close to the city of Avignon, but it is the nearest major international air facility and provides the main gateway to the entire Provence region. The airport operates separate international and domestic terminals and serves over five million passengers per year with flights to some 80 destinations, of which 30 are international. The terminal buildings are well equipped with passenger facilities and include banks, a post office, ATMs, bureau de change counters, bars, cafés, restaurants and shops plus an excellent business centre. Alternatively, Caumont Avignon Airport is much closer at only eight kilometres away; however, a single UK airport (Southampton) provides direct flights and flights from other EU cities are limited. In addition, the airport has limited passenger facilities.

Avignon airport transportation

Shuttle buses connect the airport with the town of Marseille and run at 20-minute intervals throughout the day. From Marseille, you can connect with other major Provence destinations.

Taxis are available from outside the Arrivals area of both terminals and provide convenient and comfortable service to a variety of regional destinations.

By road, the airport can be reached from Marseille by taking the A55 motorway then the A7 motorway. From the A7, take the D9 exit and follow the signs to the airport.

From Caumont-Avignon airport, taxis or rental cars provide the only options for transfers to onward destinations.