Pont Saint Bénezet

Considered a gateway to Provence, Avignon is one of France’s most interesting and beautiful cities. Avignon is fun to explore—a wonderful selection of shops line its streets, a festive air prevails with numerous street performers, and the historical attractions are monumental. Spanning the water that surrounds this walled city is the Pont Saint Bénezet.

Although only four of its original twenty-two arches still stand, the Pont Saint Bénezet is an impressive sight. A small chapel still sits on one of its piers and shadows the waters of the encircling River Rhône. This is the bridge referred to in the song familiar to all French children, “Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y dance, on y dance.” Even if all the arches still stood, passage would be difficult by modern-day transportation as the bridge was constructed at the end of the 12th century with pedestrians and horses in mind.