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Route Rating Level 2 to Level 5

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Casual Inns
  • $3,398 pp dbl. occ.
  • (+$670 for sgl. occ.)

Reserve early for the best available price. More Info

6 DAYS, 5 NIGHTS
ROLLOVER DATES BELOW FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
2009 DATES
CLASSIC TRIPS
SINGLES+SOLOS TRIPS
ROLLOVER DATES ABOVE FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
TRIP NOTES

All meals included except 2 lunches and 1 dinner.

Cancellation Policy

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Meet / Depart

Avignon, France

Special Interest

Culture & History, Fine Wine & Cuisine, Romance &/or Honeymoon

My Backroads

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Contact Us

Call: 800-462-2848
or 510-527-1555
Fax: 510-527-1444
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801 Cedar St.
Berkeley, CA 94710

Business Hours:
7 days a week
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time

Or contact your travel agent

Early Booking Savings
$500 per Couple
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select departures.

Provence Biking Tour

Provence Biking

A Blissful Journey through the Luberon & the Alpilles

Savor the slow pace of life in southern France on a journey for the senses through Provence. Bike amid the Lubéron, where the air is rich with fragrant flowers and trees. In the Alpilles, pedal past olive trees glistening silver in the sun. Celebrations of color vie for your attention, be it poppies and wildflowers in spring, lavender in summer or changing vineyard leaves in fall. Ride quiet roads to medieval hilltop villages, taking in views of vineyards, orchards and pastures. Visit the historic towns of Gordes and St-Rémy, and stop at the market in picture-perfect Bédoin to sample delicacies such as fresh goat cheese, olives and pastries. Find your bliss in Provence on a bicycle with Backroads.

You are viewing the Classic Casual Inns version of this trip.
View the Classic Premiere Inns Itineraries.

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Days 1-2 Sault

After meeting, we shuttle through the Lubéron to the beautiful village of Sault
Set off on quiet roads amid rolling fields of lavender and wheat to explore the foothills of Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence"   Explore the narrow streets of Montbrun-les-Bains, a stunning hilltop town, and perhaps soak in its thermal springs   Pedal through charming old stone villages, including Bédoin, where you'll discover a colorful and lively open-air market in full swing Dive into the marché to sample delectable fare, rub elbows with locals and purchase souvenirs Spin up the spectacular Nesque Gorge on an impressive winding road Stroll through Sault enjoying sweeping vistas of the valley and the Vaucluse Plateau.  

Days 3-4 saignon

Ride past tranquil farms and vibrant bucolic landscapes into the Lubéron Valley, where each stone village serves as an oasis of civilization perched atop the craggy landscape Discover Roussillon, surrounded by stunning ocher-shaded scenery Set your eyes on a 2,000-year-old Roman bridge If you're feeling strong, pedal all the way to Saignon, where we take in stellar dale views  Cycle through the quaint towns of Lacoste and Ménerbes to the picture-perfect village perché of Gordes  En route enjoy a gourmet picnic and a tour at the Domaine de la Citadelle winery, home to the Corkscrew Museum.

Days 5-6 Les Baux

Pedal to lovely Bonnieux set beneath Lubéron peaks Bike through rugged limestone hills blanketed with wild herbes de Provence Pass the 12th-century chapel of St-Sixte, built on the site of an old pagan temple Stop in Eygalières, a small terraced town guarded by an ancient castle, to enjoy one of its many restaurants Continue to medieval Les Baux, set on a rocky plateau, woven with narrow lanes and crowned with the ruins of a 13th-century castle Ride through the Alpilles, a vision of sun-bleached limestone crags, verdant scrub brush and olive groves  Head to the artists' community of St-Rémy and join our van Gough historian on a visit to the asylum where Vincent van Gogh spent his last days.

Route Rating What's this? Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Each offers options for more or less activity, so you can decide exactly how much you want to do day by day.

Lodging What's this? Our lodgings are divided into three different categories.

Premiere Inns:These lodgings possess both elegance and authentic regional flair.

Casual Inns:These lodgings are comfortable and appropriate to the areawith such characteristics as authenticity, scenic settings and proximity to our activities.

Deluxe Camping:We set up the tents (and take them down), handle every camp chore and perform culinary magic.

Detailed Itinerary

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Guest Trip Reviews

This was the best trip I have ever taken in my life. It was exceedingly well organized. Dare I say perfect? This is the first time that I continually miss a place where I just took a vacation. I miss the multisensory experience of biking through the back roads of Provence - the lavender fields, sunflower fields, bread and cheese (nothing like these to be found anywhere in the US), winding through perched medieval villages, the satisfaction of completing a long ride and getting to eat whatever I want. I really appreciated the well-written directions that enabled me to safely bicycle alone when I wanted to. I appreciated the thoughtful inclusion of features of Provence that in 6 days made me feel like I got a taste of everything that it had to offer. I tend to live in my head a lot in real life. The biking experience kept me in the here and now, which leaves me with a flood of what feels like several weeks worth of memories. Our trip leaders were quite literally omniscient and omnipresent. I put a photo of the experience on my laptop desktop as well as on my desk to bring back the feelings of amazement, expansiveness, connectedness with the earth that I experienced while biking with Backroads in Provence.
Ping Ho – Santa Monica, CA

More Reviews of this Trip

All Guest Reviews

For 30 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the Provence tour experts. For biking tours in Europe France, trust our in-depth connections. To see all our Europe France biking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe France walking and hiking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe France multisport tours click here.

Provence Biking

PROVENCAL PLEASURES: Casual Inns

Hostellerie du Val de Sault

Sault (2 nights): This charming hotel is beautifully set in the hills of Provence, and features a swimming pool, tennis court and lovely views of lavender country.

Auberge du Presbytere

Saignon (2 nights): Located in one of the ten oldest villages in France, this inn offers individually decorated rooms and a restaurant specializing in regional cuisine made from the freshest local ingredients.

Auberge de la Benvengudo

Les Baux (1 night): Nestled in a tranquil garden, this hotel offers a swimming pool, tennis court and comfortable guest rooms furnished with antiques.

Provence Biking Provence Biking

Auberge de la Benvengudo

You are viewing the Classic Casual Inns version of this trip.
View the Classic Premiere Inns Itineraries.

Provence Biking

Route Rating

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
  • Levels 1 to 2  2 Route Options Available
  • 20, 30 miles
  • 1000 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 2
  • Levels 1 to 4  2 Route Options Available
  • 19, 45 miles
  • 500 - 3000 feet elevation gain
Day 3
  • Levels 1 to 3 3 Route Options Available
  • 17, 28, 39 miles
  • 500 - 2500 feet elevation gain
Day 4
  • Levels 3 to 4 3 Route Options Available
  • 34, 41, 52 miles
  • 1000 - 3500 feet elevation gain
Day 5
  • Levels 2 to 4 3 Route Options Available
  • 23, 38, 54 miles
  • 500 - 1500 feet elevation gain
Day 6
  • Level 1 1 Route Option Available
  • 12 miles
  • 900 feet elevation gain
Provence Biking Provence Biking

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Average Distance
    Biking Walking
& Hiking
1 2-3
hours		 10-20
miles		 2-5
miles
2 2-4
hours		 21-30
miles		 5-7
miles
3 3-5
hours		 31-40
miles		 7-9
miles
4 4-6
hours		 41-55
miles		 9-11
miles
5 5-7+
hours		 56-75+
miles		 11-13+
miles