…..I think my favourite holiday was going to Avignon by train. We took the Eurostar from Ashford to Paris then the TGV to Avignon. We stayed at l’Hotel Central which is about halfway to the town square up the Main Street.

We didn’t know what to expect. It was August, 2013. We hadn’t really been away for a few years and, though we had researched Avignon on the internet, we really didn’t really know what we would find. Almost immediately we both felt that Avignon was a place we could go again and again!

The hotel was very pleasant, except for the mosquitoes which obviously had it in for Julian. The bedroom was lovely, the breakfasts were so yummy and the situation meant that we could find great places to eat within a few minutes’ walk.

The first night we walked around, getting our bearings before deciding to eat at a nearby restaurant. We had a wonderful meal and shared a bottle of wine when, though quite tired after the early start we walked to the town square. What a great place to sit in the evening with the old Popes Palace on one side and a handful of bar/restaurants on the other along with what are probably private residences on the other. There were musicians in front of the Palace, a young boy singing, a violinist, an accordion player….

Too soon they finished for the night and we decided to make our way to the hotel. Along the way back was another large square with yet more restaurants and a carousel!

In the next few days we went to various galleries around the town, walked to the Pont d’Avignon and wondered why it only goes part way across the river, sat and ate a picnic in the park close to the hotel and just generally chilled – always finding a great restaurant in the evening and eating wonderful food. Sometimes we started the evening with a drink from one of the bars then went to one of the nearby restaurants. We tried to eat in a different place every night.

We went back to Avignon in 2014 and again in 2017. We visited the new town, went to Arles to see where Van Gogh painted some of his masterpieces, and to see the Roman amphitheatre, and were happy to visit, once again, the galleries, the squares and the restaurants of Avignon. Once we had the tour of the Pope’s Palace, most evenings we sat in the square listening to the musicians and watching the people walking by.

We’ve just been chatting about Avignon and may just visit again, this year! In the meantime, here are some photos of our visits.