Aix-en-Provence
Explore Aix-en-Provence with kids: Cézanne's studio, fountain trails, vibrant markets, and day trips to Montagne Sainte-Victoire. Your family guide to the best of Provence.
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🇫🇷Palais des Papes
Explore the Palais des Papes in Avignon with your family. Discover 14th-century frescoes, a panoramic tower, and an AR tablet tour that kids genuinely love.
Your family guide
Palais des Papes with kids: palace, AR tour & views
“Nine popes lived here, AR tablets bring the rooms to life, and the tower views stretch across Provence.”
— San & Jo
The Palais des Papes rises above Avignon with impressive stone walls that immediately catch children's attention. This is the largest Gothic palace in the world, covering 15,000 square metres, and for 70 years in the 14th century it was the centre of the entire Catholic world. Nine popes called this place home. That alone tends to get children asking questions.
What makes a visit here work so well for families is the mix of scale and storytelling. The rooms are enormous and dramatic, the frescoes are vivid and surprisingly easy to talk about with kids, and the Histopad augmented-reality tablet tour turns the whole experience into something genuinely interactive. Instead of staring at bare stone walls, your family gets to see the rooms as they looked 700 years ago. It changes everything.
Plan for around 2 to 3 hours inside, and save time for the Place du Palais square outside. The cafés lining the square are perfect for a post-visit treat while you look back up at the façade and let everything sink in. The palace is open every day of the year, which makes it a reliable anchor for any Avignon itinerary.
Avignon, FranceProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
UNESCO World Heritage SiteListed since 1995
650,000+ visitors per yearTop 10 most visited in France
Best things to do
Why families love the Palais des Papes
The Histopad augmented-reality tour
This is the highlight for most kids. The Histopad tablet lets your family explore 25 rooms and see exactly how they looked in the 14th century, overlaying the original furnishings, colours, and people onto the real space in front of you. It turns a history lesson into something genuinely fun.
Pick it up at the entrance, it is worth every minute
Included in visit
The Chambre du Cerf (Stag Room)
Pope Clement VI used this room as his private study, and the walls are covered in detailed 1343 hunting scene frescoes. Birds, fish, stags, and children picking fruit fill every surface. It is one of the most colourful and accessible rooms in the palace for younger visitors.
Spot the fishing scene on the ceiling, kids always love it
15-20 minutes
The Grande Chapelle (Clémentine Chapel)
At 52 metres long, this vaulted chapel is jaw-dropping in scale. Even children who are not interested in history tend to go quiet when they walk in. It was used for solemn masses and polyphonic music, and the architecture alone makes it worth the visit.
Look up at the vaulted ceiling and count the ribs
10-15 minutes
The Trouillas Tower viewpoint
Climb to the top of the 52-metre Trouillas Tower for panoramic views over Avignon, the Rhône River, and the surrounding Provençal landscape. It is a proper reward for little legs that have been walking through history all morning.
Go early or late to avoid crowds on the staircase
20-30 minutes
Chapelle St-Jean frescoes
The frescoes in this chapel, painted between 1345 and 1348 by the school of Matteo Giovannetti, depict the lives of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in vivid, story-like scenes. They are some of the best-preserved medieval frescoes in France and genuinely beautiful to look at.
Compare the colours here to photos of how they originally looked on the Histopad
10-15 minutes
The Grand Tinel (Banquet Hall)
This 41-metre-long hall was where the popes hosted their grand feasts. Standing inside and imagining hundreds of medieval guests at long tables is one of those moments that makes history feel real for kids. The sheer size of the room does the work for you.
Ask your kids how many people they think could fit in here
10 minutes
Place du Palais and the palace façade
The large square surrounding the palace is one of the most dramatic public spaces in southern France. Lined with cafés and framed by the fortress-like palace walls, it is the perfect spot for family photos and a well-earned cold drink after your visit.
The best light for photos is in the late afternoon
As long as you like
Our verdict
How the Palais des Papes scores for families
Kids
The Histopad AR tour is a genuine game-changer for keeping children engaged. The dramatic scale, the colourful frescoes, and the tower climb all help too.
Culture
One of the most historically significant buildings in Europe. A UNESCO World Heritage Site that shaped the course of Western history for 70 years.
Food
The Place du Palais cafés are convenient and atmospheric. Provençal cuisine is widely available nearby, though prices around the palace square reflect the tourist location.
Nature
The tower viewpoint offers beautiful views over the Rhône and Provençal countryside. The Rocher des Doms gardens next door are a lovely green escape.
Budget
Entry is not cheap, but the Histopad is included and the experience is substantial. Combined tickets with the Pont d'Avignon offer good value.
Planning your visit
How long should you spend at the Palais des Papes?
1.5
1.5 hours
Quick visit
Hit the Stag Room, the Grande Chapelle, and the tower view
sweet spot
3
3 hours
Sweet spot
Full Histopad tour, all the key rooms, and time in the square
1
1 day
Deep dive
Combine with the Petit Palais, Pont d'Avignon, and the ramparts
Fun facts
Things to know about Palais des Papes
Nine popes, one palace
Between 1309 and 1377, nine different popes lived here instead of Rome. The palace was so grand and so powerful that for 70 years, this was the centre of the entire Catholic world.
Actually two palaces in one
The building you see today is really two palaces joined together. Benedict XII built the older, plainer part, and Clement VI, who loved luxury, added the newer and much more extravagant section beside it.
A stage for the world's greatest theatre festival
Every July since 1947, the palace courtyard transforms into one of the world's most famous theatre stages for the Festival d'Avignon. The first event was inspired by poet René Char and featured works by artists including Picasso and Matisse.
Taste Avignon
Where to eat with kids near the Palais des Papes
Ratatouille
Kids love itLe Moutardier du Pape
The Provençal classic your kids probably already know from a certain animated film. Made with courgette, aubergine, tomatoes, and herbs, it is colourful, mild, and widely available across Avignon.
Tapenade and bread
Local favouritePlace du Palais cafés
A staple of Provençal snacking, tapenade is a rich olive and caper paste served with crusty bread. Most cafés around the Place du Palais will bring it to the table while you wait. Great for hungry kids between sights.
Daube Provençale
Must tryRestaurant SEVIN
A slow-cooked beef stew with olives, herbs, and red wine, this is the kind of warming, hearty dish that works well for the whole family after a long morning of exploring. Rich, tender, and very Provençal.
Pissaladière
Safe choiceLocal boulangeries near Place du Palais
Think of it as the Provençal answer to pizza: a flatbread topped with caramelised onions, anchovies, and olives. Kids who like pizza tend to enjoy it, and it makes a great casual lunch option.
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