Every July, Avignon becomes the largest stage in France. The official festival takes over the Cour d’honneur of the Palais des Papes and some fifteen other venues; the Off runs more than fifteen hundred shows across the walled city. For three weeks, the intra-muros lives by theatre timings, not traffic ones.
A walled city, ramparts, and very few spaces
Avignon intra-muros sits inside its ramparts, with a limited number of spaces and parking heavily restricted during the festival. The park-and-ride shuttles run, but stop before the evening shows end.
The problem is not getting into Avignon: it is getting out at one in the morning, after a show that overran, when everyone leaves at once.
Festival timings
Off shows start as early as ten in the morning and run past midnight; those in the Cour d’honneur finish late, often after one.
A chauffeur waiting at the agreed point at the time you set, however odd, completely changes the logistics of a five-show day.
What we organise in July
We cover transfers from Avignon TGV station and Marseille-Provence airport, runs from accommodation outside the walls, and days with a car at your disposal.
The van keeps the group together, and the chauffeur stays directly reachable if a show overruns or you decide to change venue.
Around Avignon
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, the Pont du Gard, Les Baux-de-Provence, Saint-Rémy and Arles are all within reach on show-free days.
The car stays at your disposal from one stop to the next, which spares you driving after a lunch in the sun.
To organise your journeys during the festival, give us the dates, the address and the number of passengers: you receive a firm price before confirming. See also our private driver in Avignon page.
Photo: Jialiang Gao www.peace-on-earth.org / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.5
