Sunday, March 6, 2011

Book Now for "Secret" Palace Tour In English


Previously available only in French, a popular two-hour guided tour of the "Secret" Palais-des-Papes will soon be offered in English but only for a limited time. The Avignon landmark is one of the most-visited monuments in all of France. Construction began in 1335 and was completed in less than twenty years under the leadership of Pope Benedict XII and his successor Clement VI. With 15,000 square meters (161,000 square feet), the Popes’ Palace is the biggest Gothic palace in all of Europe--the equivalent of four Gothic cathedrals. The small-group "Secret Palace" tour provides a fabulous opportunity to discover many parts of the Palace that are normally closed to the public such as the baths, papal wardrobe, private chapel and staircases and corridors leading to gardens, terraces and private rooms. The tour in English will be offered Fridays at 3 p.m., from April 22nd to May 31st, and again from September 2nd to October 14th. The tour is not recommended for very small children or people with reduced mobility. Order your tickets (€19.50 per person) by clicking here or by calling +33(0)4 32 74 32 74. For complete Avignon Tourism info click here. For Palais-des-Papes info, click here

Photo courtesy of Vol-a-Vue. (Click on photo to enlarge and click here to see more of their amazing aerial photos.)

7 comments:

  1. Hello,

    this is very good information and it's really interesting to discover this Palace in a different way.
    But there must be a typo in your post: the tour is NOT recommended for very small children or persons with reduced mobility (too many stairs to climb up on the roofs - where the views are gorgeous).

    pro_vence
    (mademoiselle elbée)

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  2. Dear Mademoiselle Elbee,
    Thank you for catching the typo. I just fixed it.
    Best,
    Julie

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  3. This sounds great. I was in Avignon a couple of years ago and would have loved to have taken this tour, had it been available. Wish there were more tours in English - we've got to grab them when we can!

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  4. How wonderful the tour sounds so very special...thank you for the info....

    Julie, do come and enter my Artful Offering! It is beautiful...

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  5. J: thanks for another fabulous insider's tip!

    BTW, our new "Paris to Provence" website should be up in about ten days, with culinary tour information, dates, and registration!
    -Mark

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  6. Sounds like a great tour, hope we can get down that way to experience it. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Love the illustrations to this post, Julie - the contrast between the old print on the aerial photo. Tour sounds good too.

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