World City Guide

Getting Around

Public Transport
Transports en Commun de la Région d’Avignon – TCRA (tel: (04) 3274 1832) provides public transport throughout ‘Grand Avignon’ (the Avignon Region), including services to Les Angles, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Le Pontet. The major bus stops in central Avignon are in front of the main post office (poste), place Pie and rue de la République. The system runs 0700-1940 Monday to Saturday (less frequently on Saturday). The restricted Sunday service (labelled with a number followed by a ‘D’ for dimanche) operates 0800-1800. Line 30 runs on weekdays, weekends and bank holidays. During the Avignon Festival, there is a special late-running service and reduced price tickets for public transport throughout the festival (the Bustivale pass) offering 30% reduction on standard prices.

Tickets can pre-purchased or bought on the bus and must be stamped upon boarding. Information and bus tickets are available at the TCRA Point d’Accueil, avenue de Lattre de Tassigny (tel: (04) 3274 1832), located between the central rail station and the tourist office. Tickets are also available for purchase at tabacs, newsagents and shops displaying the TCRA logo. One ticket costs ¬1, two tickets ¬1.75 and a carnet of 10 tickets costs ¬7.80. Weekly and monthly passes are also available at ¬7.80 and ¬27.30 respectively (concessions are available).

Taxis
The taxi service is centrally run by Taxi Radio Avignonnais (tel: (04) 9082 2020; fax: (04) 9086 6169). The major taxi ranks are located in front of the central and new TGV rail stations, while others are at Raspail (rue de la République), St Lazare (near the university) and place Pie. Taxi journeys around central Avignon are tallied by the kilometre at ¬1.20 (0700-1900) and ¬1.80 (1900-0700 and bank holidays), with a pick-up fee of ¬1.90. Luggage (per item) costs ¬0.61, an animal ¬0.71 and a fourth passenger ¬1.19. Tips are welcome but not expected.

Limousines
Lieutaud Voyages (tel: (04) 9086 3675; e-mail: contact@cars-lieutaud.fr; website: www.cars-lieutaud.fr ), situated in front of the SNCF Avignon Central Station, charge ¬392 for one to five passengers and ¬416 for six to 15 passengers, for one day of hire, including an English-speaking chauffeur. Gaillard (tel: (04) 3240 9866) offers a similar service.

Driving in the City
Avignon’s Old Town is compact enough to be covered on foot and parts of it are pedestrianised. However, for visitors who choose to drive, conditions are good, roads rarely traffic-clogged and there is a special pleasure to be gained in driving through the portes (gates) of the ancient city walls.

The main supervised and 24-hour car parks are located at the stations, at 7 avenue Monclar, and underneath the Palais des Papes square. Free, supervised car parks (tel: (04) 9080 8102) are located at the Ile Piot (1,500 spaces), with free shuttle buses running to the city centre, and Parking des Italiens, avenue des Italiens (550 spaces). In peak season, an additional car park opens at the foot of the Pont St-Bénézet. It is best to choose these supervised spaces, as car theft is all too frequent. Alternatively, there are good car parks west of the city centre.

Car Hire
The minimum age for car hire varies from 21 to 25 years. Drivers must possess a national driving licence, which they must have held for at least one year. Third party insurance is mandatory for driving in France and this should be covered in the hire price. Additional insurance is optional.

Providers include ADA, 23 boulevard St Ruf (tel: (04) 9086 1889), RentaCar, 130 avenue Pierre Sémard (tel: (04) 9088 0802), Sixt, 3 avenue St Ruf (tel: (04) 9086 0661), and Véo, 51 avenue Pierre Sémard (tel: (04) 9087 5343). All are centrally located. Daily rates for hire of a small car start at around ¬45 for one day.

Bicycle & Scooter Hire
Provence Bike, 52 boulevard St Roch (tel: (04) 9027 9261; e-mail: motorvelo@provencebike.com), hires out motorbikes at ¬51-150, scooters at ¬36-52 and bicycles at ¬8-18 per day, from the bus station on boulevard St Roch, during high season (April to October). A similar service is provided by Aymar, 80 rue Guillaume Puy (tel: (04) 9086 3249).