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Particulars

Trip Dates:

2012
May 12-18

Jul 6-12

Sep 2-8

2013
May 11-17

Jul 5-11

Sep 1-7

Self-guided and custom trips also available and can start any day.Call or email for details.

 

Trip Size:

8-16 participants

Total Days:

7 days/ 6 nights

with 5 days cycling (arrival night hotel is included)

Arrive/Depart:

Vaison/Avignon

Accommodations:

Luxury

Le Beffroi , Vaison-le-Romaine

Hotel Crillon le Brave, Crillon le Brave

Bastide de Gordes , Gordes

Activity Level:

Moderate
20-40+ miles daily
van supported

Terrain:

3 days gently rolling, 3 days are moderately rolling

Cost:

Land Cost (current year):
US $3250
Includes 6B/2L/5D

Single Supplement:
US $400

Bike Rental:
US $140

Provence Luxe, Biking

Vaison-La- Romaine, Crillon le Brave and Gordes

With its quiet roads amidst fields of lavender, fine wines to taste, and wonderful food to eat, the Provence region of France is heaven on earth for the itinerant cyclist. Beginning in the village of Vaison le Romaine, we will cycle routes that will include the region’s market towns, wine-making villages and medieval cities. We’ll taste wine in centuries old caves, see Roman antiquities, visit hill-top castles steeped in history and stroll markets at L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and others. We’ve been coming here for 20 years and can say there are few places as welcoming to those on a bicycle as this enchanting area of France.

Only Great Explorations:

• Small groups, extraordinary guides, and authentic experiences.
• A ride you will never forget: cycling the wine route through Seguret, Gigondas and Vacqueras
• Order off the menu at restaurants you won't find in guidebooks.
• Distinctive, charming hotels too small for larger groups.
• We design and operate our own trips so there are only good surprises.

Robbin McKinney, founder of Great Explorations recently returned from living 6 months in Provence with family and will be guiding the September 19 departure.

Itinerary

Getting there :
Our trip starts in Vaison le Romaine which can be reached through Avignon, by coach from the TGV station (3€), or by taxi.

DAYS 1+2:
Vaison le Romaine - Our meeting time is at 4 pm. We will visit the Roman ruins and then enjoy a welcome wine reception at the hotel before dinner at Bistro d' O, a favourite restaurant of food impressario Patricia Wells, who has a home in Vaison. Next day, we will set off on bikes on a delightful ride to Entrechaux, nestled around a hilltop castle in ruins, and Mollans-sur-Ouvèze, which clusters around a high-arched bridge marked on each side by a tower and a tiny chapel. Back in Vaison we will dine at Brin D’Olive, where the chef has won many awards for his imaginative cooking.

DAY 3+4:
Crillon le Brave - After a morning visit to the market in Vaison (one of the largest and oldest in France) wind your way among the wine villages of the Dentelles de Montmirail, stopping to explore Sablet, Gigondas, and Vacqueyras, finishing at Hotel Crillon le Brave, a luxurious Relais & Chateaux property. Next day, there are options to reach Chateauneuf-de-Pape where a wine museum and endless tasting opportunities await, or alternatively, a loop to Bedoin and up Mt. Ventoux (shuttle option) and back via an extraordinary descent of the Gorge du Nesque.

 

DAY 5+6:

Gordes - On to the beautiful Luberon Valley. Pedal past Petrarch’s Fontaine de Vaucluse, then through Ménerbes, the village of Peter Mayle. Your destination is Gordes, a stunning perched town with artists’ studios, cozy cafés and arcaded medieval lanes. Next day, enjoy a day ride from Gordes; discover the red shades of Roussillon and find the ruins of the castle of the Marquis de Sade at Lacoste. Pedal to the nearby Bories Village and Sénanque Abbey, set in a beautiful secluded valley.

DAY 7: Transfer to Avignon for trains onward.