Avignon in May has that tempered mildness before the July heat, the terraces of the historic centre setting out their tables on the cobblestones, and that theatrical atmosphere that infuses the city even when the festival is still months away. The city is small but it has a few genuinely solid addresses for working outside seriously.

Here are four addresses to save in your Avignon favourites.

Café Tulipe

Rue des Trois Faucons, Tulipe is a speciality coffee shop and small restaurant with a settled atmosphere and a decent terrace.

Quiet, computers welcome, food. Open Monday to Saturday (until 3pm on Mondays).

Our favourite within the walls for morning and afternoon sessions.

La Passerelle

40 boulevard Limbert, just outside the ramparts, La Passerelle is a high-end 400 m² coworking space with open-plan desks, private offices, meeting rooms, phone booths and a terrace. The equipment is comprehensive and the experience holds up over time.

Large tables, quiet, a carefully curated atmosphere. The format is a commitment but the comfort carries you through long weeks.

The go-to for freelances who want a high-end setting in Avignon.

Café des Arts

8 place de l'Horloge, near the Palais des Papes, the address is now called La Brasserie les Arts: a brasserie and pizzeria with a big terrace on the square. The buzz is part of the experience.

Avoid meal times, lively atmosphere. Better for short sessions than full days.

A good spot when you want to work against the most iconic backdrop in the city.

La Mirande

Place de l'Amirande, La Mirande is a five-star hotel offering a luxurious, inspiring setting for a few hours of work. It's the premium option for a coffee in an exceptional setting: ask at reception about access for non-guests.

Terrace, fine-dining restaurant. The format is a commitment but the experience is unique in the city.

The spot for important calls or writing sessions where you want a completely singular setting.

How to make the most of working from a terrace in Avignon

Three things to know:

  • The mistral can be fierce. When it picks up, forget the terrace and move inside. Also plan to weigh down your papers at the start of each session.
  • The July-August heat is serious. Above 35 degrees, only shaded and ventilated terraces hold up. Go for interior courtyards.
  • The festival changes everything between mid-July and early August. The city fills up, terraces get swamped, and working peacefully becomes almost impossible. Shift your sessions outside the festival period if you can.

To go further

If you want our full selection of spots in Avignon, we also have a guide covering all the good spots in the city (cafés, coworking spaces, community spaces), not just terraces. For detailed listings of spots in Avignon, head to our city page.

Looking for terraces in another city this summer? We also have our picks for Montpellier, Grenoble, Saint-Étienne.

In summary

Avignon has a modest but high-quality coworking-café scene, with a few genuinely solid spots for working outside. Our selection covers the main use cases: an equipped café for long sessions, a high-end coworking space for structured weeks, a premium hotel for important calls.

Looking for other types of spots in Avignon? Find all our Avignon selections and our city guides on Deskover.