Golf guide • France • Provence (Vaucluse)

Golf in Avignon: between Ventoux and Alpilles, below the Palace of the Popes

Avignon, in the Vaucluse, offers three 18-hole courses: Golf Grand Avignon at Vedène and UGolf Châteaublanc at Morières-lès-Avignon, both a quarter of an hour from the centre, and the Domaine de Manville, below Les Baux-de-Provence, forty minutes away. Golfers come to pair a morning tee time with an evening in the city of the popes, ideally from April to June and in September and October.

Plan this tripUpdated 7 October 2026

Avignon is not a golf destination in the way the Costa del Sol is, and that is precisely what makes it so pleasant. You stay within the walls, between the 14th-century ramparts and the Palace of the Popes, and reach two flat courses on the Comtat plain in a quarter of an hour, one at Vedène, the other at Morières-lès-Avignon. Their fairways run between lakes, cypresses and reed hedges, with the bare summit of Mont Ventoux to the north-east, visible from many of the tees.

For a third course, head south across the Durance to the Alpilles. The Domaine de Manville, below Les Baux-de-Provence, offers golf of another kind: olive groves, dry-stone walls and white limestone. Three courses over three or four days is the right pace: play early, lunch under the plane trees and keep the afternoon for the city.

The rest of the trip is spent on foot. The Palace of the Popes, the Pont Saint-Bénézet and the Rocher des Doms form a UNESCO World Heritage ensemble that is easily explored in a morning. In the evening, the terraces of Place des Corps-Saints and the lanes around Place Pie take over, with a glass of Côtes du Rhône or Châteauneuf-du-Pape, whose vineyards are only twenty minutes or so away.

The courses

Green and pale sand bunker beside a pond, olive trees, umbrella pines and a row of cypresses in late-afternoon light

Golf Grand Avignon

Architect: Georges Rouméas
18 holes
Par 72

At Vedène, about fifteen minutes north-east of the centre, Golf Grand Avignon was designed by Georges Rouméas with the help of Jean Garaïalde, a leading figure of French golf. It is a 6,037-metre par 72 set in 60 hectares of parkland and punctuated by five lakes, which the club itself likens to the courses of Florida. The ground is flat and easy to walk, even in summer; cypresses, olive trees and lavender line the fairways, and the view of Mont Ventoux accompanies much of the round. Welcoming, though a slope rating of 132 from the white tees is a reminder that the water is unforgiving.

UGolf Avignon Châteaublanc, parcours Les Alpilles

Architect: Thierry Sprecher, Géry Watine
Opened 1988
18 holes
Par 72

Despite its name, Les Alpilles course is not in the Alpilles: it lies at Morières-lès-Avignon, ten minutes from the centre and close to the TGV station. Designed by Thierry Sprecher and Géry Watine and opened in 1988, this 6,104-metre par 72 is the longer and more demanding of Avignon's two courses, with a slope rating of 136. It winds between ponds and cascading lakes, asks for length without punishing every miss, and is complemented by a compact nine-hole course, the Ventoux, for working on the short game.

Official website

Golf du Domaine de Manville

Architect: Thierry Sprecher
Opened 2014
18 holes
Par 71

Below Les Baux-de-Provence, about forty minutes south of Avignon, the Domaine de Manville opened in 2014 with an 18-hole course designed by Thierry Sprecher. This 5,508-metre par 71 is short but technical: square-cut greens, bunkers set in dry-stone terraces and fairways divided like farm plots among centuries-old olive trees, beneath the limestone ridges of the Alpilles. The estate presents it as an ecological course that is sparing with water. It is the most Provençal course of the trip, best kept for a full day with lunch on site.

Official website

Where to stay

La Mirande

At the foot of the Palace of the Popes, La Mirande occupies the former residence of a 14th-century cardinal, which over the centuries became the Hôtel Pamard. The Stein family restored it with the decorator François-Joseph Graf as a five-star hotel where 18th- and 19th-century interiors sit in layers. An inner garden, a tea room, the Bistrot Pamard and a gastronomic restaurant led since 2026 by chef Michele Donvito: you will barely want to leave.

La Divine Comédie

A grand townhouse in the historic centre, a few minutes' walk from the Palace of the Popes, with only five suites, each decorated around a journey. Its great asset is a 2,500-square-metre garden, presented as the largest private garden in Avignon, shaded by century-old plane trees, with an outdoor pool and a wellness area. An address for those who prefer the calm of a guest house to a hotel lobby.

Domaine de Manville

To sleep beside the course, the Domaine de Manville is a former farming estate founded in 1908 below Les Baux-de-Provence, turned into a hotel with rooms and villas around a courtyard planted with plane trees and cypresses. A spa, a private cinema and the restaurant L'Aupiho complete the picture; the Michelin Guide awards it a Key. An ideal base to end the trip in the Alpilles, forty minutes from Avignon.

Garden of a stone house with wooden shutters, potted lemon trees and wrought-iron chairs under a plane tree

Where to dine

L'Agape

Opened in 2014 by chef Julien Gleize on Place des Corps-Saints, L'Agape is listed in the Michelin Guide for its distinctly Provençal market cooking: courgettes, peppers, artichokes, red mullet, herbs and olive oil. A dining room with industrial and vintage touches, and a shaded terrace by the fountain, to book for lunch after a morning at the palace.

La Fourchette

On Rue Racine, away from the crowds around the palace, La Fourchette is a long-standing Avignon bistro, its walls covered with cutlery, cicadas and postcards. The Michelin Guide praises its generous southern cooking: boudin blanc, breaded pig's trotters, veal onglet and Avignon-style daube. Often full and closed at weekends: book ahead.

Beyond golf

The Palace of the Popes and the bridge

In the 14th century Avignon was the residence of the popes, and their palace remains one of the largest Gothic buildings in Europe. Together with the episcopal ensemble, the ramparts and the Pont Saint-Bénézet, of which only four arches remain, it forms the historic centre listed by UNESCO in 1995. Then climb to the garden of the Rocher des Doms for the view over the Rhône and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.

The Pont du Gard

Half an hour to the west, in the Gard, the Roman aqueduct spans the Gardon on three tiers of arches, nearly 50 metres high. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985, it is best seen early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the stone turns golden. In summer you can swim in the Gardon below.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Les Halles

The popes gave their name to a vineyard: Châteauneuf-du-Pape lies about twenty minutes to the north, with its rounded stones and estates open for tasting. In town, Les Halles on Place Pie, behind their living green wall, bring together cheesemongers, market gardeners and small counters where you can grab a standing lunch in the morning.

Crenellated medieval ramparts and round towers in pale stone on the bank of a wide river, late in the day

When to go

April to June and September to October are the best periods: between 18 and 28°C, courses in good condition and superb light. March and November remain playable, cooler and sometimes swept by the mistral. July and August often exceed 33°C: play at dawn, and the Festival in July fills the city. Winter is mild and dry but windy, with yellower fairways.

Getting there

The TGV links Paris with Avignon TGV station in about 2 hours 40 minutes, and Avignon's two courses are ten to fifteen minutes from the station. By air, Marseille Provence airport is about an hour's drive away; Nîmes and Montpellier are alternatives. A car is essential to move between the courses and the Alpilles.

Frequently asked questions

What golf courses are there near Avignon?

Two 18-hole courses a quarter of an hour from the centre, Golf Grand Avignon at Vedène and UGolf Avignon Châteaublanc at Morières-lès-Avignon, plus the Domaine de Manville, below Les Baux-de-Provence, about forty minutes away.

Is Châteaublanc's Les Alpilles course actually in the Alpilles?

No. It is named after the range but lies at Morières-lès-Avignon, ten minutes from the centre. To play in the Alpilles, head to the Domaine de Manville at Les Baux-de-Provence.

When is the best time to play golf in Avignon?

From April to June and in September and October. Summer is hot and the July Festival fills the hotels; winter is playable but often windy.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Avignon?

Three to five nights: one course a day, a morning at the Palace of the Popes, half a day at the Pont du Gard and an estate visit in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

How do you get to Avignon for a golf trip?

The simplest way is the TGV from Paris to Avignon TGV, in about 2 hours 40 minutes. By air, Marseille Provence is an hour's drive away; a hire car is needed once there.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Avignon

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Hillside green above a turquoise lake beneath limestone cliffs, a village and chalets on the shore, late-afternoon light

Haute-Savoie