Avignon is a French fancy

My kind of place: The Provençal city is a World Heritage Site of medieval sights and cafe culture.

Pont St-Bénézet, aka Pont d’Avignon, the famously ruined bridge that juts into the River Rhône in Avignon. Photo by Adam Batterbee

Why Avignon?

The sunny capital of Provence's Vaucluse region is marking 20 years of being a Unesco World Heritage Site – an apt accolade, considering it's home to the world's largest Gothic palace and has an astonishing number of historic sites within its stony ramparts. For almost 70 years, Avignon was the home of the Papacy, and the imposing towers of the 14th-century Palais des Papes (www.palais-des-papes.com) draw you irresistibly to the vast Place du Palais, which is large enough to hold the medieval treasures of the Musée du Petit Palais (www.petit-palais.org) and the 12th-century Notre Dame des Doms cathedral. Lording over it all are the hilltop gardens of Rocher des Doms, Avignon's first settlement.

At the merest hint of warm weather, cafe tables fill every open space within the city’s cobbled streets. The Avignonnais do cafe society very well, squeezing in restaurants and bars in hidden corners and courtyards. And don’t forget to look up: many of the handsome 18th-century town houses are covered in trompe-l’œil that illustrate the city’s other main obsession – theatre. The 69th edition of the Festival d’Avignon, one of the world’s oldest and biggest theatre festivals, runs from July 4 to 25.

A comfortable bed

The splendours of the 18th century are lavishly evoked at La Mirande (www.la-mirande.fr; 0033 490 142 020), a former cardinal's palace near Palais des Papes. It's unstuffy luxury at its best, with a superb afternoon tea in the courtyard garden. Double rooms cost from €370 (Dh1,543), room only.

Facing the lively Place Crillon, the stately Hotel d'Europe (www.heurope.com; 0033 490 147 676) has been running since 1799, offering stylish comfort – plus a highly acclaimed Michelin-starred restaurant. Doubles cost from €225 (Dh938), room only.

A grand 1820 town house contains Villa de Margot (www.demargot.fr; 0033 490 826 284), a friendly B&B with individually themed rooms. Even if you don't get the royal suite, with its wonderful roof terrace, there's a charming secluded garden in the front. Doubles cost from €120 (Dh551), including breakfast.

Find your feet

Most of the main sights are contained within Avignon's medieval stone ramparts, which encircle about four kilometres of the historic centre bordering the River Rhône. The big exception is Pont St-Bénézet, aka Pont d'Avignon, the famously ruined bridge that juts into the river. South of Place du Palais is Place de l'Horloge, which teems with people and cafes. The square blends into the main Rue de la République, which eventually leads to the main tourist office in Cours Jean Jaurès (www.avignon-tourisme.com or www.provenceguide.com; 0033 432 743 274), as well as a tangle of pedestrianised streets to the east. To the south-east is Rue des Teinturiers, which runs alongside a tiny stretch of the River Sorgue and is flanked by ancient waterwheels and quirky cafes.

Meet the locals

Away from the busy Place de l’Horloge is the much more intimate Place du Corps-Saints, a delightful little square (well, triangle, really) round the corner from the tourist office. Bistros and bars cluster around the triangle’s plane trees, which give welcome shade to the cafe tables. If you’re hungry, stop at Ginette et Marcel for a tartine, a large slab of toasted rustic bread covered with toppings that include warm goat’s cheese with honey.

Book a table

The food is as exquisite as the elegant belle époque surroundings at Hiély-Lucullus (www.hiely-lucullus.com; 0033 490 861 707), one of Avignon's top restaurants. The roast saddle of Provençal lamb with cannelloni of confit leg (€35 [Dh146]) is a work of art.

One of Place du Corps-Saints' newest and most welcome additions is Restaurant l'Agape (www.restaurant-agape-avignon.com; 0033 490 850 406). Inside its industrial-chic interior, very generous plates of French dishes include beef that's been cooked slowly for 12 hours and melts in the mouth. It's part of the €17 (Dh71) lunchtime menu, which is excellent value.

The menu changes with the seasons at Restaurant Le 46 à Avignon (www.le46avignon.com; 0033 490 852 483), a funky restaurant that doubles as a bar offering tasting platters. Innovative dishes include a thick creamy celery soup topped with a poached egg and slices of smoked duck breast (€8 [Dh33]).

Shopper’s paradise

Upmarket boutiques crowd genteelly along Rue Joseph Vernet, including the designer emporium Actuel B (www.actuel-b.com). Check out the chic vintage finds at Piece Unique, too.

The large covered food market, Les Halles, has a dizzying range of fresh local produce. If you’re there on a Saturday at 11am (except in August), you can catch one of the local chefs presenting a cookery demonstration – and taste the results yourself.

What to avoid

If you’re not a theatre lover, steer clear of Avignon during the July festival. While the city is in party overdrive, non-festival-goers can find it uncomfortably overcrowded, while hotels jack up their prices.

Don’t miss

Cross the Rhône and spend an afternoon on the Ile de la Barthelasse, the largest river island in Europe. Hire a bike from Day Tour (www.daytour.fr), and spend a leisurely afternoon pootling along quiet lanes before stopping for a picnic. Look out for signs advertising organic produce grown by the island's farmers.

Go there

Return flights with Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dubai to Nice cost from Dh3,965, including taxes, and take about six hours and 45 minutes. Trains to Avignon cost from €30 (Dh125) each way, and take about three hours.

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