Place de l'Horloge

What makes it special

Two buildings that do not match make up the town hall: a medieval tower and the classical front built around it centuries later. The tower's overhanging battlements and corner turrets survive from a cardinal's palace. Near the top hangs the clock, fitted in 1471 with two wooden figures that strike the hours, and it gave the square its name.

Below the tower, the town hall's balcony rests on Corinthian columns, and the front is a protected historic monument. Next door stands the theatre, the city's opera house, with statues of Molière and Corneille on either side of its entrance.

In the middle of the square turns the Belle Epoque carousel, whose wooden horses take adults as well as children. Tall plane trees shade the paving, and restaurants with outdoor tables line the edges on every side.

Visiting

Avignon's main square is open at all hours and free to cross, though the theatre, the shops and the terraces keep their own hours. From the middle, beside the carousel, a slow turn takes in the clock tower, the town hall balcony and the statues at the theatre door. Then choose a terrace and sit down for a coffee or a drink.

In summer, street performers often set up on the paving, and during the festival theatre companies parade across the square to draw audiences to their shows. The square is at its liveliest in the evening, when the terraces suit a drink after a show at the opera, so come back after dark if you want it busy.

Tips

A sunny afternoon is the time for a coffee here, and in spring the new leaves on the plane trees give the terraces welcome shade. If you are choosing a hotel, think twice about a room that looks onto the square, because it stays busy at all hours.