Le Colbert Hôtel Avignon: location and tours

Avignon 1309 - 2009 : 700 years

Le Colbert hotel is in a quiet street typical of Old Avignon near the Place des Corps Saints. It is located in the historic centre, one street away from the Avignon Tourist Office and the Cours Jean Jaures, next to Agricol Perdiguier Square, close to the southern ramparts of the city via the main access from the Porte de la République, opposite Avignon Central SNCF station.

Visitors with cars can park 3 minutes' walk away from the hotel in the new Jean Jaures covered car park which is open 24/7.

A short walk from Le Colbert hotel will take you to the Palais des Papes, the convention centre and the famous Pont d'Avignon; these are all UNESCO architectural sites.

On leaving Le Colbert Hotel, you can follow routes marked with arrows on the ground or book a guided tour for conference attendees at the Tourist Office. Alternatively, the town map is great for finding museums and collections (Collection Lambert, Fondation Angladon, Petit Palais Museum, Lapidaire Museum, ancient art with new Greek rooms, Fondation Louis Vouland collection of decorative art, paintings and Provence artists, Maison Jean Vilar exhibitions, etc.), churches (Saint Pierre, St Didier, etc.), art galleries (Pharos gallery, Atezart Avignon gallery, Luc Hautbout gallery (Avignon of art prints, lamps and unique pieces) and all the historic monuments (Ramparts...) in the historic heart of Avignon ; you can easily reach the Avignon covered market - a genuine Provence market - to find local products at the 40 different stalls and the amazing "wall of vegetables".

From the Hotel Colbert, you can wander through highly picturesque little streets, such as the pebbled Rue des Teinturiers, with its water wheels over a branch of the Sorgue river, go on an organised tour, follow the Promenade des Doms, Promenade Joseph Vernet, Promenade de la Carreterie, and stop at the little squares along the way (Place des Corps saints, Place des Châtaigners, Place des Carmes, etc.) for a coffee or to sample typical Provencal food at one of the restaurants.

People generally travel on foot inside the ramparts, but if you prefer to go by vehicle, here are few options that are preferable to going by car:

• "Velopop": free bikes available 24/7 at a number of points. The nearest is 2 minutes from the hotel above the Jaures car park
• "Balladines": vehicles that take a maximum of 7 people and go from the squares and main shopping streets in Avignon centre, including the Place des Corps Saints, which is only 50 metres from the Hotel Colbert
• "Vélo cité Avignon": a rickshaw service, where a rider ferries up to three people - either inside or outside of the city walls of Avignon

There's lots to see - either under your own steam or by booking one of the many organised visits and tours of the area starting from the Tourist Office or le Colbert hotel:
Villeneuve les Avignon, la Chartreuse, Fort Saint-André or visit to the west : the villages of Tavel, LePont du Gard, Uzes, Nimes, to the south: Arles, Fontvielle, Beaucaire, Tarascon, Les Beaux de Provence and Saint Rémy de Provence, to the south/East: L'isle-sur-la-Sorgue, crossed by many branches of the Sorgue river, its famous Provençal market, brocante markets, antique shops, the Fontaine de Vaucluse, Gordes, Roussillon, Ménerbes, Oppède, to the North/east; Chateauneuf du Pape, Orange, Vacqueyras, Séguret, Vaison La Romaine, Malaucène, Le Barroux, Bédoin, Le Mont Ventoux, Beaume de Venise and Carpentras, etc., tours of the Côtes du Rhône vineyards.