Things to see and do in the area

Bicycle rental

VELOPOP' station at the base of the Philippe le Bel Tower and on the market square in Villeneuve-les-Avignon.

Restaurants in Villeneuve les Avignon

Le Bellie: simple menu, fresh seasonal produce, home-style cooking / a courtyard-style terrace planted with trees—quiet and very pleasant.

L’émulsion: simple menu, fresh seasonal produce, refined cuisine / very pleasant city-center terrace.

Basta Cosi: the closest, quality traditional Italian cuisine.

Pizza Palio: excellent pizzas, available for takeaway or delivery.

map of Villeneuve-les-Avignon showing the La Paz houseboat, tourist attractions and restaurants

Places of interest nearby

Villeneuve les Avignon - 5-mn walk / 2-mn by bike

photo of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, the Philippe le Bel Tower, and the Rhône River


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Avignon - 15-mn walk / 7-mn by bike

photo of Avignon, featuring the Pont d’Avignon, the ramparts, the Palais des Papes, and Mont Ventoux
photo of the Palace of the Popes at night

Places of interest within an hour’s drive

The pont du Gard - 30 mn

  • the highest aqueduct in the Roman world
  • Pont du Gard Museum
  • swimming in the Gardon River in the summer
  • kayaking down the Gardon River (from Collias to the Pont du Gard) from June to September

The Alpilles - 35 mn

  • the village of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and its narrow streets
  • the Roman site of Glanum (in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence)
  • les Baux-de-Provence
  • the Carrière de Lumières
  • Daudet’s mill (in Fontvieille)
  • the Château d’Estoublon

Orange - 35 mn

  • the Ancient Theater
  • the Chorégies d’Orange in July/August

L’Isle sur la Sorgue - 45 mn

  • the market on Thursdays and Sundays
  • the antique fair at Easter and on August 15
  • the Vaucluse Fountain (15 minutes from L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue)

Nîmes - 45 mn

  • the amphitheater (the best-preserved in the Roman world)
  • the Maison Carrée
  • the Fountain Gardens and the Magne Tower
  • the narrow streets of the Ecusson district
  • the Musée de la Romanité
  • the Carré d’Art (contemporary Art)
  • the Pentecost Feria and the Harvest Feria (last weekend in September)

Arles - 50 mn

  • the amphitheater
  • St. Trophime Church and Cloister
  • the cryptoporticoes of the forum
  • the Van Gogh Space
  • the Museum of Ancient Arles
  • the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival (held over several months between June and September)

Uzès - 50 mn

  • the narrow streets in the city center
  • the Saturday morning market in the city center
  • the 1900 Museum
  • the Haribo Candy Museum

The Dentelles de Montmirail - 50 mn

  • numerous walking trails among and around ridges jagged from erosion, with splendid panoramas from the summits
  • climbing site highly regarded for its vertical, rocky faces
  • a massif surrounded by wine-producing areas: Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Sablet, Beaumes-de-Venise

The wine route

Several picturesque villages and their famous wine-growing regions are less than an hour's drive away.

Places of interest more than an hour’s drive away

the beaches of the Mediterranean

  • les Saintes Maries de la Mer - 1h15
  • le Grau du Roi - 1h15
  • la Grande Motte - 1h20
  • Palavas - 1h30
  • Marseille - 1h30
  • Cassis and the inlets - 1h40
  • Sète - 1h40

the Camargue Regional Nature Park

  • horseback riding, hiking, biking
  • birdwatching
  • Camargue culture / visit to a manade

Aigues Mortes - 1h10

  • the city walls and the Constance Tower
  • the saltworks

Saintes Maries de la Mer - 1h15

  • the Gypsy Pilgrimage on May 24 and 25
  • the beaches of Saintes Maries

Grignan - 1h10

  • the narrow streets of downtown
  • the nighttime festivals, a show held every summer evening at the Château de Grignan
  • the Thursday morning market in Nyons (25 minutes from Grignan)

The Mont Ventoux - 1h15

  • 360° panoramic view of the Vaucluse, the Drôme, the Alps, and the Rhône Valley.

The Luberon

  • Gordes - 1h
  • Sénanque Abbey and its lavender fields (blooming from mid-June to mid-July) - 1h10
  • Oppède-le-Vieux - 1h
  • The Ochre Cliffs of Roussillon - 1h10
  • The Nesque Gorges - 1h35

Montpellier - 1h25

  • the narrow streets of the Ecusson district
  • the Fabre Museum

The Chauvet Cave and the Ardèche Gorges - 1h30

  • the Chauvet Cave (home to the oldest known cave paintings)
  • the Aurignacian Museum and Gallery
  • the Pont d’Arc
  • kayaking down the Ardèche River from June to September

Marseille - 1h35

  • the Panier neighborhood
  • the Mucem
  • the beaches of Marseille
  • the Cassis Inlets (25 minutes from Marseille)

Sète - 1h40

  • the narrow streets of downtown
  • the Théâtre de la Mer
  • the Sète Market
  • the beaches of Sète

Cévennes National Park

  • numerous hiking trails through the mountains and along rivers
  • the Anduze Bamboo Grove - 1 hour 25 minutes

Where to see lavenders ?

  • from mid-June to mid-July, the lavender fields in Provence are in bloom