Orange, France is a town of about 28,000 population with Roman origins in Vaucluse department of the south of France, 21 kilometers north of Avignon. Known for its amazingly preserved Roman Theater, Orange is worth a night of a tourist's time--although for those who wish to just have a look at the town, the Roman Theater and the Triumphal Arch, a day trip from Avignon will do just fine.
Getting to Orange
By Train: The Gare d'Orange is found on Rue P. Semard. Orange is easily accessible by train from Arles, Avignon, Montelemar, Valence and Lyon.
There is car rental at the station, and hotels nearby.
By Car: Orange is east of the A7 Autoroute. The A9 Autoroute from Nimes, La Languedocienne, intersects the A7 near Orange.
Here is a Google Map of the area around Orange.
What to See and Do in Orange
The amazingly preserved Roman Theater and Triumphal Arch, from the reign of Augustus, are the top sites in Orange. The Roman Theater is a UNESCO World Heritage site, added in 1981--the Arch was included later. Chorégies d'Orange Music and Opera Festival is held in the theater in summer.
During the middle ages folks built little houses inside the theater. These remained until relatively modern times and even hampered the restoration of the theater. On the other hand, the existence of them probably saved the theater from quarrying that would have taken place in order to build new housing.
For Roman archaeology buffs, the excavations of the Roman Temple near the theater are also interesting.
Musée Municipal has interesting local items on view, the most important being fragments of a property survey map of the area scratched into marble. It was used as a means of property taxation.
Staying in Orange
A top-rated budget hotel in Orange is the two-star Hôtel de Provence - Orange (book direct) at 60 Avenue Frederic Mistral, near the Gare d'Orange railway station (but also offers free parking if you're coming by car). If you wish to stay close to the theater, the two-star Hotel Saint-Florent (book direct) is steps away.
Approximate distances to Attractions outside of Orange
Avignon - 21 km
Chateauneuf-du-Pape (wine country) - 8.9 km
Gigondas (wine) - 15.2 km
Pont du Gard - 31 km
Other Provence Attractions near Orange
See our Provence Map for other attractions in the area. The Vaucluse department includes the famous Luberon, and the charming town of St. Remy is just beyond the department border to the south.
Here is how we spent our Week in Provence, much of it spent in the Luberon and the Camargue, or you can just look at our Provence pictures.
