Cycling Provence: from Ventoux to the Mediterranean Sea

Day 1 : The Roman wonders of Vaison
Vaison
Make your own way to Vaison la Romaine, France’s largest Roman archaeological site (market on Tuesdays). Spend time wandering through the expansive Roman ruins before crossing a 2000 year-old bridge and up to the Medieval village. Perched dizzyingly on the rock above the Ouvèze River, the cobbled streets between Vaison’s medieval homes lead up to the ruins of the 12th century feudal castle, from where the view extends to the entire town and to far-reaching countryside. Dinner on your own in one of Vaison’s wonderful restaurants (not included). Night in a charming hotel in Vaison’s main square.

Day 2 : Towards the foot of Provence’s highest mountain
Vaison > Gigondas > Bedoin
- About 35km cycling -
In the background all day is Provence’s highest mountain, Mont Ventoux, its barren limestone peak soaring above the plains. Cycling through the most prestigious of Côtes du Rhône landscapes, you reach Gigondas and its world-famous vineyards, with plenty of opportunities to stop at estates and taste their delicious reds, intensely perfumed by the Mediterranean sun. Through olive groves and a sea of vines you reach Beaumes de Venise, a quaint village known for its sweet, wine Muscat wines. Through a succession of tiny and forgotten villages, on back roads lined by oak forest and orchards, you reach Bedoin, legendary starting point in the Tour de France for the ascension of Mont Ventoux, arguably the hardest climb in all of France. Dinner and night in a quiet hamlet outside of Bedoin (market on Mondays).

Day 3 : Through cherry orchards and timeless villages
Bedoin > Pernes > Isle sur sorgue
- About 35km cycling -
The landscapes at the foot of Ventoux are dotted by small villages, off the beaten tourist track, where you can explore tiny streets and centuries-old homes. On seldom-used roads you’ll pass cherry orchards, Côtes du Ventoux vineyards, and secretive truffle oak plantations. In the plains you will reach Pernes-les-Fontaines (Saturday market), a lively town full of cafés and fresh produce shops, with its 40 ancient fountains scattered in the village, with plenty of restaurants and boulangeries to get your lunch. Your destination is l’Isle sur la Sorgue, veritable island of a town (Sunday market), surrounded entirely by the green and clear waters of the Sorgue River. The town is world renowned for its antique shops, while the Sunday market fills the entire centre with a display to stimulate all the senses. Dinner and night in l’Isle sur la Sorgue.

Day 4 : Through the famed Luberon hills
Isle > Gordes > Roussillon > Bonnieux > Menerbes > Maubec
- About 50km cycling -
The eye-candy is endless for today’s ride, so you better get an early start! First, on the northern side of the Luberon, in landscapes dotted with dry-stone huts and ancient stone walls, you reach two of the most spectacular villages Provence has to offer: first is Gordes, its majestic grey stone homes rising vertiginously over the Calavon valley, and crowned by its renaissance castle. And within a stone’s throw is neighbouring Roussillon, its colourful homes painted in every hue of yellow, orange, and red, with the natural pigments taken from the ochre quarry set just beside the village. Crossing the Calavon valley you reach Peter Mayle’s Luberon, in settings so often described in his Year in Provence. From the top of the town of Bonnieux, by the 12th century church and under the shade of a giant cedar, the view is remarkable. Ménerbes, a town of great character with its old and authentic buildings, harbours a wine and truffle museum: a delight for the palate! Dinner and night in Maubec.

Day 5 : Towards Van Gogh’s Provence
Maubec > Cavaillon > Eygalières > St Rémy
- About 35km cycling -
The lively town of Cavaillon (Monday market) awaits, filled with restaurants and cafés, and bursting with locally grown fruits and vegetables. Find the local produce in a small shop, and with a fresh baguette and some cheese find a lovely picnic spot outside of town, under the shade of a centuries-old plane tree. Through farmlands and endless orchards, and under the graceful flight of herons and egrets, you cross the Durance river. You cycle towards the lost village of Eygalières, surrounded by vast olive groves, its beautiful stone houses set atop a hill, and up to the ruins of its castle. You reach St. Rémy (Wednesday market), a second home to Van Gogh and birthplace of Nostradamus, an artists’ town filled with colour and light, bustling with busy cafés. Dinner in town and night in a charming hotel just a few steps from the old village gates.

Day 6 : The Alpilles Mountains and Roman Arles
St Rémy > Les Baux > Maussane > Arles
- About 40km cycling -
Just outside St. Rémy visit the former monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole, converted into a home for the mentally ill, where Van Gogh spent a year of his life and did some of his best work. Through the pine forests, wildflowers and thyme laden hills of the Alpilles, the village of Les Baux will soon appear, listed among the most beautiful villages in France. The town is perched like a nest, high above the famous olive groves below, sitting atop a rocky crag and crowned by the ruins of its feudal castle. The Alpilles mountains make up the last hills before a final straightaway toward the sea. The landscapes then give way to large expanses of farmland and lone farmhouses, with bull ranches and rice paddies on the horizon. The city of Arles appears out of nowhere (Saturday market), its coliseum and Roman theater only two of the many monuments the Romans left behind. Dinner in town and night in the heart of the Roman city.

Day 7 : Vast marshlands and the Mediterranean Sea.
Arles > Stes Maries
- About 50km cycling -
Beyond Arles, heading south, you enter the delta of the Rhône, not more than a few feet above sea level, a never-ending landscape of salt-cracked earth and untamed lagoons. The very few plant species that survive the salt-rich waters are bunched together in hardened tufts. This is the Camargue region, a birder’s paradise, where herons, egrets, pink flamingoes, and dozens of other species come to nest and fish in the shallow pools. The lands are devoid of homes and buildings, until suddenly Saintes-Maries de la Mer appears in the distance, its disproportionate church dwarfing the bunched, whitewashed homes that make up this small town on the sea. The town has a distinct Gypsy influence; it was here that their patron saint Sara drifted ashore 2000 years ago after fleeing Palestine, her remains set in the town’s church.... Dinner on your own (not included) and night in the heart of Saintes-Maries de la Mer.

Day 8 : Au revoir...
Stes Maries > Arles
After breakfast, private taxi transfer to Arles. End of trip.