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A bicycle stands in the middle of lavender fields, in the background an old stone farmhouse

Provence and Camargue

Sur le pont d'Avignon

8 Days / 7 Nights
Medium
A bicycle stands in the middle of lavender fields, in the background an old stone farmhouse

The cycling holiday in Provence and Camargue is a holiday for all the senses! Your eyes will hardly be able to get enough of the landscapes that pass you while cycling. The nose sniffs lavender and sea and freshly baked bread and fruit on the markets. Take your shoes off during a break and feel the grass and warm stones under your feet. Of course, eating in France is not neglected! What do you say about bouillabaisse, ratatouille or crispy fried fish?

Nothing is more suitable than a cycling holiday to immerse yourself in the landscapes of the most beautiful regions in Europe. This definitely includes southern France with Provence and Camargue. For eight days you will go on a discovery tour to the most beautiful places and collect memories to take home. You will see: at the end of the eight days, you will definitely have fallen in love with the southern serenity.

  • Picture book Provence: Strong violet of the lavender fields, bright red of the tomatoes in the markets, deep blue sky – Provence is a real explosion of colours.
  • Impressive Camargue: The protected marshland in the Rhônedelta is known for pink flamingos and white horses. A spectacular contrast to Provence!
  • From antiquity to the Middle Ages to the present day: Culture in the South of France reflects the eventful history of the region. Be it a visit to the Papal Palace in Avignon, the Carré d’art by Norman Foster in Nîmes or the famous aqueduct Pont-du-Gard.

The old Roman city of Orange is both the start and end of your cycling holiday. On your way through picturesque villages and the unique landscape you cycle between 45 and 55 kilometres every day. You will cover a total of 305 kilometres by bike. The moderately difficult tour runs on mainly small, low-traffic side streets and only a few small climbs need to be tackled.

Tip: In the ‘cycling with charm’ variant of this tour you stay in accommodation with a certain something, lovingly selected and in a prime location.

Itinerary at a glance

Delightful treats await you in Provence, whether it's warm baguettes or fresh fruit. In the Camargue, with its flamingos and wild horses, you'll encounter spectacular nature. You'll also make stops at the Pont-du-Gard and the Papal Palace in Avignon.

Enjoy the city with the wonderful architectural monuments from Roman times. The great theatre and the triumph arch are historical witnesses from this epoch. The old town attracts with Provençal charm as well as small pretty shops and cafés.

The first stage takes you into the world-famous wine town Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A stroll through the town should not be missed/ You travel to the city of Avignon along the Rhône on cycle paths and without the bother of car traffic. We recommend a stroll through the old town (guided options include a guided tour of the city) with a visit to the pope palace.

Without any difficulty and once again with hardly any traffic you leave the town and cycle directly to St. Rémy, probably the most beautiful and certainly the most typical town in the Provence. Nothing surpasses the hustle and bustle, the blaze of colour and the richness of herb scents under the shadow-offering plane trees in the ancient alleys of the old town/ The effort of the ascent to the Alpilles is rewarded with great views of the Les Baux/ Because of the harmonic location of the village and because of the fortress ruins, Les Baux is also known as the “city in rock”. Chosen small paths and tiny streets take you to Arles. Roman culture and Romanesque heritage characterise the cityscape and the history of Arles. Arles was the second-biggest city of the Roman Empire; it is also the city of Vincent van Gogh.

Half sea, half land – the Camargue is a unique natural landscape with brackish water lakes, vast salt steppes, wild horses and the famous pink flamingos. Small paths take you into the unique nature reserve. In Mejanes with the Arena you have the opportunity of travelling with a small train through unspoilt nature and to admire, with some luck, flamingos and wild bulls. The route takes you on almost traffic-free paths back to Arles (guided options include a guided tour of the city).

In the morning you will cycle through the cities Tarascon and Beaucaire which are disconnected because of the river Rhone. Sights of these cities are their castles from the 12th century. Many cafés at the canal are inviting you to make a break. In Nimes you can have a look at the buildings which are built by the Romans. On the one hand the arena, the Maison Carrée or the Tour Magne, but on the other hand also a lot of modern buildings, for example the Carré d´art from Norman Foster.

The fortress of Tarascon, located high above the Rhône, accompanies you for a while through the vineyards of Costières-de-Nimes. About noon you will already see Pont-du-Gard, the famous aqueduct from Roman times, world heritage as well. Aromatic plants such as lavender, thyme and rosemary accompany you into the pretty Provençal town of Uzès, which attracts with its magical, medieval charm. Among other places of interest, the unique market square, surrounded by arcades, is worthwhile.

Today the landscape changes once again/ The last stage takes you through the hilly landscape of the Garrigue, with its oaks and Mediterranean herbs. Later on, the vineyards and the lovely orchards of the Provence take over once again/ On the other side of the river you cycle through other famous wine regions of the Côte du Rhône (Lirac, Laudan) and reach the city of Orange again in the afternoon.

Day
08
Departure or extension

Route Information

Medium

Apart from a few small ascents in the hilly landscapes of the Garrigue and the Alpilles, the route is easy and varied, suitable even for inexperienced cyclists. You mostly bike on small streets with less traffic and on asphalted paths.

Prices & Dates

Category A: mostly 3***-hotels (French classification)

Prices per person in EUR

Services & Information

Further details about this tour

Included

  • Accommodation as already mentioned
  • Breakfast
  • Welcome briefing (German, English)
  • Luggage transfer
  • Carefully elaborated route description
  • Detailed travel documents 1x per room (German, English)
  • App for navigation and GPS-data
  • Service-hotline

Optional extras

  • Bike rental, including rental bike insurance

Arrival / Parking / Departure

  • Orange central train station
  • Marseille or Lyon airport
  • Garage near the hotel, costs approx. EUR 10 per day, parking at the hotel partly subject to a fee, no reservation possible

Things to note

  • Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price!
  • Further important information according to the package travel law can be found here!
  • This tour is a partner tour.

 

Join us in achieving greater sustainability by choosing our digital route book, rather than the printed version. As a small thank you we will give you a discount of EUR 20 per room.

Antonia Kreiseder

"I look forward to making your vacation dreams come true."

Antonia Kreiseder
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