Quick answer
Transport: Avignon has two train stations, Uzès has none. Pont du Gard: 15 minutes from La Valette Boutique, 30 to 40 minutes from Avignon.
Uzès: Pont du Gard 15 minutes from La Valette Boutique, Nîmes 30 minutes, Saturday market on the Place aux Herbes, street parking near the house.
Avignon: two train stations, Palais des Papes, museums, July festival, access to the Luberon, Saint-Rémy and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
| Factor | Uzès | Avignon | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Without a car | No station; liO coach line 115 (Alès, Uzès, Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Avignon) runs a few times a day | Two stations and buses across the region | liO and SNCF networks |
| With a car | Places on these pages are 15 to 45 minutes by car; street parking two minutes' walk from the house | Free park-and-ride at Île Piot (no shuttle on Sundays and public holidays); Palais des Papes car park about €19 for 24 hours (about €27 in July and August) | Avignon car park tariffs |
| The Pont du Gard | About fifteen minutes from La Valette Boutique | 30 to 40 minutes by car | Route planners |
| Setting | Market town of about 8,500 residents | City inside medieval walls; Festival d'Avignon in July | INSEE; town listings |
| Sights and festivals | Duché, Fenestrelle tower, Haribo museum; Fête Votive in August | Palais des Papes, museums, Festival d'Avignon in July | Town listings |
Where the facts come from
La Valette Boutique is five minutes from Uzès. Bus and parking details come from published sources: the liO timetable and the tariffs of the Avignon car parks.
Prices and timetables change: check the operator's current information.
The first question
Transport
Avignon has two train stations and buses across the region. Uzès has no station: the liO coach line 115 (Alès, Uzès, Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Avignon) runs a few times a day. By car, Avignon has a free park-and-ride at Île Piot (the shuttle does not run on Sundays and public holidays), while the Palais des Papes car park costs about €19 for 24 hours (about €27 in July and August). Near Uzès, at La Valette Boutique, street parking is two minutes' walk away, and the places on these pages are 15 to 45 minutes by car.
Public transport: Avignon has two train stations; Uzès has none.
The second question
The Rhône as a border
The Rhône separates the two. Uzès is west, in the Gard, with the Pont du Gard fifteen minutes from La Valette Boutique, plus Nîmes and the Cévennes. Avignon is east, in Provence: it is the gateway to the Luberon, the Alpilles and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Gordes and Saint-Rémy are on the east side; the Pont du Gard and the Uzès market are on the west.
West of the Rhône: Pont du Gard, Nîmes, Uzès. East: Luberon, Alpilles, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
Uzès
What Uzès offers
A market town with the Place aux Herbes market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, the Duché, the Fenestrelle tower and the Fête Votive in early August. The Pont du Gard is 15 minutes from La Valette Boutique, Nîmes 30, and the Cévennes lie to the north-west.
Uzès: no train station.
Avignon
What Avignon offers
A city inside medieval walls with the Palais des Papes, the Pont Saint-Bénézet, museums and the Festival d'Avignon in July. Two train stations and buses reach the region, and Avignon is the gateway to the Luberon.
Avignon: two train stations.
Comparison
What each base lacks
Uzès has no train station and fewer museums than Avignon. Avignon is 30 to 40 minutes from the Pont du Gard and has paid parking inside the walls.
The two towns are about 45 minutes apart by car.
A third option
Or split the stay
A stay can be split: nights in Avignon first, then La Valette Boutique near Uzès, about 45 minutes (around 40 km) away by road.
La Valette Boutique is about 45 minutes from Avignon by car.
Frequently asked questions
The differences are transport, parking and the side of the Rhône. Avignon has two train stations and is the gateway to the Luberon (east bank). Uzès has none and is 15 minutes from the Pont du Gard (from La Valette Boutique), with Nîmes at 30 minutes (west bank). The two are about 45 minutes apart by car.
Avignon has two train stations and buses that reach Nîmes, Arles and Marseille. Uzès has no train station: the liO coach line 115 runs a few times a day.
Uzès: La Valette Boutique is fifteen minutes by car from the bridge (Uzès town itself is roughly half an hour), against thirty to forty minutes from Avignon. The Pont du Gard site is open every day from 8h to midnight.
Two train stations, the Palais des Papes, museums and the Festival d'Avignon in July; it is the gateway to the Luberon. It is on the east bank, 30 to 40 minutes from the Pont du Gard, with paid parking inside the walls (about €19 for 24 hours at the Palais des Papes car park; free park-and-ride at Île Piot).
They are about forty-five minutes apart by car, so the other is a day out from either base. Uzès offers the market, the Duché and the Pont du Gard nearby; Avignon the Palais des Papes and the old town.
By splitting the stay: for example nights in Avignon first (Palais des Papes, old town), then nights at La Valette Boutique near Uzès (Pont du Gard, Saturday market). The two are about 45 minutes (around 40 km) apart by car.
Uzès is a market town of about 8,500 residents, with restaurants around the Place aux Herbes and the Duché. Avignon is a larger city, and the Festival d'Avignon takes place in July.
About 45 minutes by car, roughly 40 km, mostly via the D981. There is no motorway toll on this route.
The liO coach line 115 is listed as running every day, including weekends and public holidays, but the weekend timetable can differ from weekdays. Check the current liO timetable before you count on a particular bus, and build in extra margin either side.
You can, but Avignon-Provence airport has very limited scheduled service, mostly seasonal and charter routes, so it rarely has the flight you actually want. In line with our own advice on Getting Here, we point most guests to Nîmes, Montpellier or Marseille airports instead, all with more reliable year-round flights and a broadly similar drive. If you do land at Avignon's airport, the onward trip to Uzès is much the same as from Avignon TGV station, about 45 minutes by car.
Plan your stay
Stay at La Valette Boutique
Two stone apartments a few minutes from Uzès, fifteen from the Pont du Gard, with street parking two minutes' walk away. Book directly: no platform fees.
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