Parking in Avignon

Avignon is a walled medieval city, and inside the ramparts the old town around the Palais des Papes and the Place de l’Horloge is largely pedestrian — so the smart move is to plan where you leave the car before you arrive. The city makes that easy with two big, completely free park-and-ride lots on the edge of town, Parking des Italiens and Parking Île Piot, each with a free shuttle bus into the centre (a 15–20 minute walk if you’d rather stroll); the free, scenic lot on the Île de la Barthelasse across the river is a third option with the best view of the old town. If you want to be right in the thick of it, a ring of central garages sits inside or beside the walls: Parking Palais des Papes is the most central (and the tightest), the Oratoire garage on Rue Joseph Vernet is the roomiest for a bigger car, Jean Jaurès is handy for the station end, and Les Halles above the market is ultra-central but only really fits a small car. For a short visit, the Allées de l’Oulle lot just outside the walls gives you four hours free (and all of Sunday). Two habits pay off here: the central garages are genuinely narrow, so with a large car or SUV use the Oratoire or a park-and-ride; and at the free open lots, take everything of value with you, as break-ins have been reported (Île Piot especially). Below, each car park comes with real prices, walking times and quirks — plus hotels chosen because parking with them, whether their own garage, valet-style help in the pedestrian zone or a clearly explained one next door, is genuinely easy.