Scenic France River Cruise: Discover Avignon’s Palais des Papes

There are places you visit for the scenery, and places that make you feel as though you have stepped straight into another chapter of history. Avignon manages to do both.

Set on the banks of the Rhône in Provence, this beautiful walled city is best known for the extraordinary Palais des Papes, or Palace of the Popes. It is one of France’s most significant medieval landmarks and, for guests travelling on selected Scenic France river cruises, it becomes the setting for an experience that goes far beyond an ordinary sightseeing visit.

A city shaped by the popes

For much of the 14th century, Avignon stood at the centre of Western Christianity.

In 1309, Pope Clement V moved the papal court from Rome to Avignon, where seven French popes would reign over the following decades.

The Palais des Papes grew from this remarkable period. Benedict XII commissioned the Old Palace, followed by Clement VI’s New Palace, creating the vast complex that still dominates Avignon today.

And vast is the right word.

Covering approximately 15,000 square metres, the palace was the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages. Its fortress-like exterior hints at the turbulent times in which it was built, while inside, the story becomes far more ornate.

Walk through its stone halls and private apartments and you’ll find frescoes depicting hunting and fishing scenes, chapels, towers and centuries-old details created by some of the leading artists of the time.

Today, the Palais des Papes forms part of Avignon’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic centre and remains one of the city’s unmissable landmarks.

Seeing Avignon differently with Scenic

Avignon is firmly on the map for anyone exploring Provence, which means the Palais des Papes attracts visitors from around the world.

But Scenic gives its guests an entirely different way to experience it.

On selected Rhône river cruise itineraries, including Spectacular South of France and Idyllic Rhône, the palace becomes the setting for a Scenic Enrich experience designed to take guests beyond the usual visitor experience.

After the doors close to the general public, Scenic guests are welcomed inside for an exclusive evening in the Grand Tinel Room.

Imagine entering a palace that has stood for almost 700 years, with the daytime crowds gone. You take your seat beneath its soaring domed roof, surrounded by original stone walls and vast tapestries.

Dinner is served with fine food and wine, while classical musicians perform within the remarkable acoustics of the hall.

It is the kind of evening that captures exactly what makes a luxury river cruise memorable. Not simply seeing a destination, but experiencing it in a way you may never be able to arrange independently.

Why the Rhône is made for slow travel

Of course, Avignon is just one chapter of a Scenic journey through the south of France.

A Rhône and Saône river cruise brings together many of the things travellers love most about France: historic cities, vineyard-covered landscapes, regional food and wine, medieval villages and the chance to explore at a more relaxed pace.

Rather than constantly packing, unpacking and moving between hotels, your Scenic Space-Ship travels with you. Days can be spent discovering the destination, while evenings bring you back to the comfort of your suite and life on board.

Scenic’s Spectacular South of France itinerary travels through the Rhône and Saône regions, connecting destinations such as Lyon and Avignon with the landscapes, flavours and history of southern France.

The shorter Idyllic Rhône itinerary also brings together food, wine, heritage and scenery, with the Palais des Papes experience among its standout moments.