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Palais du Roure

Both the gare SNCF on boulevard St-Roch and the adjacent gare routière (tel 04.90.82.07.35) are close to Porte de la République, on the south side of the old city. In addition to the main gare, there's a new TGV station, which has cut travel to Paris down to two and a half hours, near the hospital 2km south of the city centre. Regular shuttles connect the TGV station with Avignon Centre (daily 5.32am–11.20pm; €1); passengers are picked up or dropped off next to the post office, a short walk from the main tourist office. The city's main local bus information centre can be found at 1 avenue de Lattre de Tassigny (stops "Poste", "Cité Administrative", "Gare Routière" and "Gare" are all within a five-minute walk). From Cité Administrative all buses go to place de l'Horloge. Tickets may be bought from drivers and at TCRA (Transports en Commun de la Région d'Avignon; www.tcra.fr) kiosks throughout town (€1 each; €7.80 for either a weekly pass or a book of 10). If you're driving, the best parking option is the free, guarded car park on the Île de Piot, between Avignon and Villeneuve; a free shuttle runs every 10min from 7am–2am between the car park and Porte de l'Oulle.

Cours Jean-Jaurès runs inside the Porte de la République becoming rue de la République, with the main tourist office a little way up on the right at no. 41 (April–Oct Mon–Sat 9am–6pm (7pm in July), Sun 10am–5pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–noon; tel 04.32.74.32.74, www.avignon-tourisme.com). There's also an annexe at the other end of town by the Pont d'Avignon (April–Oct daily 9am–7pm).

Even outside festival time, finding a room in Avignon can be a problem: cheap hotels fill fast and it's never a bad idea to book in advance. It's worth remembering, too, that Villeneuve-lès-Avignon is only just across the river and may have rooms when its larger neighbour is full. Between the two, the Île de la Barthelasse is an idyllic spot for camping, and you may find the odd farmhouse advertising rooms.