A cycling holiday taking you through the Luberon National park and the Alpilles region of Provence. On this bike vacation in France, you will cycle along the banks of the Rhône River and see the lofty Gothic Popes’ Palace in Avignon. In the Alpilles experience vineyards and olive groves along with Saint Rémy de Provence, the adopted home of Van Gogh. Les Baux de Provence, a village which is spectacularly perched in the hills, set atop a rocky outcrop and crowned with a ruined castle.
The Luberon’s’ many treasures like L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue with its antique shop’s hosts colourful and lively antique markets. Roussillon stands on a hilltop in the heart of “ochre country”. It boasts houses in every shade of burnt orange, dusty pink, and russet red that take on a particular brilliance at sunset. Gordes called “le plus beau village de France” is a town of silk painters, weavers, and potters with houses built of golden stone, that rise to the Renaissance château crowning the top. All this is one cycle tour!
Avignon
Avignon – Hotel Boquier
St Remy de Provence – Hotel du Soleil
Isle dur la Sorgue – Les Terrasses by David et Louisa
Avignon – Hotel Central
St Remy de Provence – Sous les Figuiers
Isle dur la Sorgue – Grand Hotel Henri
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Hooked on Cycling that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the chosen activity and for emergency evacuation and hospital care.
Arrival during the day to the medieval town of Avignon.
Today you shall be cycling between the Durance and Rhône Rivers, through a mosaic of orchards and cypress trees. Your route today first takes you via the little town of Barbentane before climbing up on the “Montagnette” – literally “little mountain”. Here you can see wide panoramic views across the plains. On the Montagnette you can see the monastery of St. Michel de Frigolet. The grand abbey has Romanesque to Neo-Gothic architecture and ates back over 900 years. Now you continue by bike and cycle through the charming villages of Graveson and Maillane before reaching Saint Rémy de Provence. Saint Remy is an artists’ town where Van Gogh spent the last year of his life.
Today you can either relax and explore Saint Remy or do a loop ride through the countryside and visit Les Baux de Provence. If you decide to cycle you can visit Saint Paul de Mausole. This is where Van Gogh spent the last year of his life and did some of his best work. Adjacent to the monastery is Glanum, a Roman archaeological site, its massive limestone ruins are a testament to over 2000 years of history. By bike, you continue along the winding streets of the Alpilles mountains through landscapes of pine trees and wildflowers until you reach Les Baux de Provence. You will surely be delighted with what you see as this village perched on top of a rocky crag is one of the most beautiful in France. Take your time to explore this wonderful village before making your way back to Saint Remy.
Our route today takes us across the Alpilles massif to reach the Luberon. On the way you pass Eygalières, surrounded by vast olive groves and beautiful stone houses, and climb the hill to the castle ruins from where you’ll have a magnificent view. Now you continue through farmlands and many orchards as you cross the Durance river and onto the town of Cavaillon. This is an ideal place to take a break and buy provisions for a lovely picnic or maybe go to one of the many street-side cafes. After you are refreshed you continue to Isle Sur la Sorgue also known locally as the Provencal Venice, as it has many water wheels and canals. Here you will spend the next two nights. This veritable island of a village is completely encircled by the clear green waters of the Sorgue river. Explore the antique shops that line the quays, and watch the world go by at one of the many cafés that line the waterfront.
Today you can choice between one of four posisble loop rides. Below is a description of one of them. This is probably the best way to sum up the day’s ride: a never ending barrage of eye candy and gorgeous perched medieval villages. The effort put forth during your climbs will be rewarded by visits of villages classed among the most beautiful in France, including Gordes and Roussillon. Today is the longest ride, so make sure to get an early start to take advantage of all the sites along the way. We recommend lunch in Roussillon. Either a picnic set beside the ochre quarry, overlooking the village, or a quaint restaurant in town
Depart after breakfast.
Plane: Avignon, Nimes, Paris, Marseille, Nice airports and by train.
Train: TGV stations Orange or Avignon
Car: A7 highway to Avignon
