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 , a new TGV station, which will cut travel to Paris down to two and half hours, is slated to open near the hospital 2km south of the city centre (consult www.avignon-tourisme.com for connection details). The city's two main local bus stations are by Porte de la République (stops "Poste", "Cité Administrative", "Gare Routière" and "Gare" are all within a five-minute walk) and place Pie, in the centre of town. From Cité Administrative all buses go to place de l'Horloge. Tickets be bought from drivers and at TCRA (Transports en Commun de la Région d'Avignon) kiosks throughout town (6.50F/¬0.99 each; 50F/¬7.53 for 10). If you're driving, the best parking option is the free, guarded lot on the Île de Piot, between Avignon and Villeneuve; a free shuttle runs every 10min from 7am-2am between the parking lot and Porte de l'Oulle, just down from the Pont.

 

Cours Jean-Jaurès runs inside the Porte de la République becoming rue de la République, with the tourist office a little way up on the right at no. 41 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm & 2-5pm, Sun 9am-7pm; 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 (May-Sept daily 9am-7pm).