Avignon Centre station facadeTwo train stations serve Avignon: the high-speed train station in the suburbs and Avignon Centre, near the town centre. This is a guide to both, and to rail travel to and from Avignon.

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Avignon TGV Station

Designed by the architects Jean-Marie Duthilleul and Jean-François Blassel, the sleek, elegant contours of Avignon TGV station are intended to evoke the shape of an upturned boat.

Located 9 km / 5.5 miles south-west of the city, it opened in 2001 as part of the new high-speed rail link between Paris and Marseille.

Except for some services from Paris, most high-speed trains pass through this station.

Where: chemin du Confluent, La Courtine, 84008 Avignon. The website for Avignon TGV station includes live travel information on train arrivals and departures.

 

GETTING TO AND FROM THE STATION

There are two exits from Avignon TGV station. Outside the south exit is a wide choice of car parks (long-term, short-term, subscription only, etc.). A dépose minute (kiss and ride) facility offers the first 15 minutes free.

Taxis which have been ordered in advance should (in theory) pull up at the south exit.

Insider tip Avignon taxisExercise caution when picking up a taxi in Avignon. In 2014 a public investigation found that, in spot checks, 18 out of 19 taxis taken at one of the city's two train stations had overcharged passengers!

Watch out for the illuminated letter "D" on the meter: it indicates you are being charged a higher, night-time tariff which should only apply between 7pm and 7am.

Other popular scams are surcharges for non-existent extra baggage or pets. Click here to book a holiday taxi at a pre-fixed price to or from Avignon TGV station with our affiliate partner, Holiday Taxis.

Entrance to Avignon TGV stationOutside and to the left of the north exit is a rank for taxis which have not been ordered in advance. Pictured: the gates to the north exit/entrance of Avignon TGV station.

A number of major car hire companies are housed in a row of cabins opposite the exit.

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A new rail link known as the Virgule, or Comma, has opened between Avignon's two rail stations. These were previously connected only by taxi or bus (the shuttle bus is now discontinued).

The journey time for the 4 km / 2.5 mile stretch on the Virgule is between five and ten minutes and there is a regular - though not especially frequent - service throughout the day.

The current timetable can be downloaded from the SNCF TER (French regional railways) website (in French only). Select the last option from the dropdown menu.

To the left outside the north exit is the grandly named gare routière (bus station), in fact just a handful bus-stops from where you can travel onwards to Apt, Digne, Pont Saint Esprit, L'Isle sur la Sorgue, Cavaillon, Arles, Tarascon and other destinations.

To the right as you go out the north exit are a motorbike park and a car park (pay for the parking ticket at the machine by the station exit).

In terms of road access, Avignon TGV Station is not well signposted. If driving there, the following suggested route from the A7 motorway is not the most direct, but it is by far the easiest to find.

Leave the A7 at exit 23 (Avignon Nord). Follow the signs towards the centre of Avignon. Keeping the river on your right and the walled city on your left, drive past the Pont d'Avignon and two more river bridges. Then the road takes you to the left away from the river. Keep straight on for 1 km / 0.6 miles and you will see the station in front of you

STATION FACILITIES

Inside Avignon TGV station are vending machines and a cafeteria. A Relay newsagent has foreign-language newspapers and magazines as well as maps, guide books and SIM cards (une carte SIM or, sometimes, une puce in French) for mobile phones / cell phones.

As well a public payphones, there's a charge point where you can (it's claimed) charge any type of mobile phone. There is free wi-fi in the station.

Also in the station concourse is a Welcome Desk (Accueil), where assistance may be requested for under-aged or disabled passengers.

This desk also serves as a Lost and Found office (Objets Trouvés). Alternatively, you can report losses on the SNCF Lost Property website. There is no left luggage office or lockers.

Outside the south exit is a post-box and, to the right as you go out, a cash dispenser (ATM or Retrait d'Espèces).

TRAIN ROUTES TO AND FROM AVIGNON TGV STATION

The website of France's national rail company SNCF has been rebranded yet again and given a new website address. Formerly and briefly oui.sncf, it is now SNCF Connect.

The high-speed route from Paris has slashed journey times to Avignon to around two hours 40 minutes. If travelling from London, take the Eurostar and change trains in either Lille or Paris.

The dining roon of Le Train Bleu restaurant, ParisThe advantage of Lille is that the trains connect in the same station. However, you should make sure both your trains run to Lille Europe. Some domestic routes run to Lille Flandres, which is a 10-15 minute walk away.

Paris offers more trains and the total journey time is shorter, but you will need to cross the city, either by taxi or by RER, from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon: allow at least 90 minutes.

You could do the trip in a leisurely style and have a drink or a meal in the astonishing Le Train Bleu restaurant, pictured, in the Gare de Lyon.

Built in 1901, it is decorated in full Belle Époque splendour with 41 magnificent ceiling frescos giving Parisian diners a foretaste of their destinations in the South of France.

Another, cheaper restaurant is the Brasserie l'Européen, right opposite the main entrance to the Gare de Lyon.

It too has a flamboyant interior with Art Nouveau chandeliers and Tiffany lights (and a clock whose hands go backwards), a handy locker room for suitcases and a medium-priced set menu. Good to know: unlike Le Train Bleu, which only serves meals at limited set times, the Brasserie l'Européen offers continuous service.

The choice is small and basic, but of excellent quality. The set menu might feature oysters, steak, duck or fish and a dessert. The house speciality is rum baba. Brasserie l'Européen, 21 bis boulevard Diderot, 75012 Paris. Tel:(+33) 1 43 43 99 70.

Avignon TGV station is just 30 minutes by train from the centre of Marseille. There are also direct high-speed services to Aix en Provence, Brussels, Lille, Lyon, Geneva, Toulon and Nice, as well as less frequent ones with Barcelona, Dijon, Frankfurt, Hyères, Madrid, Montpellier, Nantes and Strasbourg.

And a more recent addition is the "Ouigo" low-cost, high-speed train introduced by the SNCF in 2013. You can take this train from Avignon TGV to Marseille, Aix TGV, Valence, Lyon, Marne la Vallée, just east of Paris (the station for Euro Disney), central Paris (the Gare de Lyon) or Lille.

Finally, a minor but useful route opened in 2015: a direct link between Avignon and Carpentras. This is not strictly speaking new: the existing line was used for freight but had been closed to passenger traffic since 1938.

Entirely refurbished, it now offers a passenger service to Avignon TGV, Avignon Centre, Sorgues-Châteauneuf, Entraigues sur la Sorgue, Monteux (the station for the new Wave Island water theme park) and Carpentras.

The current timetable can be downloaded from the SNCF TER (French regional railways) website (in French only). Select timetable no.16 (Avignon-Carpentras) from the drop-down menu.

 

 

BUYING TICKETS

There is a ticket office at the station but you can book Eurostar and French high-speed train tickets in advance online and download them to your phone or print them out on your computer before departure, just like an airline ticket.

Avignon TGV stationIf travelling from the UK, bear in mind that it is often cheaper to buy a Eurostar ticket to Paris or Lille and then a separate onward ticket to your final destination.

It is also worth checking the first-class fare, which might be little more than the second-class fare for the same journey and is sometimes even cheaper.

Prem's (sic - note the rogue apostrophe, often found in French) are also cheap train tickets sold on a first-come-first-served basis.

Avignon Centre Station

Signpost outside Avignon Centre stationFirst opened in 1860, the spacious Avignon Centre station lives up to its name: it's just outside the city walls, a short (five to ten minute) walk from the Place de l'Horloge, the Palais des Papes and the other main tourist areas.

Click here to read about the ZOU! card which offers up to 75% discount on local train travel. Discounts are also available to senior travellers over 60 of any nationality.

Where: boulevard Saint Roch, BP 175, 84008 Avignon Cedex. The website for Avignon Centre station includes live travel information on train arrivals and departures.

GETTING TO AND FROM THE STATION

In front of the station is a taxi rank: tel: (+33) 4 90 82 20 20. Click here to pre-book a holiday taxi to or from Avignon Centre station.

The only car rental company in Avignon Centre station itself is Avis, which has a desk in the train ticket office in the concourse.

To find the nearest local bus hub, cross the road in front of the station, enter the city gate and take the first street on your left. The bus-stops are in front of the main Post Office (La Poste). Click here to read our guide to local transport in Avignon.

A new rail link known as the Virgule, or Comma, has opened between Avignon's two rail stations, which were previously connected only by taxi or bus (the shuttle bus is now discontinued).

The journey time for the 4 km / 2.5 mile stretch is between five and ten minutes and there is a regular - though not especially frequent - service throughout the day.

The current timetable can be downloaded from the SNCF TER (French regional railways) website (in French only). Select the last option from the dropdown menu.

For the regional bus station (gare routière, or the Pôle d'échanges multimodal, as it's now pompously known), turn right out of the station and right again after the Ibis hotel. It's a five to ten minute walk away, at 5 avenue Montclar, 84000 Avignon. Tel: (+33) 4 90 82 07 35.

Slightly to the left as you exit the station is the bus-stop for the transfer to the Auto/Train Shuttle.

STATION FACILITIES

On the left as you exit the station is a cash dispenser (ATM). There is no consigne (left luggage office) at Avignon Centre station.

However a "bagagerie" has opened at 35 rue Saint Michel, a five minute walk from the station.

On the right of the station as you exit is an Ibis hotel, which also has a restaurant offering a slightly wider range of food than you will find in the station.

Inside the concourse you can buy drinks and snacks from vending machines or a sandwich bar which serves salads and light meals. There is a lift / elevator and an escalator to the far platforms.

The Relay newsagent and tobacconist has a small selection of foreign-language newspapers and magazines as well as maps and guide-books and should sell SIM cards (une carte SIM or, sometimes, une puce in French) for mobile phones / cell phones.

Also in the concourse is a welcome Desk (Accueil) for disabled and under-age travellers. To request assistance in advance, telephone (+33) 890 640 650.

The Accueil does double duty as a Lost and Found point (Objets Trouvés). Alternatively, you can report losses on the SNCF Lost Property website.

The ticket office has seating and is more spacious than the rather small and pokey waiting area on the left just before you enter Platform 2. There are free toilets right at the far end of Platform 2.

The layout of the platforms is somewhat confusing. Platform 2 is the first as you enter through the concourse. The other platforms are accessed via a tunnel. Platform 1 is on the far side of the station and Platforms A-E are sandwiched in between.

WHEN TRAVELLING TO OR FROM EITHER STATION

French train strike cartoonAs on all continental railways, you need to date-stamp (composter) your ticket before boarding the train at one of the yellow machines at the entrance to every platform.

This does not apply to tickets which have been printed on your own computer or downloaded to your phone and are tied to a particular train.

It's wise prior to travel to check for French train strikes (grèves), delays, breakdowns and cancellations as the SNCF is susceptible to all of these, often at short notice.

Fortunately at least this information is now available in English on the SNCF website.

Alternatively, a website called Cestlagreve lists the many current and planned strikes in all sectors in France (in French only).

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