Provence Biking, Food, & Wine Adventure

DAY 1

We meet you at noon in Avignon, in the heart of Provence. You can choose to arrive the night before and stay in our preferred Avignon hotel or take the TGV high-speed train down from Paris or Geneva that morning. After introductions and a quick explanation of the tour, we are off on our bikes! We’ll ride on a flat road along the Rhône River through quaint villages to St. Rémy-de-Provence, home of Nostradamus and the site where Van Gogh painted Starry Night.  Once we settle into our hotel, we take a short walk to dinner and hear about French food from Patrick, the owner of our favorite local restaurant.  Distances: 19 or 39 kilometers

DAY 2

We start our day by visiting the incredible Wednesday morning market in St. Rémy-de-Provence, where we suggest you buy lunch for a picnic later today (your guides will use all the products to create an amazing barbeque cooked over an open fire).  We then do a loop ride that highlights local artisan food producers, visiting an olive oil mill, winery, honey bee farm, sheep’s cheese farm, and fig tree farm. The medium route will head to the majestic Château de Barbentane while the long route will head south through thickly forested lands up into the Alpilles Mountains, reaching the medieval, cobblestoned village of Les Baux-de-Provence, built right into the mountainside. If you have extra time in St. Rémy this afternoon, you can visit the Saint Paul de Mausole psychiatric institution where Van Gogh was voluntarily held and the ancient Celtic (and then Roman) city of Glanum.  Prior to dinner, you’ll be treated to a cooking class by an award-winning local chef and then get the opportunity to eat what you’ve created.  Distance: 18, 35 or 49 kilometers

DAY 3

Our ride today is mostly on rural roads through agricultural lands, passing bountiful orchards of fruit, pear, and cherry trees.  We head northeast through the town of Noves and cross over the Durance river into Caumont sur Durance. Here you can park your bike and explore the winding streets of the old town on foot, choosing one of the many small cafes for lunch. In the afternoon, we ride on rural roads through agricultural lands and a forest of cedar trees to the town of Cabrières d’Avignon, another picturesque village. Depending on the route you choose today, you can stop at a rural cheese shop with over 100 varieties of cheese for sale, at a local winery, and to the ancient Fontaine de Vaucluse, France’s most powerful underground spring before arriving at our hotel.  We might have a hard time dragging you away from the sauna, jacuzzi, and outdoor pool but you’ll be happy we did when you taste the outstanding cuisine at Restaurant l’Estellan tonight.  Distance: 37, 48 or 57 kilometers

DAY 4

Our first stop in the morning is the fantastic town of Gordes, awarded “one of the most beautiful villages of France.”  Park your bike and walk through the old streets, up to the castle and the Abbey of Senanque. We then ride through the Domaniale de Venasque forest, rising on what is one of our hillier roads. But the effort is worth it, as we exit the forest into the town of Venasque, our second “most beautiful villages of France” town of the day. Perched on a hilltop with magnificent views of the plains below, Venasque is a great lunch stop. In the afternoon, we cycle through the towns of Saint-Didier, Carpentras, and Aubignan on our way to our next hotel in Vacqueyras. We are now in the heart of wine country and will have a pre-dinner wine tasting to sample the local grape varieties. For the long route today, you will add an extra morning loop taking you to Pont Julien (a Roman bridge dating to 3 BC and named for Julius Cesar) and lovely Roussillon. This is a hilly day but the short route option includes a ride up and over the steepest parts. Distance: 37, 55 or 79 kilometers

DAY 5

Today we cycle through the vineyards, first crossing the Ouvèze River as we head into the wine town of Violès and continue across the flat plain to Jonquières and Courthézon, with its 12th-century city ramparts and 12 fountains.  It’s a beautiful morning ride through the heart of wine country. We stop along the way for a tour of a pastis factory (the typical Provencal workman’s drink) and then reach the famous village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (one of the most famous producers of red wine in all of France) for lunch and perhaps a walk up to the fortress relic or a sip of wine in one of the many wine shops. The short route will end with a van pickup here while the medium route continue to the towns of Lirac and Tavel, considered two of the best rosé wine producing regions in the country.  We finish our 360-degree loop by riding back into Avignon, where we’ll toast our success by sipping a glass while perched on the ramparts of the Palais du Papes – the palace of the popes. Distance: 17, 47 or 73 kilometers

DAY 6

You have several options on this, our final morning. You can choose a 15-kilometer ride on a flat island in the middle of the Rhone River near Avignon, which wows those who partake with its smooth, quiet roads. Alternatively, you can put your bike aside and explore the town of Avignon on your own. Plus, you always have the option to sleep in late!  Our tour ends at noon and you can choose to stay another night in the city, rent a car to explore other nearby areas, or jump on the train back to your departure city.