/ Avignon's Old Town is a charming neighborhood of shopping lanes, narrow residential streets and little back alleys, perfect for strolling. Some of these routes are exclusively for pedestrians, especially in the shopping center just southeast of Place de l'Horloge. It is like one big shopping mall.
This historic center can easily be seen on foot in one day, for it is a compact zone about one-half mile wide and long. The curved shape of these streets will keep you guessing what's around the bend, or which museum or monument is coming up next. Streets are level, riddled with little plazas, fountains, trees, some benches, and numerous cafes.
While this neighborhood is very old, the shops and galleries are up-to-date with modern interiors and contemporary European items for sale.
Have a look at the walking map you picked up already at the Tourist Information Office, or if you didn't get one yet, start by visiting that office on the lower section of Rue de la République and get one. This free map is one of the better travel brochures you will ever come across.
Start in the main square, Place de l'Horloge, where you can enjoy the beautiful neoclassical façade of the Town Hall and colorful swirl of the Carousel, with dozens of people ambling by even at this early hour.
Walk to the south end of the square and turn east into the pedestrian-only neighborhood for a little meandering. At first this walking zone will seem vast and disorienting, There's a lot of tangled twisted corners and angles. There are no straight roads in here - they are curved, or bent, or have sharp angles...but this is actually just a few blocks of lovely shops that you would enjoy again later in the afternoon for some serious browsing.
Find your way to Rue des Marchands and then past the Synagogue to Place Pie, a relatively large, tree-lined square surrounded by quaint buildings and cafes. Pass through the indoor food market, Les Halles, emerging on the south end at Rue Bonneterie, which turns into one of the most picturesque streets in town, Rue des Teinturiers, the "street of the tinters." Several ancient water wheels along this cobbled lane are still turning, pushed along by a quaint little, tree-lined canal. The wheels were once used to provide power for the manufacturing and dyeing of textiles, and a few other industrial applications. It was the beginnings of the industrial age.
Now this is a trendy street, with cafes, boutiques and a small theater, a mere ten-minute walk from the town center. You might want to come back again for another look at twilight when it takes on a different atmosphere....we continue with more...