Frequently asked questions

Priority entry at the Place du Palais gate, full access to the 25-room palace circuit (Great Chapel, Pope's Chamber, Stag Room, Consistory, Grand Audience Hall, terraces with city views), and the HistoPad AR tablet in your choice of 11 languages. The Pont d'Avignon is included only on the combo tier.

A tablet provided at entry that, in each room, shows a 3D reconstruction of how it looked under the 14th-century popes — frescoes as they were, furniture, figures. 11 languages including EN/FR/DE/ES/IT/JP/ZH/KO/RU/PT/AR. Kids-mode available. Included in every ticket tier.

Yes, for €5 extra. The Pont Saint-Bénézet ('the bridge of the Avignon song') is 500m from the palace, takes 30 min to walk, and completes the UNESCO listing. The combo bundles entry to both — the official combo rate (€17) is also the cheapest way to do them together. Most first-time visitors do both.

2–3 hours for the palace with the HistoPad at a steady pace. Add 30–45 min for the Pont d'Avignon. A full Avignon morning or afternoon if you include lunch in the old town between the two.

Peak-summer (Jul–Aug) weekend queues hit 40–60 min at the main gate. Mornings (09:00–10:30) and late afternoons (after 16:30) are quieter. Skip-the-line cuts any queue to under 5 minutes.

Doable as a long day — TGV Paris Gare de Lyon → Avignon TGV in 2h40m. Better as an overnight with Pont du Gard or the Luberon. From Marseille or Lyon: easy day trip.

Two situations trigger a full refund: (a) we cannot secure your chosen slot, or (b) the palace closes (rare — 25 Dec mainly). Outside those, tickets are non-transferable. Reply to your confirmation email 48h+ ahead and we'll try.

Yes — kids 8+ tend to love the HistoPad (kids' mode), the Stag Room frescoes, and the ramparts views. Under-8s are free at the gate; the family tier bundles the paperwork. The palace has significant stairs — strollers are tough, a carrier works better.

The Palais des Papes entrance is on Place du Palais, on the western (river-facing) side of the palace. Skip-the-line ticket holders go to the dedicated priority lane to the left of the main entrance — staff scan the QR code on your PDF. There is no separate meeting point with us; we are your booking concierge, not an on-site tour.

The Palais des Papes is largely covered. Internal courtyards (Cour d'Honneur, Cour de Bénoit XII) are open to the sky but small. Heavy rain affects the rooftop terraces only — the rest is indoor. The HistoPad still works the same. The Pont d'Avignon is fully exposed; combo visitors usually do the palace first, then the bridge if rain breaks.

The HistoPad tablet replaces the traditional audio guide. It plays narrated room-by-room commentary in 11 languages and shows AR reconstructions of how each room looked in the 14th century. There is no separate audio-guide product. For visitors who prefer audio-only, the 'Les Clefs du Palais' WebApp is available in 6 languages on your own phone.

Yes — Avignon Tourisme runs scheduled English-language guided tours (90 min) on most days during the high season. These are separate from your skip-the-line ticket and not bundled in our concierge service. If you specifically want a guide, message us before booking and we'll point you at the right time slot.

Small bags and daypacks are allowed through the security check. Large suitcases and backpacks over roughly 30 litres must be left in cloakrooms or at your accommodation. Avignon Centre station has 24-hour automated lockers if you arrive by train.

There is a café in the Grand Tinel (one of the great halls) that serves drinks, light snacks, and a small lunch menu. For a full meal we recommend leaving the palace, walking 5 minutes to Place de l'Horloge or Rue des Trois Faucons, and choosing from the old town's restaurants. Many travellers do palace 09:30 → lunch in old town → Pont d'Avignon.

There is no formal dress code. Comfortable walking shoes matter — the palace has uneven medieval stone floors and significant staircases. Layers are useful: the stone interiors stay cool even in summer, while the rooftop terraces are exposed.