France - Cycling in Provence
Provence – France’s sunshine country with fertile, lush valleys, the Mediterranean coast, ancient and medieval cultural centres, the scent of herbs and the Provençal lifestyle. It is a great cultural landscape, which has attracted countless painters such as van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse and Chagall with its unique light and its intensive colours. Apart from the wonderful and varied landscape Provence attracts with its history, art and architecture.
The visitor is enchanted by famous architectural masterworks such as the papal palace in Avignon (world heritage), the Arena in Arles and the Pont du Gard (world heritage) as well as the Greek-Roman excavation sites of Glanum and the medieval city Les Baux in the Alpilles. The bike tour through the Camargue, the protected moor landscape in the Rhône delta, is another highlight. The famous pink flamingos and the white horses are the hallmarks of this landscape and a magnificent opposite to previous attractions. And over and over again we breathe the life of Provence: hustle and bustle in the cities, colourful markets, Spanish traditions, village life under plane trees and a breeze of southern calmness.
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Enjoy the city with the wonderful architectural monuments from Roman times. The great theatre and the triumph arch are historical witnesses from this epoch. The old town attracts with Provençal charm as well as small pretty shops and cafés. One overnight in Orange.
The first stage takes you into the world-famous wine town Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A stroll through the town should not be missed. You ride on to the city of Avignon along the Rhône cycle paths, without the bother of car traffic. We recommend a stroll through the old town with a visit to the papal palace. One overnight in Avignon.
Without much ado and once again with hardly any traffic you leave the town and cycle directly to St. Rémy, probably the most beautiful and certainly the most typical town in the Provence. Nothing surpasses the hustle and bustle, the blaze of colour and the richness of herb scents under the shadow-offering plane trees in the ancient alleys of the old town. The effort of the ascent to the Alpilles is rewarded with great views of the Les Baux. Because of the harmonic location of the vil-lage and because of the fortress ruins, Les Baux is also known as the “city in rock”. Chosen small paths and tiny streets take you to Arles. Roman culture and Romanesque heritage characterise the cityscape and the history of Arles. Arles was the second-biggest city of the Roman Empire; it is also the city of Vincent van Gogh. Your hotel accommodates you for the next two nights.
Half sea, half land – the Camargue is an unique natural landscape with brackish water lakes, vast salt steppes, wild horses and the famous pink flamingos. Small paths take you into the unique nature reserve. In Mejanes with the Arena you have the opportunity of travelling with a small train through unspoilt nature and to admire, with some luck, flamingos and wild bulls. The route takes you on almost traffic-free paths back to Arles. Further night in Arles.
In the morning you cycle to the cities Tarascon and Beaucaire. Both cities are placed beside the Rhône River. There are a lot of nice places and castle of the 12 century. Visit a café in Beaucaire and enjoy a break beside the riverbank. The charm of the city Beaucaire invites you to stay and relax. In Nîmes numerous well-preserved buildings are evidence of the Romans. Visit the arena, the Maison Carrée or the Tour Magne. Or enjoy the modern part of the city the “Carré d´art” of Norman Foster. One overnight in Nîmes.
You will ride for a while through the vineyards of Costières-de-Nimes. About noon you will already see Pont-du-Gard, the famous aqueduct from Roman times, world heritage as well. Aromatic plants such as lavender, thyme and rosemary accompany you into the pretty Provençal town of Uzès, which attracts with its magical, medieval charm. Among other places of interest, the unique market square, surrounded by arcades, is worthwhile. One overnight in Uzès/surrounding.
Today the landscape changes once again. The last stage takes you through the hilly landscape of the Garrigue, with its oaks and Mediterranean herbs. Later on, the vineyards and the lovely orchards of the Provence take over once again. On the other side of the river you cycle through other famous wine regions of the Côte du Rhône (Lirac, Laudan) and reach the city of Orange again in the afternoon. One overnight in Orange.
This tour is now over. During the morning you check out from the hotel. It is possible to book extra nights after the tour if you prefer.
Price includes
- 7 nights in 3-star and 4-star hotels partly with aircondition and pool
- Breakfast every day
- Detailed travel information (route maps or overview maps, route description, tourist attractions, important telephone numbers)
- Luggage transfer between hotels
- Welcome briefing
- 24-hour local and international service hotline for the duration of the tour
- GPS-data is available
- This is a packaged holiday and is therefore covered by The Travel Guarantee Fund - See which benefits this means for you - click here
- Transportation to/from France
- Tourist tax (if due)
- Handling fee (EUR 20)
- optional: Bike rental, including bike insurance
Practical info
The price is based upon two people sharing. It is also possible travel alone in a single room. Simply choose "single room" in the booking form and it will automatically add the single room surcharge.
On this tour you will be on your own supplied with maps, route descriptions and luggage transfers. That means that your time is your own and you have plenty of time to enjoy the stages in your own pace.
Check the price quickly
You can quickly check the price of your desired trip without having to fill in anything. Here's how:
- Choose your desired start date
- Click on the green button "See price and reserve your holiday" and go to the booking form
- Select number of people, add any optional extras and see the price at the bottom of the page (you don't have to fill in anything on the form).
Get a quote
For example, if you want a flight included or changes to the trip, you can order a quote for this using the "Get a quote" button. Remember to describe in detail what, if anything, you want changed.
The process of your booking
When you book, we will start booking hotels and arranging all the practical details of the trip. This process typically takes 2-5 working days, but some bookings may take longer. If you are arranging your own transport, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed your booking before arranging this.
Dates
If you can select the date in the tour calendar at the top of this page, this is a possible start date. We continually update the tours with sold-out dates, after which those dates will turn red and cannot be selected.
On this tour it is possible to rent bikes. You can select between either a 7-gear-bike with back pedal brake or a 21-gear-bike. Please specify your wish at the booking. Each bike will be provided with 1-saddlebag and 1 frontbag per room. Please write your height in the booking form, so that we can have the proper bike size ready for you.
E-bikes
You can also select e-bikes for this tour. You select this on the booking form.
The flights to/from Marseille or Nice are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.
Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.
It works like this:
- You book your chosen holiday with us
- We confirm your holiday (usually within 2-5 working days)
- You arrange your transportation
Book a quote
If you prefer that we handle your flight, then we would be happy to arrange this for you. You simply book a quote below the map on this page and we will return with a quote as soon as possible (usually within 48 working hours). Please note that we add a handling fee of 45 euro to each flight and this means that the flight will be cheaper if you book it yourself.
Luggage transfer is included on this tour. Upon arrival at the first hotel you will be given luggage tags along with the rest of the welcome package. You fill out the luggage tags and put them on your bags where they will remain for the duration of the tour.
Your luggage is picked up from the hotel lobby around 9am every morning and will arrive at your next hotel at 6pm at the latest (often long before that). If there are any special exceptions to the luggage transfer you will be notified upon arrival.
Luggage transfer includes one bag per guest and the bags can weigh 20kg each.
Category A: Comfortable hotels, mostly at 3*** and 4**** level (French classification), partly with air conditioning and pool.
Category Deluxe: Comfortable, high-quality and mostly very centrally located hotels in the 4-star category (French classification), partly with air conditioning and pool.
Breakfast is included in the price of both standards.
Breakfast is included every day. It is easy to find lunch in the small villages before the walks and you will have plenty of choices for dinner in the many restaurants.
This tour has difficulty grade 2.
Grade 2
For cyclists who like hilly terrain and a bit longer distances. You cycle on good roads, which usually don’t have much traffic. The distance is between 35 – 60 km or 20 – 38 miles. If you are capable of riding a bike and you have a normal good health, you should not worry about going on these tours.
Read more about our Grading System
You will recieve the following documentation
Upon booking
You recieve practical information about the tour in a digital format
One month before arrival
You recieve your hotel list and your voucher (hotel list is often supplied upon booking)
Upon arrival
You recieve the welcome package which contains the printed version of the road book, luggage tags, local specific vouchers and if you have rented bikes then they will also be delivered and fitted at the first hotel.
It can be hard to plan your trip according to the weather, but to give an idea of the local climate, you can see the data below:
The statistics are from yr.no.
We are members of the Travel Guarantee Fund (nr. 2529) and have all available insurances. This covers you regardless of your nationality. Read more about that here.
Call our experts on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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You are more than welcome to contact us if you have questions about anything.
Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
Mail: [email protected]