Avignon gives you about 2,500 free spaces outside the walls with a free shuttle in, and charges €19.30 for 24 hours under the Palais des Papes. Inside the ramparts the kerb is paid 09:00–19:00 and capped at four hours; overstay and it's a €35 post-parking charge.
I'd park at Les Italiens, ride the free CityZen loop to Les Halles and leave the car alone until it's time to go. In July I wouldn't drive inside the walls at all.
Parking in Avignon: Free outside the ramparts, €19.30 under the palace
1. Leave the car outside the walls
Two park-and-ride sites cost nothing. Les Italiens has about 1,450 spaces; the free CityZen loop runs roughly every 8 minutes via Les Halles. Île Piot has 1,100 spaces across the Rhône and a free shuttle to Porte de l'Oulle every 10 minutes, Monday to Saturday only. Official pages give no shuttle hours; a guide says Italiens runs until midnight at the latest and Piot until 20:30.
2. Carry a Crit'Air sticker anyway
Avignon has no permanent low-emission zone; Grand Avignon postponed its ZFE consultation in April 2025. But the Vaucluse prefecture can restrict traffic from the fourth day of a pollution alert, 06:00–20:00, and then Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified cars stay out. The sticker is €5.11 posted abroad from certificat-air.gouv.fr.
3. Pay by the quarter-hour under the palace
Palais des Papes car park (825 spaces, entrance from rue Ferruce), Les Halles (520) and Gare Centre (778) share one tariff: €2.80 the first hour, €5.20 for two, €7.20 for three, €19.30 for 24 hours. In July and August it's €3.20 and €26.80. A week? The 7-day pass is €50, not €135.10. The evening pass, 19:00–01:00, is €2 outside summer.
Indigo's Jean Jaurès and Oratoire print garbled tables; 45–59 minutes reads €2.60 and €2.80.
4. Check the 1.90 m bar
All five central garages are 1.90 m, and so is Les Italiens. Île Piot takes taller vans: the tourist board gives 2.40 m on its parking page and 2.60 m on the car park's own listing. I'd plan for 2.40.
5. Read the meter inside the walls
The tourist board describes the intra-muros orange zone as 1,816 spaces, paid Monday to Saturday 09:00–19:00 non-stop, four hours maximum. Outside the walls the yellow zone is paid 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–19:00, five hours maximum (four in July and August). Sundays and public holidays are free. Pay at the meter, by PayByPhone or EasyPark. The city's tariff page didn't load for me; one guide gives 20 cents to €1 a quarter-hour.
In August 2026 a local paper reported that the mayor wants the 12:00–14:00 slot and Saturdays free again from the new school year, pending a council vote. I found no record of the vote, so trust the meter.
The classic mistake is following the satnav through a gate into the bollarded pedestrian core.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | Height | EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palais des Papes (underground)18 place du Palais, car entrance from rue Ferruce; 825 spaces, open 24/7 | €2.80 first hour, €5.20 two hours, €7.20 three, €19.30 for 24 hours. July–August: €3.20, €6, €8.40, €26.80. 7-day pass €50, evening 19:00–01:00 €2 (not July–August). Height 1.90 m. | 1.9 m | 16 charging spaces on level 0; price not published. |
| Les Halles (place Pie)On top of the covered market, place Pie, car entrance from rue Thiers; 520 spaces, open 24/7 | Same tariff as Palais des Papes: €2.80 first hour, €19.30 for 24 hours (€26.80 July–August). Height 1.90 m. | 1.9 m | 11 charging spaces (2 fast, 9 slow); price not published. |
| Gare Centre (station)Avenue Monclar, entrance from avenue Saint-Ruf; 778 spaces, open 24/7 | Free for 3 hours on Saturday and Sunday outside the summer period; station drop-off first 30 minutes free. Otherwise the Palais des Papes tariff: €2.80 first hour, €19.30 for 24 hours. Height 1.90 m. | 1.9 m | 12 chargers: ten 7 kW, two 22 kW; price not published. |
| Jean Jaurès (Indigo, underground)Avenue Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, by Porte Saint-Michel; 715 spaces, open 24/7 | The tourist board's copy of the tariff is garbled; 45–59 minutes reads €2.60. Evening 20:00–01:00 €2 (not July–August). Ticket shown at the tourist office: 30 minutes free. Height 1.90 m. | not published | 20 chargers on level 1; price not published. |
| Oratoire (Indigo, underground)Rue Joseph Vernet, car entrance from boulevard de l'Oulle; 549 spaces, open 24/7 | Garbled tariff on the tourist board page; 45–59 minutes reads €2.80. Evening 20:00–01:00 €2 (not July–August). Height 1.90 m. | not published | 20 chargers on level −2; price not published. |
| Allées de l'Oulle (open air)Allées de l'Oulle, by the Rhône outside the western wall; 530 spaces, about 5 minutes' walk to the centre | First 4 hours free, €2 for 5 hours; 5 hours is the maximum and 5h01 costs €35. July–August: €1 an hour, €9.60 for 4 hours, 4 hours max. Paid 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–19:00, not Sundays or holidays. Height 2 m. | 2 m | Not published. |
| Île Piot park-and-ride (free)Route de l'Islon, across the Rhône; 1,100 open-air spaces, 24-hour stay limit | Free, with a free shuttle to Porte de l'Oulle every 10 minutes, Monday to Saturday (not Sundays or holidays). Height: 2.40 m on the tourist board's parking page, 2.60 m on the car park's listing. | not published | None listed. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Allées de l'Oulle (open air) | Free | height 2.00 m · No free hours in July–August |
| A full day (10 h) | Les Italiens park-and-ride | Free | Free parking and a free CityZen loop about every 8 minutes. Height 1.90 m and day parking only, per the tourist board. Shuttle hours are not on the official pages; check the Orizo timetable. |
| 24 hours | Palais des Papes (underground) | €19.30 | height 1.90 m · Summer rates July–August: €26.80 for 24 h |
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Towed in Avignon: A €35 charge, a €127.65 tow and no pound address
1. Expect €35 for an overstay
The tourist board's car park pages give the post-parking charge (FPS) as €35 for no payment or too little. A parking website says €17 if paid within three days; no city page confirms it. City orders mention plate-reading enforcement (LAPI) cars.
2. Budget €162.65 if it's towed
The city's own 2025 pound agreement quotes €127.65 to tow a car, the national ceiling, and up to €159.56 in the evening, at night, at weekends and on holidays. Add the €35 charge and you're at €162.65 before a single day of storage. The city doesn't publish its storage rate for the public.
3. Ask the city before you panic
Avignon runs a municipal pound with a towing brigade ([email protected]), but no page I read gives its address or hours. The city's 24-hour traffic and access line, CIRAPS, is 04 90 80 83 83. If you think the car was stolen, ring the police on 17. I'd bring my licence, passport and the registration or rental papers.
A city that bothers to name a towing brigade isn't bluffing.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Avignon's municipal pound and its towing brigade (brigade fourrière). The post-parking charge (FPS) for an unpaid or overstayed kerb space is €35
- Phone
- CIRAPS, the city's 24-hour traffic and access line: +33 4 90 80 83 83
Police, if you think the car was stolen: 17 - Collect it at
- No pound address is published on the city or tourist board pages I read. The city's pound agreement gives only the town hall, Hôtel de Ville, as the head office, and the email [email protected].
- Hours
- Not published.
- What it costs
- Tow €127.65 for a car, up to €159.56 in the evening, at night, at weekends and on holidays (city's 2025 pound agreement, citing the national ceiling). Storage for the public not published. FPS €35; a parking site says €17 if paid within three days.
- Bring
- The city lists nothing for visitors. I would bring my driving licence, passport and the registration document or rental agreement.
EV charging in Avignon: 79 plugs in five garages, prices on the screen
1. Charge where you park
The tourist board counts charging spaces in every central garage: Palais des Papes 16, Gare Centre 12 (ten at 7 kW, two at 22 kW), Les Halles 11 (two fast, nine slow), Jean Jaurès 20 and Oratoire 20. None publishes a kWh price.
2. Plug in at the park-and-ride
Les Italiens has 4 charging spaces, Agroparc 4 and Saint-Chamand 5. Île Piot lists none.
3. Find street posts on the city map
The tourist board links a public map of on-street chargers. One example, Avenue Eisenhower, has two 7.4 kW points run by Electric 55 Charging, priced only in its app.
My pick is Gare Centre: two 22 kW posts, and the parking itself is free for three hours at weekends outside summer.
Where to charge
- Jean Jaurès and Oratoire — 20 points each — Jean Jaurès (level 1) and Oratoire (level −2), both Indigo, open 24/7. The most points per garage in the centre; no price published, so read the screen
- Gare Centre — two 22 kW — Gare Centre, levels 1, 3 and 4. 12 chargers, ten at 7 kW and two at 22 kW; parking free for 3 hours at weekends outside summer
- Park-and-ride chargers — Les Italiens 4, Agroparc 4, Saint-Chamand 5. Counts from the tourist board; operator and price not published
- On-street posts — Across the city; the tourist board links a public map of chargers on public land. Example: Avenue Eisenhower, two 7.4 kW points run by Electric 55 Charging, priced in its app
Free parking in Avignon: Four free hours by the Rhône
1. Use the Oulle's four free hours
Allées de l'Oulle has 530 open-air spaces by the river, 2 m clearance. The first four hours are free, five hours is €2, and at 5 hours 1 minute it's €35, the maximum stay. July and August have no free hours: €1 for one hour, €9.60 for four.
2. Park free on Sundays and holidays
Street parking is free all Sunday and on public holidays, inside and outside the walls.
3. Take three free weekend hours
Gare Centre is free for three hours on Saturday and Sunday, except in the summer price period.
4. Don't count on a free hotel space
I found no hotel whose own site confirms free parking. The tourist board lists Hôtel de l'Ile on the Île de la Barthelasse with a free car park, but the hotel's site wouldn't load for me.
If you remember one thing: park outside the walls and let the shuttle do the last kilometre. Every price on this page was checked on 11 October 2026.
Free or nearly-free spots
Les Italiens and Île Piot park-and-ride
About 2,500 free spaces between them, with free shuttles into the walls. Piot's shuttle doesn't run on Sundays or holidays.
Four free hours at Allées de l'Oulle
First four hours free outside July and August, €2 for five, €35 past five. Five minutes' walk to the centre.
Sundays and public holidays on the kerb
Street parking inside and outside the walls is free all Sunday and on public holidays.
Three free weekend hours at Gare Centre
Saturday and Sunday, outside the summer price period; station drop-off is free for 30 minutes.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Avignon has no permanent low-emission zone: Grand Avignon postponed its ZFE consultation in April 2025. On pollution alerts the Vaucluse prefecture can ban Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified cars 06:00–20:00 from the fourth day, so a Crit'Air sticker (€5.11 posted abroad, certificat-air.gouv.fr) is worth having.
- Every central garage is 1.90 m, and so is Les Italiens. With a roof box use Île Piot (2.40 m on one tourist board page, 2.60 m on another) or Allées de l'Oulle (2 m).
- During the July festival (4–25 July in 2026) only residents and plates registered with CIRAPS could drive into the walls from 12:00 to 02:00, and rue de la République closed from 11:00. Garages charge summer rates in July and August.
- Kerb hours are in flux: the tourist board gives the walled orange zone as paid 09:00–19:00 non-stop, while an August 2026 press report says the mayor plans free 12:00–14:00 and Saturdays again, pending a council vote I could not find. The meter wins.
- The city's own parking pages would not load for me on 11 October 2026; the kerb rules and garage tariffs here come from Avignon's tourist office and its regional listings.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.