Lady’s Eurostar to Avignon Guide

One of the things I love about London is that I can travel internationally by train. And not just to Paris, either. Eurostar runs a service all the way from London to the south of France. I’ve taken it a number of times, and today I’ve partnered with Eurostar to bring you this advertising feature about taking the Eurostar to Avignon.

Eurostar to Avignon

Eurostar runs an annual direct train service from London to the south of France from May to September.

The Eurostar to Avignon leaves London on Monday morning and arrives 5 hours and 49 minutes later. The inbound leaves Avignon on Friday afternoon and pulls into St Pancras in the evening.

Given the ease and speed of train travel and the beautiful views of the French countryside, it’s a great way to get from the UK capital to the south of France. So much so that this is my second time doing it.

Eurostar Train Journey to Avignon

I meet a group of fellow bloggers and Instagrammers at St Pancras and we board the train together.

We’re traveling in Standard Premier on the Eurostar to Avignon. It’s a fare class with comfortable seats, two on-board meals, and more magazines than I can read in a week.

Between the conversation, the food, the reading, the views, and the wine, the journey goes by remarkably quickly. Before we know it, we’re being kissed bonjour by the Provencal sun and taking taxis from the train station to the city center.

Avignon, France

Avignon is a walled city on the Rhone with medieval cobblestone streets and picture-pretty churches. It was the seat of the Popes for most of the 14th century and has an enormous papal palace to prove it.

But it’s not all medieval. The city has a great mix of historic and modern, with shops and restaurants dotted along the pedestrianized streets.

Things to Do in Avignon

I start my visit at the aforementioned palace, letting an audioguide lead me through the cavernous rooms of the Palais des Papes.

I take in painted walls and reception rooms, and admire the views from the roof. A sprawling square and neighboring church dominate the scene below.

Said church is an important heritage building in Avignon. The Notre Dame des Doms d’Avignon houses the tomb of Benedict XII, who was Pope from 1334 to 1342. Its ceiling is stark, but lower down there’s a lot of detail to see.

And there’s more to see outside. The church sits next to Le Jardin des Doms, a park with stunning views of the famous Pont d’Avignon bridge, the Ile de la Barthelasse island, and the hulking Fort Saint-Andre, which sits across the Rhone.

I go to the park with a thick slice of teglia from La Patisserie Rose in the nearby covered market, eating a picnic lunch overlooking a small vineyard.

Another day I spend a morning walking through the historic streets of Avignon. The smell of fresh bread carries me off to the Rue des Teinteurs. This road is lined with water wheels, their droplets glittering in the sun.

Piano music drifts out of a cafe and carved stone benches invite me to bend down to get a closer look at the creatures and symbols carved in their faces.

Elsewhere I wander through the Basilique Saint-Pierre d’Avignon. This 14th-century Gothic church has beautiful painted arches behind its flamboyant facade.

And no visit to Avignon would be complete without seeing the Pont d’Avignon. This legendary bridge dates back to the 12th century and is known for being only partially intact.

But it’s not all historic buildings and romantic bridges here. Avignon has a contemporary side, and I discover some great shops while I’m exploring.

My favorite is Le Nid. Part cafe, part home store, this stylish place has everything I want to satisfy my hunger and decorate my flat in London.

Food Tour of Avignon

And speaking of hunger, one of the benefits of taking the Eurostar to Avignon is that there’s no shortage of places to eat.

I learn this firsthand on a food tour of Avignon with Aurelie Gilabert from Avignon Gourmet Tours. She starts by feeding us croissants, then takes us around the city to taste Provence’s culinary treasures.

Aurelie points out La Princiere, which offers unique flavors of ice cream, then leads us to Aline Gehant for a chocolate tasting. Lavender and thyme-flavored truffles go down a treat.

We pass Bella Ciao, a sourdough bakery, en route to Cafes au Bresil. This award-winning coffee roaster gives us a taste of its daily espresso as we nibble on traditional boat-shaped navette biscuits flavored with orange blossom.

Next we stop in a square for papalines, pink chocolates filled with a regional herbal liqueur. Afterwards we’re off to La Pause Gourmande, a family-run bakery that’s been in business since 1931.

Four generations of women have overseen the place since its founding, and we sit outside in the square to taste traditional star-shaped Christmas bread from southeastern France, which they bake all year.

Its sugary topping goes well with a sweet Muscat de Beaumes de Venise wine.

And there’s more wine to come. Our next stop is Liquid, a wine shop in Avignon where we taste a traditional Cotes du Rhône and pick up some bottles to take home with us.

The final stop on our food tour of Avignon is Les Halles. This covered market is a food lover’s heaven.

Aurelie lets us loose to explore, then sits us down at one of the small restaurants in the market for a picnic feast of local olives, cheeses, breads, meats, and seafood. It’s a great way to graze through the best of the market’s produce.

Restaurants in Avignon

Elsewhere in the city, my group discovers some of the best restaurants in Avignon.

On our first night, a seven-course tasting menu with a wine pairing at the gastronomic restaurant at Hotel La Mirande shows off the city’s Michelin-starred cuisine.

Another night we enjoy a classic meal at La Fourchette. Fresh asparagus and seafood are highlights, and the atmosphere is delightfully traditional.

Less impressive are meals at Avenio, where the service isn’t up to par, and L’Epicerie, where overcooked pasta and asparagus mar an otherwise fun atmosphere.

Thankfully good coffee at Cafe Tulipe goes a long way in making up for it. They take their coffee seriously here, and we go back multiple times during our trip.

Villeneuve-les-Avignon

There’s a lot more to explore in the south of France than just the city, and one of the benefits of taking the Eurostar to Avignon is that it opens up so much of Provence.

The area around the city is rife with places to discover, from hillside villages to fortresses.

I spend an afternoon walking across the Rhone from Avignon to the village of Villeneuve-les-Avignon with a fellow blogger.

Along the way we stroll through La Colline des Mourgues park, which has some of the best views of Avignon. It also has a tiny chapel with contemporary paintings decorating its interior and a small outdoor theater.

Villeneuve-les-Avignon itself is a gem. It has picture-pretty lanes, historic cloisters, and sunny squares. It’s a like a miniature Avignon on a hill.

Above it looms the Fort Saint-Andre, a historic fortress with thick walls and deep history.

We walk along the ramparts, taking in views of the Chartreuse de Villeneuve-les-Avignon convent below and Avignon in the distance before walking back to the city.

Les Baux-de-Provence

Another day my group rents a car to take a day trip from Avignon. One of the nice things about taking the Eurostar to Avignon is that passengers can get up to 10% off car rentals with Hertz.

Once in the car, we drive for 30 minutes to get to Les Baux-de-Provence. We spend our time within the hilltop village’s medieval walls, taking in the cobblestone streets and walking up to the castle ruins for views across Provence.

Lunch is at Les Baux Jus, a raw vegetarian restaurant where we tuck into plates of zucchini spaghetti, marinated mushrooms, and guacamole. It’s a unique meal, if a bit expensive for what it is.

Aigues-Mortes

From Les Baux-de-Provence, we drive for an hour to get to the coast. Aigues-Mortes is another medieval fortified town with pretty streets and lots of shops.

We walk along the walls and climb the tower, taking in the history of the place as we go.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Another day we drive 30 minutes to the vineyards near Avignon. We’re here for a wine tour of Chateauneuf-du-Pape with Romain Gouvernet from Provence & Wine tour company.

After explaining the area’s rocky terroir and main grape varietals, he takes us for our first wine tasting at Chateau de Vaudieu.

We get a cellar tour here, then do a tasting among the barrels. Afterwards we admire the chateau, which is picture-perfect under cotton puff clouds.

The second stop on our wine tour of Chateauneuf-du-Pape is Domaine Roger Sabon. We tour the cellar here as well, then sit down at a table surrounded by barrels to do a tasting. It’s every bit the classic experience, and the wines are delicious.

Eurostar from Avignon

After five days in Avignon, it’s time to hop back on the Eurostar to London.

We board the weekly Friday train just before 4pm, settling in for more good views (and good wine we’ve picked up along the way) as we speed through the French countryside.

We alight for an hour to clear customs and passport control in Lille, then board again to pull into St Pancras station just after 10pm.

It’s been an amazing trip, and I’m still in awe of how fast and easy it is to take the Eurostar to Avignon. Or anywhere else in France, for that matter. In fact, I’m off again tomorrow to take it to Paris.

This is an advertising feature with Eurostar.

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