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Particulars

Trip Dates:

2012
May 7-13

Jul 1-7*

Sep 3-9

2013
May 6-12

Jun 30 - Jul 6*

Sep 2-8

* family departures

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:

2 nights casual; 4 nights classic

Le Burrhus, Vaison-le-Romaine

L' Hermitage, Pernes-les-Fontaines

Hôtel Les Romarins, Gordes

Activity Level:

Moderate
20-40+ miles daily
van supported

Terrain:

2 days gently rolling, 3 days are moderately rolling

Cost:

Land Cost (current year):
US $2250
Includes 6B/2L/5D

Single Supplement:
US $400

Bike Rental:
US $140

Provence, Biking

Vaison-La- Romaine, Pernes-les-Fontaines 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.

 

Itinerary

Getting there :
Our trip starts in Vaison 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 favorite 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 which nestles around a hilltop castle in ruins and Mollans-sur-Ouvèze 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:
Pernes les Fontaines - 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. Séguret is an artists’ colony with charming shops and galleries. Spend the night outside Pernes-les-Fontaines at a charming chateau with extensive grounds and large pool. Dinner will be at Chez Serge, the best restaurant in nearby Carpentras. 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 an up Mt. Ventoux (shuttle option) and back via an extraordinary descent of the Gorge du Nesque. Explore Pernes-les-Fontaines, with its twisting streets, houses painted in a rainbow of blues, pinks, and greens, and fountains gently splashing in squares lined by plane trees.

 

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.