L’Hôtel Médiéval is situated less than a 10-minute walk from the Palais des Papes in the center of Avignon. As the city has many one-way streets, the only in is through the St-Lazare gate. The rue de la Petite Saunière is on the right. The street being narrow, I had to park the car in the middle of it to unload my luggage, blocking the way. The staff was welcoming and courteous, and told me where I could park my car four blocks away at the Halles. The hotel has a special deal with this 24-hour carpark (-40%). It cost me 6 euros for one night and part of the next day.

I had a room with a single bed and complete bathroom (toilet, shower and sink). It was plain but clean. In the bathroom, there were plenty of towels. Cost for the night: 45 euros (quite reasonable for a city that lives on tourism). The only bad point of the room was an air vent from either a kitchen or a bathroom that came out in the little courtyard. My window was opening on this pretty yard but I could not leave it open as this vent was functioning on and off during the evening. It did stop later on. The next morning, I took the breakfast offered by the hotel for an extra 7 euros: one croissant, ½ baguette, yogurt, fruit salad (canned), cereal (corn flakes), juice, tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Simple and a bit expensive, but the baguette and croissant were good. For a French hotel, it was a large breakfast as many hotels offer only baguette and coffee for 3-4 euros. Later on, I was able to leave my luggage in a locked room for the morning while I visited part of the town. In mid-June, temperatures in the area were reaching 30 0 C by noon; so any visiting had best be done before lunch.

Avignon is well-known because the Popes once lived there during the Middle-Ages. Their palace is huge but empty (no furniture). The visit remains interesting nevertheless for those who like history and who don’t mind au audio-guide (included with the ticket). I passed on walking on the half-destroyed St-Benezet bridge (famous for the French song Sur le pont d’Avignon). Excellent pictures can be taken free from the street passing underneath one of the arches and the other bridge further down the river. For those who like bridges and such, a 20-minute drive west of Avignon will take you to the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct that is still standing in its entirety. Most impressive.The place consists of nice park with easy trails overshadowed by trees, a river where you can take a dip, the aqueduct, etc. A great place for a picnic!

Avignon also offers good shopping and excellent candies. The Cure Gourmande, on 24 Marchand Street, while expensive, is a nice place to buy your “olives” (chocolate-covered filberts), caramels, nougat and cookies. The place offers nougat in at least six varieties and caramel in about 10 flavors (gingerbread, coffee, chocolate, orange, etc.). A few doors down the street is Mallard, considered by many to be the best chocolatier in town, where excellent papelines (chocolate candy filled with a local liquor) are made. When I bought a small package, I was told to protect these fragile candies from the heat, chocolate melting so easily.

I tried one restaurant, one among those recommended by the hotel: D’ici et D’ailleurs (4 rue Galante, a 7-minute walk from the hotel). While the food was good and well-presented, the service was a bit slow (at 9 p.m.) and my waitress not extremely friendly. The other waitress, much nicer, actually took over serving me. Still, I was not in a hurry and it was a nice evening. I liked the basic menu formula: pick one entrée and a main plate or main plate and a dessert for a fixed price. More extensive menus were also offered. The house wine was a good selection too. Total cost: 20 euros.

I only stayed 24 hours in town and was not able to visit any of the museums except the Palace. I did combine two walking tours (according to the map given out by the tourist office) and managed to see most of the sights (picturesque little streets, main buildings, squares, etc).

In the same area, I also quickly visited Orange (20-minute drive north) where I saw a Roman amphitheatre and arch in great condition (better than in Rome actually). Their tourist bureau gave me a map with a 2-hour walking tour (including the visit of the amphitheatre). I noticed that as Orange is less commercialized, souvenirs are somewhat cheaper to buy there (by as much as 30% on some items like lavender and soap). Nîmes (40 minutes away south-west) also offers Roman architecture (an arena still used for bullfighting and a temple). Another walking tour took me to most historical sights within a couple of hours too.

Granted, these walking tours only gave me a glimpse of what could be seen in each place, but when you are short on time like I was, as an introduction to a city, they are just great.