Palace of the Popes closes terrace from 2 to 4 November

The Palace of the Popes (Palais des Papes) in Avignon will close its Grands Dignitaries terrace from 2 to 4 November 2026 because of works. The temporary restriction comes while Lee Ufan’s Relatum exhibition remains on view at the monument until 15 November 2026.

Grands Dignitaries terrace closes from 2 to 4 November

Avignon Tourisme announced that the terrace will be exceptionally closed from Monday 2 November to Wednesday 4 November inclusive. The notice concerns the terrace itself and does not announce a closure of the whole monument.

The terrace is one of the parts associated with the visitor route and views across Avignon. Travellers planning a visit during those three days should therefore expect that this particular area will not be available, while the official notice gives no wider change to access.

The announcement appears on the official place information page. It also identifies the site at Place du Palais in Avignon, linking the access change directly to the monument rather than to a separate city venue.

Relatum continues inside Avignon’s Gothic palace

A second visitor feature falls within the same November period. Lee Ufan’s Relatum runs at the Palace of the Popes from 3 July to 15 November 2026, with the City of Avignon named as the inviter.

The exhibition includes Relatum - Primitive Room, 2026, a large installation in the Great Chapel. The official exhibition page describes more than 60 tonnes of slate spread across 650 square metres, placing the contemporary work inside one of the palace’s principal ceremonial spaces.

The exhibition’s dates and its connection with the monument are set out on the Relatum exhibition page. Its final day, 15 November 2026, gives visitors a separate dated reason to include the palace in an autumn itinerary after the terrace restriction has ended.

A fourteenth-century residence with a changing route

Construction of the monumental residence began in 1335 and was completed in less than twenty years. Benedict XII and Clement VI were the two popes chiefly associated with the building work, according to Avignon Tourisme.

The site contains 25 visitor areas, including state rooms, chapels, a cloister and the private apartments of the popes. Frescoes by the Italian painter Matteo Giovannetti remain in the Chapels of Saint-Martial and Saint-Jean.

The palace is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Avignon. That status and the temporary closure give the November notice a precise practical meaning: the building remains a historic residence and museum route, but one named terrace is unavailable for three days during works.

Avignon Tourisme says a new interpretation programme began on 1 May 2026, with new narratives and rooms previously not shown to the public. The work is scheduled to continue through spring 2027, so the route may evolve beyond the November dates.

Visiting Palace of the Popes: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Grands Dignitaries terrace is closed from 2 to 4 November 2026 inclusive, according to the monument’s current notice.
• Relatum by Lee Ufan continues at the Palace of the Popes until 15 November 2026, including an installation in the Great Chapel.
• The venue is at Place du Palais in central Avignon, in a pedestrian area; Avignon Tourisme lists bus routes 902, 905, 906, 907, 915, 924, 705, 707 and 708 with the PEM Gare routière stop.
• The building contains a large number of steps, and the standard route is partially inaccessible to wheelchair users; strollers cannot be used inside and must be left at the coat check.
• French is the official language of France and the national currency is the euro.

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Frequently asked questions about Palace of the Popes

What has changed at the Palace of the Popes?

The Grands Dignitaries terrace will be closed from 2 to 4 November 2026 because of works. The wider visitor route is also being updated as part of a programme that began on 1 May 2026.

How long does Relatum remain at the Palace of the Popes?

Lee Ufan’s Relatum is scheduled to remain at the monument until 15 November 2026. Its large Primitive Room installation is located in the Great Chapel.

Where is the Palace of the Popes and how do you get there?

The monument stands at Place du Palais in Avignon’s pedestrian area. Avignon Tourisme lists several bus routes serving the PEM Gare routière stop.