Avignon 2026: Two Free Car Parks With Shuttles to the Walls
Avignon, France · ZFE
Leave the car at Île Piot or Les Italiens, both free with shuttle buses to the ramparts. Avignon's ZFE restricts lorries and polluting vans only, so a visiting car needs no Crit'Air.
Locally the zone is called ZFE-m Avignon (France) — that is the wording on the boundary signs, on the official portal and on any penalty notice, so it is the phrase to search for once you are there.
Next
- Check your own car against Avignon — enter your fuel and Euro class, get a yes or no in one step.
- Nimes has a zone too — the nearest one to Avignon, and the rules are not identical.
- If a fine arrives after you get home — who pays on a hire car, and what is actually enforceable across borders.
Can your car enter Avignon?
Driving to Avignon is mostly a parking decision. The two park-and-ride car parks outside the walls, Île Piot and Les Italiens, are free and each has a free shuttle bus into the walled town, which is where the Palais des Papes, Place de l’Horloge and the Pont Saint-Bénézet all sit within walking distance of each other. The low-emission zone does not change the plan for a car: Avignon’s ZFE restricts heavy goods vehicles and polluting utility vans, not private cars, so no Crit’Air sticker is needed to visit.
The zone itself — who is restricted, the EUR 135 fine for lorries and vans, the hours set by prefectural order — is covered on the Avignon ZFE rules page. This page is about getting in, parking and using the city as a base.
The two free car parks
| Car park | Location | Spaces | Shuttle | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Île Piot | Route de l’Islon, on the island across the Rhône | about 1,100 | Navette Piot to the Porte de l’Oulle, roughly every 10 minutes | Monday to Saturday |
| Les Italiens | Eastern side of the ramparts | about 1,450 | CityZen to Place Pie, every 5 to 12 minutes, 07:00-21:00 | Every day, Sundays and holidays included |
Coming from the A7 or from Nîmes and the west, Île Piot is the natural stop; from the Salon-de-Provence direction, Les Italiens. On a Sunday Les Italiens is the safer choice, because the Île Piot shuttle does not run, although the walk over the Daladier bridge is pleasant enough.
Paid underground car parks exist inside and right against the walls, but the streets leading to them are narrow and one-way, and in July, when the theatre festival fills the town, the free car parks are the calmer option.
Inside the walls on foot
From Place Pie or the Porte de l’Oulle, the Palais des Papes is a short walk. The half-bridge of the song, the Pont Saint-Bénézet, juts into the Rhône on the northern edge of the walled town, and the Rocher des Doms garden above it gives the view across the river to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
Provence by car
The car earns its place for what lies outside the city:
- Pont du Gard — the Roman aqueduct bridge, west across the Rhône
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape — wine village north of the city
- The Luberon — Gordes, Roussillon and the perched villages to the east
- Les Baux-de-Provence and the Alpilles — to the south
French national rules apply on the way: 50 km/h in town, 80 km/h on rural roads unless a department has signed 90, 130 km/h on motorways, 0.05% blood alcohol, and a warning triangle and reflective vest in the car. The full list is in the France driving guide.
Sources
- Office de Tourisme Grand Avignon — Parking relais Île Piot and Parking relais Les Italiens (spaces, shuttles, days)
- Ministère de la Transition écologique — French ZFEs in force (Avignon restricts heavy goods and utility vehicles)
- Crit’Air — certificat-air.gouv.fr
- Sécurité routière — speed limits and alcohol
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Full requirements, sticker info & exemptions
Renting a Car in Avignon?
Compare prices from all major rental companies. Free cancellation on most bookings.
See Avignon Rental PricesSome links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How our affiliate links work.
Winter tyres in France — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in France whenever conditions are wintry — 1 Nov - 31 Mar (mountain law, designated departments).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — France sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: 3PMSF on all four tyres, or snow chains / snow socks carried for two drive wheels; M+S alone no longer accepted (34 departments, signed communes only)
- Studded tyres: restricted
- Penalty: No sanction in force as of 17 Feb 2026 (penalty decree not yet published). Ignoring a B26 chain sign: 2nd-class fine, up to EUR 150. The obligation is enforceable only where B58/B59 signs are installed.
In French the rule is pneus hiver, and snow chains are chaînes à neige — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Checked against national legislation, 3 Oct 2026 · Full France tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Avignon's ZFE applies to heavy goods vehicles and polluting utility vehicles, not to private cars, so a visiting or hired car can enter without a sticker. Operators of the restricted lorries and vans face a EUR 135 fine. If your trip continues to Marseille, Lyon or Paris, the sticker question comes back there.
Two park-and-ride car parks outside the walls cost nothing. Île Piot, on the island across the Rhône, has about 1,100 spaces and a free shuttle to the Porte de l'Oulle, Monday to Saturday. Les Italiens, on the eastern side, has about 1,450 spaces and a free shuttle to Place Pie that also runs on Sundays and public holidays.
Les Italiens. Its shuttle runs seven days a week, whereas the Île Piot shuttle does not run on Sundays or public holidays. From Île Piot on a Sunday you can still walk across the Daladier bridge into the walled town.
Rarely. The walled centre around the Palais des Papes and Place de l'Horloge is compact, its streets are narrow and one-way, and the sights are a short walk apart. The car is better left outside the walls and used for Provence.
Yes. The Pont du Gard, the Luberon villages, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the lavender plateau are all day trips by car, and the city is on the TGV line from Paris if you collect a hire car on arrival. France's rural limit is 80 km/h unless signed 90, motorways 130 km/h, and the alcohol limit is 0.05%.
More Cities in France
Most-checked zones right now
The zone pages drivers are looking up most this month — each with an interactive map, sticker rules and fines.