The Charming Hotel de L’Horloge in Avignon, France

Posted by Jan Ross on September 18, 2015

We loved everything about our stay in the lovely, Medieval walled city of Avignon, France. After a completely exhausting trip from the United States to Marseilles which included an unexpected three-hour wait for our next flight at the Paris airport, we were finally able to relax on the short train ride from Marseilles to Avignon the next day.

We knew nothing about the Hotel de L’Horloge except what we had seen online and the fact that they were helpful and friendly by email. We were pleased to find they were just as helpful and friendly in person, and the hotel was absolutely beautiful. We walked from the train station with our luggage as the hotel is located conveniently close to the station. Just be sure to take the train which goes to Avignon Centre, not the TGV (high speed train) which is in the suburbs so you would have to take a taxi to the town center.

Welcome!

The 4 star hotel is located right in the middle of town within an easy walk to the famous tourist landmarks like the Pont d’Avignon and the Palais des Papes. It is in a beautiful, historic building which blends into the surrounding, equally historic buildings beautifully.

You can see the side of the hotel on the right, past the bike racks.

We walked into the small but lovely lobby and were immediately greeted and then shown to our room.

Beautiful lobby. Photo courtesy of the Hotel de L’Horloge.

The hotel has a wide variety of types and sizes of rooms, some of which are not accessible by the elevator. The hotel was built back in the 19th century, and the charm of this era is apparent in everything from the furnishings to the different sized rooms. The hotel has rooms and suites which are expansive and include such amenities as an espresso machine and bathrobes.

Tradition room. Photo courtesy of the Hotel de L’Horloge.

A comfortable suite. Photo courtesy of the Hotel de L’Horloge.

Some of the rooms even have a terrace with a view of the city.

Terrace accompanies some rooms. Photo courtesy of the Hotel de L’Horloge.

After settling into our room, we explored the hotel a little and were pleased to see the views and the comfortable seating areas throughout.

View from one of the windows.

One of the many seating areas.

We were anxious to see the city, so we headed out the door of the hotel and into the large, terraced are right in front of the hotel, which is full of the famous open-air restaurants in France.

One of the many sidewalk cafes in Avignon.

There is also a large and colorful merry go round in this area, along with sidewalk vendors and musicians. It was full of people and activity although we never heard any noise in our hotel room.

Merry go round.

After a day of touring, and a relaxing night’s sleep, we were happy to head down to the nice dining room of the hotel where a buffet breakfast is available every morning.