Provence Bike Tour
April 19-24, 2010

Price	2,200 USD
Single Supplement	850 USD (always optional)
Length	Six Days & Five Nights
Activities	Biking
Difficulty	For All Abilities
Guides	Allan, Giovanni, and one other guide to be decided
Bike Rental	25 Euros per day

Provence is a land of rugged landscapes, sun-drenched fields, and charming hilltop towns. The intense colors and pleasant climate at one time drew the best painters in the world, including van Gogh, Renoir, Matisse, Cézanne , and Picasso. The cuisine is local: seafood and lamb; fresh fruits and vegetables such as melons, apricots, and olives; and the wonderful wines of the Côtes de Provence.

Provence, in the southwest of France, is also a renowned bicycling area. The many small side roads allow us to bicycle side by side, taking in views of Lavender fields and passing through small farming villages. We bike across flat valleys with occasional climbs to hilltop towns. France is probably the premier bicycling tour country in the world, thanks to the scenery, the hospitality, and the policy of paving even the smallest country road.

Our six-day tour is centered on the town of Avignon, located on the banks of the Rhône River and during the 14th century the actual seat of the Pope and Catholic Church. We visit nearby towns including Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Gordes, Orange, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As always, we have three biking routes each day (short, medium, and long) and a support van that is always there if you need it.

Join us in in Provence, one of the premier biking destinations in the world.

Bicycles
We are bringing our Italian guide Giovanni Ramaccioni and his fleet of bicycles up from Tuscany for this tour! Giovanni is a wonderful guide who has led trips in Provence and his fleet of 21-speed bikes get rave reviews from our Italy biking groups. The bikes will be perfect on the roads of Provence. You can bring your own seats and pedals if you are an experienced cyclist. Total Rental Cost for the tour: Euro 150 (translated into dollars at current exchange rate).

Accommodations
We stay five nights in five different towns, allowing us to cover more ground in a loop around our base town of Avignon. The hotels are excellent and it is really worth clicking on each website to see a few photos. On our first night we stay at the very French Hotel le Gardon in the town of Collias, very near the famous Pont du Gard. On Day Two we cycle on to the Hotel Le Castelet des Alpilles in the town of St. Remy-de-Provence. St. Remy is a wonderful walled town of 10,000 people, big enough to offer excellent sights and shopping but small enough to explore on foot. We then cycle to Les Imberts and our hotel Le Mas de la Senancole. Our chateau-style hotel centered around a beautiful swimming pool might entice you to stay put for the afternoon except that you are only five kilometers from the famous Provencal town of Gordes. You can always visit the next morning! We are then on to the Hotel Montmirail in the town of Gigondas, one of the premier wine towns in the region. Finally, it is back to Avignon and a stay in the center of the city at the Hotel du Palais de Papes. (Please note these hotels are subject to change.)

For More Information
Please see our Provence Frequently Asked Questions or Provence Itinerary pages.