About two and a half years ago I wrote a rough guide to Paris for those considering living there. What follows is more or less the same thing, but for Avignon in Provence.

A roof

There are two ways to rent an apartment : from a private landlord or through an estate agency. Estate agencies are impossible, they require so many papers, it’s like jumping through flaming hoops. You need to have a permanent job (CDI contrat durée indeterminé), pay-slips proving you earn at least trice the rent, copies of all forms of identification, and so on. This is further complicated if you choose to share an apartment, for the agencies prefer to have the contract in a single name. Dealing with private landlords is easier. You can find adverts pinned on the university pin board and on notice boards in some grocery stores. The one disadvantage is that many landlords force their tenants to leave at the end of June so that they can rent the apartment at a much higher rate to tourists during the festival. If you can, try find an apartment higher up to get more sunlight and if possible with a terrace - seriously, the sun shines a lot in Avignon, and when it does there is nothing better than to sit outside your apartment with a beer and a book. You must live inside the walls, no-one will visit you if you live outside; unless you like social exclusion.

Party

The Delirium is open in winter and the month of July, it’s a great place to catch live concerts and dance on a Friday and Saturday night. The Passengers du Zinc is a another good place to catch live acts. I especially recommend the soirées Avignonaises when local groups play; entrance only 1€ - sweet! Get there before 9pm. The few other clubs are ugly and unfriendly. Lame!

Eat

The only place to buy food is Les Halles, the central market. Organic vegetables are quite affordable, always fresh and in season. There is a good selection of meats, cheeses and fish. For dry goods there are a couple of small grocery stores in the vicinity. I get by just fine on 40€ a week. A couple of good restaurants are l’Epice et Love and Au Tout Petit. Best pizza in town : Le Pili, Place des Corps Saint. The best kebab is directly across the street : Istanbul. You must go at least once to La Mirande on a Tuesday night and dine with the chef, it’s expensive at 80€ (all inclusive) but hell, you have never tasted food this good.

Drink

Get yourself a map of the region and start visiting vineyards. When you see a sign that says “Degustation / Vente” go inside and get tasting that groovy Côte du Rhone wine. The people working in these places can be a bit stiff, but if you get talking to them they often loosen up. When I find a good wine I bring back a few bottles. These places are generally closed on Sundays, and between midday and 3pm on Saturdays. The French like long lunches, and you should too.

Getting around

Avignon is a humane size, you can comfortably walk everywhere you need to go in town. Getting to the big box stores outside of town is possible on the bus, although it takes quite a long time. There are very few cyclists. To get out into the country or the beach you will need a car. People who own cars are generally happier people. I recommend you get one, or a scooter at the very least. There is a lot of cool stuff to do outside of town which is inaccessible without an independent means of transport. That said, parking is problematic. Parking inside the walls costs about 150€ a year, and then you’ve still got to find a space. The free parking spaces outside the walls are gradually disappearing. Parking at Les Halles costs 25€ a month excluding week-ends.

Culture

The opera house puts on some really good shows. There are a couple of small art galleries around town. Utopia is a pretty good art theatre, although they do have a strong communist / environmentalist / feminist bent. That’s about it.

Nature

The surrounding countryside is beautiful. To the south there is La Montagnette, a chain of hills, very wild, there are some nice walks. Further south are Les Alpilles, a chain of small mountains, from the summit you can see all the way to the sea. Across the Rhone there are some very pretty spots. To the North East there are Les Dentelles, a series of massive limestone teeth, and then gracing over all, the majestic Mont Ventoux. In winter it is possible to go sledding on the snow cap. I’ve gotten big into rock climbing down in Avignon, it’s a nice activity to do outdoors when the sun shines, and when you reach the top the views are breathtaking. You will need a partner, a rope, a harness and a pair of climbing shoes. This gear can be bought for about 250€ total. The beach is an hour’s drive away, La Camargue offers quiet and flat open beaches, Les Calanques offers tiny beaches squeezed between the cliffs and the sea.

Other destinations

Marseille is a dump, but charming. Nîmes is just a dump. Montpellier is very charming. Arles, St Remy and L’Isle sur la Sorgue are cute little towns to visit.

Festival

In July the town goes mad. It’s the Avignon theatre festival. Tourists abound. Theaters open up out of nowhere. Last year there were over 900 shows, more than you could ever see in one month. The “In” festival is very arty, I saw some pretty wacky stuff. The “Off” is cheaper, independent and fun. If you are going to live in Avignon, take at least a week off work during July and cram in as many shows as possible. It’s the experience of a life-time.