FR26.8 Villeneuve-lès-Avignon

As I already alluded to in my previous post, Avignon was nice, but we weren’t exactly swept away with awe. Its neighbour, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, on the other hand, absolutely did.

Just like Avignon, it was only about a ten-minute bike ride from our perfect little temporary home. While we had initially questioned whether bringing the bikes had been worth it, by this point it was obvious we had made the right decision. Provence is incredibly bike-friendly and being on two wheels allows us to stay further away from the busy tourist hotspots.

After securely locking our bikes to a bike stand, we set off on foot, guided only by a couple of impressive bell towers rising above the rooftops in the distance.

It didn’t take long to realise that Villeneuve-lès-Avignon has all the ingredients required for yet another perfect little French village: charming alleyways, beautifully decorated independent shops, plenty of greenery and old trees, wonderful architecture and a location on the side of a hill, partially enclosed by historic city walls.

There are also countless little squares lined with cafés, each somehow looking even more inviting than the last.

We followed our usual recipe for success:

Go for a stroll and deliberately try to get lost.

As always, it worked wonderfully.

We enjoyed one of the best coffees we’ve had in a long time and the boulangerie La Magie des Pains more than satisfied all our pastry cravings.

For the grand sum of €9 (for both of us), we also climbed the Tour Philippe-le-Bel, which rewarded us with spectacular 360° views across both Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and neighbouring Avignon.

With a fresh collection of happy memories, we cycled back to our temporary home and immediately jumped into the pool, which provided a much-needed cooldown.

After all, it was 36°C in the shade.