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Find Holiday accommodation in France

There is plenty for all to enjoy at this Christmas market. A variety of delectable delights and gifts are offered by all the stall holders and there is entertainment to delight and captivate all the family, including traditional folk dances and costumes, parades and games.

About the Market

The market is open from 08.00am to 10.00pm every day at the Palais du Roure, in the centre of Avignon.

In Provence, it is a religious belief that Christmas should last 40 days and should end at Candlemas. The Provencal tradition welcomes families to gather around the nativity scene on 24 December and it is common practice to attend midnight mass after the "big supper", which concludes with no less than 13 desserts.

A grand Christmas Market is open to residents and visitors alike on the Place de l'Horloge, with a lot more entertainment on offer on its beautiful lit-up streets. A must see while visiting Avignon at this magical time of year is the "Chemin des Crèches", a very pretty walk through the different animated and illuminated nativity scenes, allowing you to discover the fabulous traditional "santons" figures.

There is plenty for all to enjoy at this Christmas market. A variety of delectable delights and gifts are offered by all the stall holders and there is plenty of entertainment for all the family to revel in including traditional folk dances and costumes, parades (Santa on his sled, but also clowns and characters from film cartoons) and games.

There is also an ice-skating rink on the Place Pie
 

More About Avignon

Located at the confluence of the Rhône and Durance rivers, Avignon is well known for its ramparts, its famous Pont Saint-Bénezet and the Palais des Papes.

Avignon, once the City of the Popes rivalling even Rome and for centuries a major artistic centre, is a marvellously preserved town, packed full of interesting museums, monuments, historical buildings, palaces, galleries, cafés and bars.

The café-lined Place de l'Horloge is a good place to start and is the site of the imposing Hôtel de Ville and the Opéra. Just around the corner on the Place du Palais is the spectacular Palace of the Popes.

Stroll the shopping streets in the pedestrian area, Joseph Vernet and St Agricol streets, the district of la Balance and the large Republic avenue where you will find a variety of well stocked luxury shops, ceramics and pottery, terracotta figurines, handicrafts, and other specialities of the region.

Accommodation

Accommodation in central Avignon can be hard to come by during the christmas market period, to locate a hotel please enter the dates below to search. Alternatively you may want to try self catering accommodation near Avignon, during winter months many of our advertisers will be open to short stays.

Transport quick facts about the markets:

Free Parking: Yes at Ile Piot
Pay Parking: Yes at Palais des Papes
Coach Parking: Yes at Esplanade
Nearest Bus Route: n/a
Nearest Railway Station: Centre Ville, 10 mins from the market location or the TGV, about 4 km from the town centre.
Nearest Tram Stop: n/a
Nearest Tube Station: Terminus
Nearest Airport: Avignon
Nearest Ferry Port: Calais - 985km, about a day to drive by car or Dieppe - 881km, again, about a day to drive (see our route planner for driving directions)

Getting there

Suggested Travel Routes

Choosing to travel by train to France is a simple option. It’s fast and cost effective and also allows you to enjoy the beautiful French countryside. With a great rail network in place, it has never been easier to get to France by train.
From the 14th of November 2007, visitors travelling from the UK to France, will be able to catch the High Speed 1 Eurostar train, direct from St Pancras International to the Continent. Click here to find plan your rail journey Raileurope - Eurostar bookings

As a foot passenger from the UK to Avignon:

By Train: It's easy to reach Avignon with Eurostar - from July to September you can travel direct to Avignon with Eurostar, with an average journey time of 6 hours from London. At any other time of the year, simply change at Paris and travel on to Avignon on the TGV.

Change at Paris Gare du Nord then take a taxi (or RER high-speed commuter train line D) to Paris Gare de Lyon for more frequent connecting trains. The typical journey time of 6 hours 15 minutes allows time for you to change in Paris, but this is intended as guidance only.

From Ashford International, Kent take 50 minutes off any of these journey times from London.

The brand-new Avignon TGV Station is on the outskirts of town, about 1.8 miles (3 km) to the south, between the ring road and the River Durance. It's a long walk, or a shuttle bus runs every 15 minutes into town. You can also pick up a taxi or hire a car from one of the rental companies located at the station.

A full timetable can be viewed by visiting Raileurope - Eurostar bookings  

By Plane: it is worth checking online to find out which airlines are offering the best deals at the time, but as an example, you can fly direct to Avignon from either Gatwick, Heathrow or London City with Airfrance.

Taking your car from the UK to Avignon:

By Train: take your car on Eurotunnel from Folkstone, Kent direct to Calais in France. Journey time is about 35 minutes and the cost varies but is around £55 day trip return for a car and 5 passengers.

By Boat: It is usually cheaper to take a car over to France by boat, because the journey takes longer. Operators such as Seafrance and P&O offer regular ferry trips across the channel, with prices ranging from around £30 for a return day trip.

The drive from Calais to Avignon or Dieppe to Avignon is about a day.