Bicycling the Best of Provence

Best of Provence with Experience Plus!
  • Length 8 days
  • From USD$4695
  • Style/Level Classic 2.5
  • Countries France
  • Begin/End Arles / Seguret
See related tours

Explore the best Provence has to offer. Culinary highlights include a splendid Mediterranean feast of Côtes-de-Rhône wines, exquisite olive oil from a local olive press and more Roman ruins than you will find even in Italy. France’s small country roads will lead through the secrets behind the local artisans savoir-faire. And we’ll give you the chance to taste it all from special visits and markets right up to special dinner at a local chef’s home. You’ll also visit the places where Van Gogh and Cézanne painted a majority of their most well-known paintings. This trip gives you a superb view of both medieval and Roman masterpieces such as the theater and arena in Arles, the impressive Pont du Gard, and the medieval jewel of Uzès. A great bike tour for friends or couples where one partner likes to ride more than the other.

***If you prefer a longer tour, check out our 11-day option Best of Provence Plus! the Luberon and Aix-en-Provence***

Highlights

  • Côtes du Rhones wine villages, Van Gogh country, Informative wine tasting, Olive mill visit, Châteauneuf du Pape, Uzès, Pont du Gard, Arles, special dinner at a local chef’s home, Saint Rémy, The best of Roman Provence, Mont Ventoux.

Includes


Date Price Private room fee Note
Sep 13-20, 2024 USD$4695 USD$550  Departure confirmed to go!
Sep 27-Oct 4, 2024 USD$4695 USD$550
DateSep 13-20, 2024
PriceUSD$4695
Private room feeUSD$550
Note Departure confirmed to go!
DateSep 27-Oct 4, 2024
PriceUSD$4695
Private room feeUSD$550
Note

Download Itinerary

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  • Total distance 312 km (198 miles)
  • Average daily distance 53 km (33 miles)
  • Tour style Classic
  • Tour level 2.5

Highlights: Roman monuments of Arles, gourmet dinner with a local chef

Meet today at our hotel in Arles on the banks of the Rhône River. The Romans bridged the Rhône here during the 1st Century B.C., and today the city has a well-preserved Roman theater and arena. The latter is still used for Provençal bullfights. We will get our bikes fitted and enjoy a short test ride before a special introductory meal together in a local chef’s home.

Meals : Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Le Calendal

Highlights: Market in Arles or Saint Paul de Mausole, charming St Rémy

This morning Arles puts on one of the largest outdoor markets in France. You’ll have plenty of time to check it all out before taking a short but scenic ride to St Rémy. This afternoon you can explore St Rémy or take an extra loop ride that goes through quaint medieval Provençal towns including Maillane, home to writer Frédéric Mistral, a proponent of Provençal culture and winner of the 1904 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Le Castelet des Alpilles

Highlights: Les Baux, Roman ruins, Van Gogh sites

St. Rémy is where Van Gogh painted several of his most famous works during a year’s residence in the local sanitarium. You’ll appreciate the views that inspired him as we support a ride to Les-Baux-de-Provence and into the Alpilles hills. There is much to explore in St Rémy this afternoon including the Roman ruins of Glanum, Van Gogh’s sanitarium and the great shopping in town.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Hotel Le Castelet des Alpilles

Highlights: Pont du Gard, castle visit, olive mill visit, Uzès

We’ll start the day with an olive oil tasting at a local olive press located just a few kilometers outside St Rémy. On our ride today we will cross the Rhône at Tarascon where you can visit the perfectly preserved 15th-century castle. Our route will then continue north to the Pont du Gard which is arguably the most extraordinary Roman ruin in all of Europe. It dates to 20 B.C. when it was built to support the aqueduct that carried water from Uzès to the Roman town of Nîmes. We will stay in beautiful Uzès for the next two nights

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Entraigues

Highlights: Uzès and local vineyards

We’ll be in charming medieval Uzès again tonight, so you’re free to enjoy today’s loop ride south through rolling vineyards or spend the entire day wandering the labyrinth of cobblestone alleyways. All paths lead to the central Place aux Herbes, where you’ll find quaint cafés, restaurants, and shops where you can savor all of Provence’s sunny flavors.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Hotel Entraigues

Highlights: Ceramics of St. Quentin, visit to Châteauneuf du Pape, Côtes du Rhône vineyards and villages

Shortly after departing Uzes, we’ll arrive at St Quentin la Poterie a small town with a long tradition of pottery making going back to prehistoric times. The craftsmen of St. Quentin contributed their pottery making skills to decorate the Palais des Papes in Avignon in the 14th Century. We continue to the heart of the Côtes du Rhone vineyards with some of the most prestigious wines in the south of France including the renowned Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We’ll have a beautiful ride through small villages and open countryside before arriving at Châteauneuf where you can get a café lunch on your own, or picnic at the castle, a former summer palace of the Avignon Popes. You can also partake in a wine tasting of your choice at any of the countless local wineries. Our route continues on to Séguret surrounded by vineyards and set against the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountains- our little paradise for the next two nights.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Domaine de Cabasse

Highlights: Roman vestiges and medieval castle in Vaison, picturesque wine villages (Sablet, Beaumes-de-Venise), optional climb up Mont Ventoux.

You can take a day off the bikes and relax at the hotel or pedal our loop ride to Vaison-la-Romaine and the nearby quaint villages known for their wines. Vaison offers some great insight into Roman and medieval life and architecture with its Roman ruins, archaeological museum, and imposing castle. The rest of the loop continues through wine country and Provençal villages with the giant Mont Ventoux set in the background. For those who want to push their limits there is also the opportunity to climb Mont Ventoux, the most illustrious Tour de France climb! You also have the option to take on Mont Ventoux (49 km) and forgo the loop ride. Regardless of what you decide it’s guaranteed to be an amazing day!

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Domaine de Cabasse

Highlights: Bon Voyage!

We will shuttle you to the Avignon Train Station and send you on your way home, or to continue your travels!

Meals : Breakfast

Visit our Tour Level page to learn more about terrain levels and how we determine day and tour levels.



Pre-trip planning checklist



  • Everything was perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing!

    Marilea S.San Diego, CA
  • This is my first bike tour and my first trip to France and I loved both! It was so nice to take a trip and have someone else take care of most of the details. I look forward to another bike tour in France in the very near future…thanks for the wonderful experience!

    Prati W.New Berlin, WI
  • It is one of the great joys of our lives to be able to do your tours.

    June W. Saint Paul, MN