Pont d'Avignon, Avignon

Historic and world famous monument. You could just admire the bridge from afar, but I think it’s definitely worth paying to go and explore properly. You’re given a little handheld device which gives you snippets of information along various points of the bridge. Thankfully the recordings only last for less than 2 minutes - which is plenty of time to give you some interesting facts without boring you to tears! It’s also worth visiting at sunset and when it gets dark - it’s a really beautiful monument at all times of the day and night.

Cool to finally see the pont d’Avignon… but it wasn’t that impressive. It was a bit of a let down, to be honest, but it was still a pleasant visit with a beautiful view of the lake!

A nice bridge with beautiful views wooden bridge spanning the Rhône between Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Avignon was built between 1177 and 1185. This early bridge was destroyed forty years later in 1226 during the Albigensian Crusade when Louis VIII of France laid siege to Avignon. Beginning in 1234 the bridge was rebuilt with 22 stone arches. The stone bridge was about 900 m (980 yd) in length and only 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in) in width, including the parapets at the sides. The bridge was abandoned in the mid-17th century as the arches tended to collapse each time the Rhône flooded making it very expensive to maintain. Four arches and the gatehouse at the Avignon end of the bridge have survived. The Chapel of Saint Nicholas which sits on the second pier of the bridge, was constructed in the second half of 12th century but has since been substantially altered. The western terminus, the Tour Philippe-le-Bel, is also preserved. The bridge was the inspiration for the song Sur le pont d'Avignon and is considered a landmark of the city. In 1995, the surviving arches of the bridge were classified as a World Heritage Site, together with the Palais des Papes, Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms, and other monuments from the historic centre of Avignon, because of its testimony to Avignon's leading role in the Papacy during the 14th and 15th centuries.

You can learn a lot about the history if you pay for the ticket. If you prefer to see amazing buildings or ancient rooms, you are not going to get much “walking on top of the bridge“.

I thought there was much more to see it is a lovely place but I didng like the tourguide by phone i could hardly understand what tge guude was saying and i didnt like to carry a phone. Tgere wgere some nice vieuws on ghe bridge but i liked the old town more