Livability scores

• Walkability 17 / 20
• Rail Connectivity 11 / 15
• Public Transit 7 / 10
• Affordability 11 / 15
• Safety 7 / 10
• Air Quality 7 / 10
• Quality Of Life 7 / 10
• Food Culture 4 / 5
• Car Free Practicality 8 / 5

Food guide

Avignon’s food culture blends Provençal market cooking, Rhône Valley wines, and a few distinctly local specialities such as papeton d’aubergine and daube avignonnaise. Expect olive oil, garlic, seasonal vegetables, lamb, and salt cod to appear across bistros, market stalls, and wine-focused restaurants inside the medieval walls.

Signature dishes

• Papeton d’aubergineLocal eggplant flan, traditionally molded like a papal tiara and served with tomato coulis.
• Daube avignonnaiseLamb shoulder stew marinated in white wine and herbs, a lighter local spin on classic French daube.
• CrespéouLayered omelette “cake” of herb and vegetable mini-omelettes, served cold and linked to Avignon/Comtat Venaissin.
• TapenadeOlive paste (often black olives, capers, anchovy) served with bread or crudités as a Provençal apéritif staple.
• Brandade de morueCreamy salt-cod preparation whipped with olive oil and garlic, common in Avignon despite its inland location.
• Agneau de SisteronLamb from the hills above Provence, seasoned by wild herbs and featured on Avignon menus.
• Les Papalines d’AvignonPink chocolate and liqueur confection associated with Avignon’s papal history.
• CalissonAlmond and candied melon sweet from nearby Aix, widely adopted on Avignon dessert plates.

Where to eat

• Les Halles d’Avignon Covered market / food hallIndoor market where locals buy produce, olives, tapenades, pastries and eat at stalls in the morning.
• La Mirande Fine-dining restaurant and cookery schoolHistoric hotel-restaurant offering Provençal cuisine, cooking classes and a Michelin-starred experience.
• Restaurant Christian Etienne Michelin-starred restaurantChef-led restaurant near the Popes’ Palace, highlighting seasonal Provençal and Rhône Valley dishes.
• Numéro 75 Bistro restaurantCourtyard restaurant known for relaxed lunches and festival-season dining; mains around 26–32 EUR.
• Bibendum Wine bar / apu00e9ritif spotCourtyard bar on Rue Joseph Vernet, popular for early evening drinks and small bites.
• Carré du Palais Wine bar / tasting roomTasting venue on Place du Palais showcasing Côtes du Rhône and Rhône Valley wines paired with local food.

Markets & food shopping

• Les Halles d’Avignon (covered market)
• Place des Carmes market (open-air neighborhood market)