Tour Overview
| Duration | 8 Days / 7 Nights |
|---|---|
| Country | France — Provence by Bicycle |
| Price From | $1,900 per person (twin share, Mega Sale, ~£1,600) |
| Tour Style | Active Food & Wine / Cycling |
| Data Source | TourRadar — 2026 (Explore!, highly rated) |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Avignon
Welcome to Provence! Arrive in Avignon, the City of Popes. Transfer to your hotel. Afternoon orientation walk through Avignon’s medieval center — the Palais des Papes (the world’s largest Gothic palace), the Pont d’Avignon (of the famous song), and the Place de l’Horloge. Welcome dinner at a courtyard restaurant featuring daube provencale (Provencal beef stew) and Cotes du Rhone wine. Bicycle fitting. Overnight in Avignon.
Day 2: Avignon to Saint-Remy-de-Provence (35km)
First day of cycling through the Provencal countryside. Ride through orchards and vineyards to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the most famous wine appellation of the southern Rhone. Visit a family domaine for a tasting of their Chateauneuf-du-Pape — rich, powerful reds made from up to 13 permitted grape varieties. Picnic lunch among the famous galets roules (round stones) that radiate heat to the vines. Continue to Saint-Remy-de-Provence. Overnight in Saint-Remy.
Day 3: Les Baux & Olive Country (30km)
Cycle to the Alpilles mountains with their white limestone peaks. Visit Les Baux-de-Provence — a spectacular ruined castle on a rocky outcrop, classified as one of France’s most beautiful villages. Olive oil tasting at Moulin Castelas — learn why AOP Vallee des Baux olive oil is among France’s most prized. Continue to the Carrieres de Lumieres — an immersive art show projected inside a former limestone quarry. Overnight in Saint-Remy.
Day 4: Van Gogh’s Provence to Gordes (40km)
Cycle the routes Van Gogh painted. Stop at the Monastery of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole where Van Gogh was a patient and painted “Starry Night” and “Irises.” Ride through lavender fields (in bloom mid-June to mid-August) to Gordes, one of France’s most beautiful hilltop villages. Visit the Senanque Abbey, a Cistercian monastery surrounded by lavender fields — the most iconic Provencal image. Overnight near Gordes.
Day 5: Luberon Hilltop Villages (35km)
Cycle the Luberon Valley’s most beautiful villages: Roussillon with its ochre cliffs in every shade of red and orange, Bonnieux with its cedar forest, Menerbes (Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence”), and Lacoste with the Marquis de Sade’s castle. Lunch at a village bistro: ratatouille, tapenade, and rose wine from the Luberon AOC. Afternoon truffle farm visit — learn about the “black diamond” of Provence. Overnight near Gordes.
Day 6: Fontaine-de-Vaucluse & L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (30km)
Cycle to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse — the source of the Sorgue River, a powerful spring emerging from a 230-meter cliff. Continue to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the “Venice of Provence” with its canals and waterwheels. Sunday antiques market (if applicable) — one of Europe’s largest. Lunch: truite aux amandes (almond trout) on a canalside terrace. Afternoon wine tasting at a Cotes du Luberon estate. Overnight near L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
Day 7: Cooking Class & Return to Avignon (25km)
Morning Provencal cooking class: learn to make soupe au pistou, aioli, tian de legumes, and tarte tropézienne. Lunch of your creations. Afternoon cycle back to Avignon along quiet country roads. Farewell dinner at an Avignon rooftop restaurant overlooking the Rhone River and the illuminated Palais des Papes. Overnight in Avignon.
Day 8: Depart Avignon
Morning visit to Les Halles d’Avignon — the covered market with 40 vendors selling the best of Provence: tapenade, calissons d’Aix, lavender honey, and herbes de Provence. Transfer to Avignon TGV station. Au revoir!
Inclusions
- 7 nights accommodation (3-4 star hotels, Provencal guesthouses)
- Daily breakfast, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
- Hybrid bicycle rental with pannier
- Luggage transfers between hotels
- 2 winery visits with tastings
- Olive oil tasting
- Provencal cooking class
- Route notes, maps, and GPS tracks
- Support vehicle for emergencies
Why Cycle Provence
- Chateauneuf-du-Pape — cycle through the world-famous vineyards and taste where the grapes grow
- Lavender fields in bloom — the world’s most photogenic landscape, best experienced at bicycle pace
- Luberon hilltop villages — Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, each more beautiful than the last
- Zero-carbon and zero-rush — cycling is the perfect speed for Provence
- Market-to-table cooking — source ingredients from Les Halles d’Avignon and cook authentic Provencal cuisine
