Carpentras

Porte d'Orange

Carpentras, a small Provencal town, is not very popular with (external) car drivers when they must drive through this town. We had to go through very often in particular when we went to south. You must always use the narrow, angled streets through the lively city center. Often you must change the lane. At every time I had the feeling, I am new here and landed promptly in the wrong lane. But when you as stranger indicate to change at last second, the Frenchmen are friendly and let you in (otherwise they honk the horn mercilessly).
Bypass roads are not so popular in France, seemingly. They like obviously the chaos! But: there is a generous parking lot at the Porte d'Orange. It is sufficient on the most days apart from Friday. Friday is market day. We had to leave Carpentras empty-handed without to see the surely attractive farmers market.

But when you had found a parking lot, so you go upstairs (or by lift!) to the old town gate, the Porte d'Orange. Through the small archway - as expected- the automobile traffig goes through and you can only use the very narrow boardwalk.

Of course, Carpentras is not a nightmare. A car driver thinks so, maybe. Besides, many French towns have a bad traffic concept.

Place de l'Horloge

Carpentras has a nice and well worth seeing historic city center. Once, the town was the capital of the papal enclave, the Comtat Venaissin. Under the colonnades at he Place de l'Horloge you can stroll or look for fresh fruits, vegetables or fish. The centre of inner city is a nice, shady square, where the mayor in the Hotel de Ville (no hotel but the city hall) resides. The typical sycamores give shade to a nice café where you can have a café creme or - as we- a fresh "pression" (draft beer) for 3,30 € (0,25 liter !). Opposite to the café is an old - still working - Jewish synagogue which you can visit. The cathedral St Siffrein surmounts the network of small and buckled lanes and alleys. Just next the cathedral is the Justice Palace, a former episcopal palace.

At the margin of historic town is the Place du 25 Aout 1944 (battle of Paris and Marseille in the WWII). Here, the tourist information has its office in a modern new building. Here, they show some interesting free expeditions. On this big square is a further interesting building, the Hotel Dieu, a former hospital from the 18th century. Now, you can visit here a pharmacy museum.

Hotel de Ville - The mayor's place of work

At every Sunday a small attraction takes place in Carpentras: the flea market. We visited it even two times. Amazing, what the people offer to sale. From rusty nail to really good glass articles, books, records, toys, even furniture they show really everyting what you don't need. Looker were enough, but byer hardly.