Avignon: Getting there & around

Avignon has two train stations: Gare Avignon TGV, 4km (2.5mi) southwest in the suburb of Courtine, and central Gare Avignon Centre (42 blvd St-Roch), where local trains to/from Orange (20min), Arles (20min) and Nîmes (30min) arrive/depart. Some TGVs to/from Paris stop at Gare Avignon Centre, but TGV services such as Marseille (30min) and Nice (3.25hr) only use Gare Avignon TGV. Thanks to the TGV, you can travel from Paris to Avignon in 2.75hr. On Saturdays in summer, there's a direct Eurostar service from London to Avignon (6hr).

The bus station (04 90 82 07 35; blvd St-Roch; information window, Mon-Fri 10:15 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 18:00 ) is in the basement of the building down the ramp to the right as you exit the train station. Tickets are sold on the buses. Bus services include Aix-en-Provence (1hr), Arles (1.5hr), Carpentras (45min), Marseille (35min), Nîmes (1.25hr) and Orange (40min). Most lines operate on Sunday at reduced frequency. Long-haul bus companies Linebus (04 90 85 30 48) and Eurolines (04 90 85 27 60; www.eurolines.com) have offices at the far end of the bus platforms.

Most car-rental agencies such as Europcar (Ibis Bldg: 42 blvd St-Roch, 04 90 85 01 40; TGV station: 04 32 74 63 40) are either inside the main train station complex or nearby (and well signed). To reduce traffic within the walls, the city has over 900 free, monitored parking spaces at Parking de L'Ile Piot, served by a free shuttle bus.

Aéroport Avignon-Caumont (04 90 81 51 51) is 8km (4.9mi) southeast of the city. Marseille-Provence International Airport (35min by bus or train) is served by a smorgasbord of carriers, including Ryanair.

Ferries sail from Marseille to Sardinia, Tunisia and Corsica.

There is no public transport from the airport into town; a taxi costs about €15.00 . Bike-hire places in town include Provence Bike (04 90 27 92 61; www.provence-bike.com; 52 blvd St-Roch), which also hires out scooters and motorbikes. Local TCRA (www.tcra.fr) bus tickets are cheap and can be bought on board. Buses run Monday to Saturday 07:00 - 19:40 and Sunday 08:00 - 18:00 . The two most important bus transfer points are the Poste stop at the main post office and pl Pie. Carnets of 10 tickets and free bus maps (plan du réseau) are available at the Agence Commerciale TCRA (av de Lattre de Tassigny; 04 32 74 18 32; Mon-Fri 08:30 - 12:30 & 13:30 - 18:00 ). Villeneuve-lès-Avignon is linked with Avignon by bus 10, which stops in front of the main post office and on the western side of the walled city near Porte de l'Oulle. Navettes (shuttle buses) link Gare Avignon TGV with the centre (10-13min, twice hourly, 06:15 - 23:30 ); Mon-Sat buses use the bus stop in front of the post office on cours Président Kennedy, and the Cité Administrative bus stop around the corner on cours Jean Jaurès on Sunday. Pick up a taxi outside the train station or call 04 90 82 20 20 any time.