no alt text

Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 09 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Dana Facaros

The paintings by Chardin, Manet, Cezanne, Degas, Modigliani, Sisley, Van Gogh and Picasso that fill this delightful museum were collected by Paris fashion designer Jacques Doucet – the Yves Saint-Laurent of the early 20th century. They were later donated to the city of Avignon by his great-nephew and wife, who were both artists and collectors themselves.

This inspiring selection of art is housed in the Doucet family’s elegant Avignon townhouse, with one floor preserved exactly as it was during their lifetime. Be sure to track down Van Gogh’s Railway Carriages, the only Van Gogh painting that remains on permanent display in Provence.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Price from: £7
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

You’ll find the museum just north of the tourist office, on Rue Labourer. Guided tours with an art historian are possible, with advance notice. Otherwise, there’s a detailed history of the collection and its history on the website – worth a read before you go.

When to do it

The museum is open February to December, but closes in January and on Monday. From November to March, it also closes on Sunday.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Hotel Le Colbert

Avignon, Provence, France[0.2 miles]

Quirky, bohemian and great value boutique hotel conveniently located within easy walking distance of Avignon’s attractions. One for the budget-conscious traveller.

Official star rating:

La Mirande Hotel

Avignon, Provence, France[0.5 miles]

A magnificent, evocative and aristocratic luxury hotel, right next to Avignon’s Palace of the Popes.

Official star rating:

Hotel d’Europe

Avignon, Provence, France[0.5 miles]

An uber-luxury, boutique hotel set in a 16th-century mansion right in Avignon’s medieval centre. The city’s oldest hotel oozes elegance and class.

Official star rating:

Chateau des Alpilles

Saint-Remy, Provence, France[17.4 miles]

An elegant, historic 19th-century chateau hotel just outside historic Saint-Remy, set in glorious grounds.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Provence

Provence, France

Gorgeous landscapes peppered with beautiful villages, sunflowers and lavender, art-filled towns, lively cultural festivals and exquisite food and wine. Provence is everything you imagined it would be.

Website >
Overview >

Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Palace of the Popes

Avignon, Provence, France[0.5 miles]

The world’s biggest Gothic palace was home to popes during their 14th-century exile from Rome. Seven reigned here until 1377, in a colourful period of greed and depravity.

Best for ages: 18+ | £10

Avignon Festival

Avignon, Provence, France[0.6 miles]

Nearly a thousand shows and exhibitions over three weeks, showcasing world-class drama, music and dance. France’s answer to the UK’s Edinburgh Festival.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 3 weeks

Provence Wine Region

Provence, France[15.2 miles]

Postcard-perfect vineyards yielding world-famous wines – Provence is the home of the most prestigious Cotes du Rhone wines, including the reds of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Beaumes-de-Venise.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

Website >
Overview >

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Exterior of the Little Palace Museum
Experience

Petit Palais Museum

Avignon, Provence, France[0.7 miles]

Papal Avignon was the centre of the European art for decades, and over 300 works of (mostly) Italian medieval and renaissance paintings and sculptures commissioned by the wealthy prelates of the church, including a Botticelli Madonna, are displayed in this 14th-century palace.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

Website >
Overview >
The exterior facade and entrance of the St Paul de Mausole, a golden stone building
Experience

St-Paul-de-Mausole

Saint-Remy-de-Provence, Provence, France[19 miles]

The asylum where Van Gogh spent 1888-89 is a masterpiece of Provencal Romanesque, and today specializes, appropriately, in art therapy. His room and reproductions of the paintings he made there are on display, along with temporary exhibitions.

Best for ages: 18+ | £4

Website >
Overview >
Olive oil tasting at Moulin Castelas
Experience

Olive oil tasting at Moulin Castelas

Les Baux-de-Provence, Provence, France[23.3 miles]

In the stunning setting of Les Baux, learn all about Provence’s greeny-golden nectar on these free tastings of these award-winning oils. Open all year-round, but short walks through the olive groves and visits to the mill are also offered from June to September.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 2 hours

Website >
Overview >