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Provence – The Roman Experience: Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Sunday

Avignon, the city chosen by Pope Clement V as his residence and from 9 March 1309 until 13 January 1377 the seat of the Papacy instead of Eternal Rome, is the start of our tour of Provence. After collecting you from either Avignon TGV station or Avignon Centre railway station, we will transport you the short drive to our hotel situated within this magnificent walled city.

Upon arrival, you may want to spend the first couple of hours exploring Avignon with its wealth of history including the Palais des Papes, or the Pont d’Avignon, or you may prefer to relax with a cool drink in the bustling Place de l’Horloge. On your return to the hotel we’ll meet for a ‘welcome’ apéritif and we’ll get to know one another whilst enjoying our first evening meal together.

Day 2: Monday

After leisurely breakfast, we head east out of Avignon and make our way towards Fontaine de Vaucluse. The success of this village is due to the impressive spring which flows out of the 230 metre high cliff. This gigantic source is the most powerful in France and the calm summer waters become spectacular in the wet seasons (autumn and spring) when 90 m3 of water per second spill into the bed of the River Sorgue. With plenty of places to eat, we will take the opportunity to have lunch in Fontaine de Vaucluse and to refuel ourselves before the afternoon ride.

For the afternoon ride, we will be making our way through the Réserve Naturelle Géologique du Luberon, a 1,840 km² area of particular geological importance and declared a Geopark by UNESCO.

Our final destination is the town of Mazan, set in the shadows of Mont Ventoux and once home to the Marquis of Sade. This ancient town renowned for fruits, wine and truffles, has the gates of its ramparts dating from the 12th and 14th centuries.

Day 3: Tuesday

Leaving Mazan, we head back towards the Rhône River to one of the most famous French wine appellations: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We have the option to either visit the chateau before or after lunch in order to indulge in a spot of wine-tasting, and for those wishing to purchase the odd bottle or two the minibus will be on stand-by to transport your purchases to the hotel.

After lunch and the wine-tasting, we will continue onto Orange in order to view the marvel of the Théâtre Antique, dating from the 1st century and the reign of Augustus. The theatre is the only Roman exampling in Europe to have its stage wall intact. Should you not wish to visit the theatre then you can wander through the narrow streets and sit in the shady squares.

On leaving Orange, we will continue the short distance to our hotel, located in Serignan-du-Comtat, for a well earned rest and perhaps a dip in the pool before evening dinner.

Day 4: Wednesday

Today we will cycle a slightly further distance than the previous days as we journey south. Before venturing back into the Réserve Naturelle Géologique du Luberon, we will stop at Pernes-les-Fontaines for lunch. This village is the home of more than forty ancient fountains installed from the second half of the 18th century, the most famous being the ‘Gigot’. As you wander through the streets, the calming sound of running water is never far away.

The afternoon ride will take us up to the Plateau-de-Vaucluse where the distant Luberon Mountains dominate the views. We then visit Gordes, one of the ‘in’ villages of the Luberon where many movie stars and artists have made their home. Listed as one of ‘the most beautiful villages of France’ its houses of white and grey stone rise up in a spiral around the rock where the village is set.

Descending from Gordes, for our last few kilometres, we will ride to our hotel in Menerbes, at the foot of the Petit Luberon, an area made famous by Peter Mayle’s best-seller, ‘A Year in Provence’.

Day 5: Thursday

Leaving our hotel, we ride around the base of the Petit Luberon, heading towards Cavaillon where we will stop for morning coffee.
After Cavaillon, crossing the river Durance, one of the principal rivers of the region, we head towards St-Rémy-de-Provence. This small town set in the heart of the Alpilles is a place where many artists and writers found inspiration, including Vincent Van Gogh who used the surrounding countryside and the quality of light to produce more than 150 of his paintings.

We will take the opportunity to stop for lunch here and then enjoy a very short ride to the Roman ruins at the Site Antique de Glanum. Founded in the 3rd century BC, the site was unearthed in 1921 and although little remains, visitors are welcome to walk amongst the impressive ruins.

We continue into the Alpilles and have a short climb to our next stop at Les-Baux-de-Provence where we can take time to savour the amazing views towards Arles and the Camargue. Just outside the village is the Cathédrale d’Image, an audio-visual show projected onto a 43,055 sq. ft rock-face. Our hotel for the evening is not too far away; some people may like to spend more time than others in Les Baux and then make the short journey to the hotel under their own steam.

Day 6: Friday

For the final day of cycling, we will begin by heading south towards the Camargue, famed for its white horses and black bulls. The famous white horses of the Camargue, though nearly all privately owned and branded, for the most part live wild.

We will enjoy coffee in Saint-Martin-de-Crau before cycling onto Fontvielle for lunch; the budding shoppers amongst you will be able to catch the end of the morning market with its local produce and crafts.

In the afternoon we will be into the “home-straight” to Arles, the once capital metropolis of Roman Gaul and the location of our final hotel. We will arrive to in plenty of time for a cooling ‘dip’ in the hotel pool and still there be time before dinner to explore this interesting city of art and history, with its magnificent Roman amphitheatre.

The evening meal will be a chance for all of us to reminisce over the last week and to wonder how, after a weeks cycling, we have still managed to add a few pounds to our frames.

Day 7: Saturday

If you did not get the chance to explore Arles yesterday then an early morning stroll before breakfast might be the answer. Once we are all packed, we will be transporting you to Nimes and your choice of either the airport or the railway station where we will say our goodbyes and leave you with many fond memories of Provence.

Bon Voyage!

Provence Testimonials

Wow, can’t remember the best bits because they were all best bits. Our trip to Europe was finished off by this awesome tour of Provence. Great organisation, beautiful hotels, fantastic food and a little bit of wine! This team are highly recommended if you want to enjoy the cycling with nothing else to worry about.
-Peter & Donna – Michigan, USA

The whole experience from finding the easily useable web-site in the first place to our arrival at our last hotel on route was a well organised, trouble free affair. The attention to detail was very much appreciated and all we had to worry about every day was pedalling. Julie and myself had such a wonderful time and it was like having a second honeymoon…….but on bikes! If you appreciate outstanding scenery, enjoy the outdoor life, enjoy delicious food, like the odd glass of wine and want everything done for you then this is the tour for you. The historical knowledge of Germain was mind-blowing! Well done, see you again soon.
-Mike & Julie – Hamilton, New Zealand

What a journey! Great web-site, helpful pre-holiday organisation and advice, very interesting arrival packs, splendid food, magnificent wine, stunning scenery, fun company and truly gorgeous hotels. What more could one ask for? Oh, brilliant bikes and such helpful guides. What would we have done without you! We hope to be back with friends once we’ve told them what a fantastic holiday this is.
-Bruce & Maggie – Hertford, UK

Once again, our trip was absolutely spectacular, everything we expected and yet nothing like we thought it would be. The scenery was amazing and the company simply delightful. For my first trip to Europe it was indeed a memorable one.
-Kathie & Larry – Vancouver, Canada