There are three airports suitable for getting to Avignon: Airport Avignon Provence (www.avignon.aeroport.fr), Airport Marseille-Provence (www.marseille.aeroport.fr), and Airport Nimes-Arles-Camargue (www.nimes-aeroport.fr).

Flying into Airport Avignon Provence: Cityjet and Flybe operate flights from this airport. This is the nearest airport located 6 miles from the city of Avignon just off the national road RN 7. The Avignon Airport is less than a mile away from the A7 Motorway, Exit Avignon Sud. There is no public transportation serving the Avignon Airport. Line 22 of Lignes Express Régionales runs between the airport and the Avignon downtown train station and the TGV (high speed train) station. There is also access via line 30 of the local TCRA network. Lines 3, 4 and 17 of TCRA also stop near the airport. There is a taxi stand located outside the front of the airport terminal.

There are three car rental companies located in the main terminal building, vehicles can be pre-booked for an easy onwards journey after you depart your flight.

Flying into Airport Marseille-Provence: Located in a small town of Saint Gilles, near Garons, this is the major airport in the region with domestic and international scheduled passenger service in the Marseille Provence Airport. The airport is located 50 miles south of Avignon. It connects to most large European cities. To get to Avignon, take the navette (shuttle bus) from the airport to Marseill-St Charles train station. From there, take the train to Avignon. The train takes just over an hour. You can also rent a car at the airport and drive to Avignon.

Flying into Airport Nimes-Arles-Camargue: This airport is located 31 miles west of Avignon. To get to Avignon, take the navette (shuttle bus) from the airport to the Nimes train station. From there, take the train to Avignon. You can also rent a car at the airport and drive to Avignon, the drive will take about 45 minutes.

There are several ways of getting to Avignon via a stop-over at another airport. Paris airports (Roissy-Charlesde Gaulle and Orly): www.aeroportsdeparis.fr Roissy-Charles de Gaulle has a TGV (high-speed train) station that connects directly to Avignon. From Orly, there are daily flights to Avignon, or you can take a TGV train from Paris (Gare de Lyon) town centre. Lyon St. Exupéry airport: www.lyon.aeroport.fr to the north of Avignon, there is a TGV (high-speed train) line that connects the airport directly to the TGV station in Avignon.

There are two train stations in Avignon:

Gare TGV (High-speed train station) located in the suburbs. Direct TGV trains (high-speed) from Paris, 2 hours and 40 minutes (Gare de Lyon and Charles de Gaulle airport), Lille, Brussels, Geneva. Buses from here connect to central Avignon in about 10 minutes. Tickets are about €1.50 and can be purchased on the bus.

Gare Centre SNCF, located on boulevard saint Roch in the town center. The station is located in the heart of the city center, only a short walk from the main tourist sites. These are regional trains, Intercity lines and TGV (high speed trains) to Paris (3 hours and 20 mintues), Eurostar Avignon-London is available during the summer months.

From the train stations you can find a car-hire agency at either station (reserve ahead, especially in July). Or taxi services are available at either train station to get you to your final destination.

Eco-friendly Baladine vehicles (www.tcra.fr) are little seven-seater electric powered vehicles that zip around within the city walls for about €0.50 per ride and tickets can be bought on board. They are available Mon - Sat 10 am - 12:30 pm and 2 - 6 pm; during July and August daily 10 am - 8 pm. Instead of picking up and dropping passengers only at bus-stops, these vehicles can be hailed down like taxis.

Buses generally run from 6 am until 8 pm. The bus service is less frequent during the weekend and during holidays. Bus transport throughout `Grand Avignon` (the Greater Avignon Region), including Les Angles, Villeneuve les Avignon and Le Pontent, is supplied by Transports en Coomun dela Région d`Avignon or TCRA, tel: (+33) 4 32 74 18 32.

The major bus stops in central Avignon are in front of the main post office (La Poste), on the place Pie (by Les Halles, Avignon`s covered market) and on the rue de la République.

Inside the city walls the main services are two routes which areplied at regular intervals during the day by 20-seat mini-buses called Cityzens. All bus stops in Avignon are request stops, so you will need to flag the bus down and, on board, ring the bell when you want get off at the next stop.

Tourist Train: Visitors to Avignon France can enjoy a trip around town in a tourist train. Called the Avignon Vision, the train departs from the city square in front of the Popes` Palace.

There are actually two trains: one that runs up the hill to the Parc Rochers des Dom (about 1 euro) and a second that provides a city tour with commentary.

Taxi Avignon - Tel: (+33) 4 90 8220 20, www.taxis-avignon.fr. Be aware, taxis in the city do have a reputation for overcharging passengers. If the taxi is displaying an illuminated letter `D` on the meter: it indicates you are being charged a higher, night-time tariff which should only apply between 7 pm and 7 am.

All Avignon`s major sights, as well as its charming streets, are easily accessible on foot. The tourist office offers free maps that are marked with four easy walking routes, ideal for getting a feel for the city.

It is not recommended to drive in Avignon`s town center. You can easily drive the circumference of the walled city on its ring road. Inside the walls, the numerous pedestrian areas make driving very challenging.

Parking on the street is not advised as car thefts are common. Inside and just outside the city center, there are around a dozen parking garages.

To reduce congestion, Avignon also has a parc relais -park-and-ride - system. Free, guarded car-parks outside the city are linked to the center by regular shuttle buses every five or ten minutes.

ParkingGarages:

Parking des Halles, open 24 hours/day (580 spaces) Place Pie
Parking Jean Jaurès, open 24 hours/day (709 places) Cours JeanJaurès
Parking de l`Oratoire, open 24 hours/day (554 spaces), Rempartsde l'Oulle
Parking des Gares, open 24 hours/day (778 spaces), 7,avenue Montclar
Parking Catto, open 24 hours/day, 16, boulevard St Roch
ParkingSt-Charles, open 24 hours/day (190 spaces) Avenue dublanchissage (beneath the Grand Hotel). Pedestrian access straight from the center city train station.

Free and guarded parking:

Parking de l`Ile Piot: Open 24 hours /day (650 spaces). Free bus shuttle to the Porte de l`Oulle.
Parking des Italiens: (450 spaces) Avenue des Italiens, open all year long from Monday to Saturday (closed on holidays) guarded from 7:30 am to 8:30pm.

Cycling is one of the best ways to get around the narrow streetsof Avignon`s walled city. Vélopop is a self-service bicycle hire service run by the local bus company, TCRA, and aimed at short-term tourists paying by credit card as well as at locals and long-term visitors on a subscription basis. Avignon`s 200 bikes can be picked up in 19 racks dotted around the walled city and its immediate outskirts. The procedure to rent a Vélopop as a tourist is somewhat complicated. You will need your credit card and mobile / cell phone (not all the racks have a credit card reader). If there is no reader, you can book a Vélopop by telephone on 0810 456 456.

Avignon is generally a safe place. However, as in any busy town and does experience crime like any other town or city, especially in summer months when the area is crowded with tourists. Take the usual precautions here as you would elsewhere. Use discretion, of course, and common sense.

It is advised to be wary of anyone around the Palais des Papes area (or anywhere else in Avignon) who tries to get you to sign a supposed petition. They also attempt to accost you just when you leave the Palais des Papes and claim to be working for the Palais des Papes or other authorities in Avignon. This is untrue. If you sign their petition, they will demand money from you. If you encounter any of these people, ignore them or say `non` and keep walking.

The currency of France is the Euro, US dollars are not accepted. There are numerous ATMs and Banks located in the city center, including three along cours Jean-Jaurès.

Avignon has a Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot summers. July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 75F and coldest is January at 43F. Summer months are hot, dry and mostly clear, with the hottest months from June to September, average high temperatures usually above 80F. The cool season lasts for about 4 months from November to April with an average daily high temperature below 58F. Overall, the temperature typically varies from 35F to 88F and is rarely below 26F or above 96F.

French isthe official language spoken in Avignon. However, the staff of most tourism-related venues (hotels, restaurants) speaks English, and plenty of attractions (museums, guided tours) feature a wide openness to the English speaking public. We suggest you get a good English-French guidebook and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, excuse me and numbers 1-10.