World City Guide

Further Distractions

Rocher des Doms
Ramps from the Palais des Papes lead up past the Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms to the Rocher des Doms, the site of Avignon’s earliest settlement. The rocky area was landscaped into a pleasant plateau with an artificial rock garden in the 18th century. Nineteenth-century additions include a lake and the statues of prominent Provençal figures, such as writer Félix Gras and artists Paul Saïn and Paul Vaysan. Terraces were laid out in the 20th century, offering views onto the River Rhône, Pont St Bénézet, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and the Alpilles.

Rocher des Doms, above place du Palais
Transport: Bus to place de l’Horloge.
Opening hours: Daily, sunrise to sunset.
Admission: Free.

Musée Louis Vouland (Louis Vouland Museum)
Successful businessman and art collector Louis Vouland (1883-1973) bequeathed his 19th-century mansion to the state. His home was opened as a museum in 1982, offering a quirky collection of 17th and 18th-century decorative arts. Highlights include faïence (earthenware) from Vincennes and Sèvres, and tapestries woven in Flanders, Aubusson and Gobelins. However, a dainty travel tea set in Sèvres faïence, which belonged to the Comtesse du Barry, mistress of Louis XV, steals the show.

17 rue Victor Hugo
Tel: (04) 9086 0379. Fax: (04) 9085 1204.
E-mail: musee-vouland@avignon-et-provence.com
Website: www.vouland.com
Transport: Bus to rue de la République, post office or porte de l’Oulle.
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-1200 and 1400-1800, Sun 1400-1800 (May-Oct); Tues-Sun 1400-1800 (Nov-Apr).
Admission: ¬4 (concessions available).

Musée d'Art Contemporain (Contemporary Art Museum)
The Collection Lambert en Avignon, housed in the Musée d’Art Contemporain, is a unique ensemble of more than 350 contemporary artworks, which have been loaned by Yvon Lambert to the city of Avignon for 20 years. The collection is a unique testimony of the great art movements of our time: minimal art, conceptual art, land art from the 1960s to 1970s; painting from the 1980s; photography and video from the 1990s. The collection contains a most coherent ensemble of works by leading artists, including Cy Twombly, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Niele Toroni, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, Christian Boltansky, Nan Goldin or Douglas Gordon. Two to three temporary exhibitions are presented each year in conjunction with displays of artworks from the Collection Lambert.

5 rue Violette
Tel: (04) 9016 5620. Fax: (04) 9016 5621.
E-mail: collection.lambert@wanadoo.fr
Website: www.collectionlambert.com
Transport: Bus to Central Station, then a short walk.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1100-1800 (Sep-Jun); Tues-Sun 1100-1900 (Jul-Aug).
Admission: ¬5.50 (concessions available).

Musee Calvet (Calvet Museum)
Housed in a splendid 18th-century mansion, the Musée Calvet displays a varied collection of paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the 20th century, ranging from the archaeological to Beaux Arts, from decorative to ethnic art.

16 rue Joseph Vernet
Tel: (04) 9086 3384. Fax: (04) 9014 6245.
E-mail: musee-calvet@wanadoo.fr
Transport: Any bus to the city centre.
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 1000-1300 and 1400-1800.
Admission: ¬6.