Provence Getaway: The Secrets of Southern France (4 nights)
4 nights from €1206
4.33Explore the charming villages and scenic landscapes of Southern France
Discover the secrets of Provence on this picturesque cycling tour from Nimes to Uzes, crossing the famous Roman aqueduct of the Pont du Gard.
Continuing along the Gardon River from one Provencal village to the next, you'll be beautifully immersed in the enchanting atmosphere of southern France. Spend some time in St Remy de Provence to learn more about Vincent Van Gogh's life in Provence, and explore the exquisite ambience of Fontvieille, Collias, and Les Baux de Provence.
This cycling tour is accessible to everyone, so you can enjoy an enchanting vacation in the Gard even if you are not used to cycling regularly!
Daily Program
Day 1: Arrival in Nimes and transfer to Collias
Your guide will meet you either at Nimes’ train station or at your hotel if you are already in Nimes. Make sure you take the time to visit the city - highlights include Les Jardins de la Fontaine (gardens), the Maison Carree (Roman architecture), and the famous Arena, which give you wonderful insight into this Roman city's rich history.
Your guide will then drive you to your hotel in the village of Collias, a secret location along the beautiful Gardon River. You will have plenty of time to take a swim in the river or in the hotel pool!
Overnight in Collias.
Day 2: Loop ride to Pont du Gard & Uzes
21 miles/34km, elevation gain 330 meters or 32 miles/52km, elevation gain 330-469 meters
On your first day, the most beautiful places in northern Provence will reveal themselves. First, you will start with a visit to the impressive and majestic Pont du Gard. This ancient Roman aqueduct overlooks the Gardon River at a height of more than 165 feet!
Cycling on to the charming town of Uzes, you will enjoy lunch under the arcades of the famous spice markets where time seems to have stopped.
Overnight in Collias.
Day 3: Ride to Gardon River and St Rémy
29 miles/47 km, elevation gain 290 meters
Leaving Collias, you will cross the Gardon River and its fabulous canyon to discover a magnificent panorama.
You will then reach the banks of the Rhone River where the medieval castle of Beaucaire stands, a fortress that still bears witness to its distant and glorious past.
Cycling through the medieval town of Tarascon, you will finally arrive in the beautiful village of St Rémy de Provence.
Overnight in St Rémy de Provence.
Day 4: Loop ride to Les Baux de Provence
24 miles/39 km, elevation gain 383 meters
Through the fragrant olive groves, your route will take you to the charming village of Fontvieille where Alphonse Daudet lived and produced his finest writings, such as Lettres de Mon Moulin and Le Tresor d'Arlatan.
After a short break under the trees, you will reach one of the most beautiful villages in France - Les Baux de Provence. This picturesque village and its medieval fortress overlook the Alpilles (a small mountain chain referred to as the 'Little Alps') from the top of a rocky outcrop. The intoxicating charm of Provencal villages is there: small squares, shaded terraces, narrow streets and charming boutiques!
Overnight in St Rémy de Provence.
Day 5: Departure
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Avignon TGV or Avignon center train stations (transfer included).
Hotels
These are sample hotels and may vary by availability.
The accommodations on this tour are 3-star hotels.
Collias: Hotel Le Gardon
St Rémy de Provence: Le Mas des Carassins
Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.
Bikes
Standard touring bike
The SCOTT SUB SPORT 20 (or equivalent)
Features a sporty “trekking” geometry that is suitable for trips of all distances. Equipped with a Shimano 27-speed transmission and integrated front and rear lights, this bike is ready for any adventure.
Electric bike
SCOTT SUB TOUR ELECTRIC-RIDE 30 Unisex (or equivalent)
Enjoy all the fun of cycling in an electric version. The SCOTT Sub Tour eRide 30 assists you on all your rides, whether in town or in the countryside, thanks to its 500 Wh Bosch battery.
Available sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, L
*More about electrically-assisted bikes >
Road bike
SCOTT ROAD BIKE ADDICT 30 Disc (Standard) (or equivalent)
Featuring a new geometry focused on endurance, the SCOTT Addict 30 Disc is designed to be your preferred choice for long-distance rides.
Available sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
Accessories
Equipment included with bike rentals:
- Helmet
- Odometer
- Water bottle
- Lock
- Pannier and handlebar bag
- Repair kit (2 spare tube, tool kit, tire levers, patch kit, pump)
Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals (toe straps on request for hybrid and electric bikes; cages on request for road bikes). If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.
Helmet:
A helmet is included with your bike rental; however, we recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene reasons.
Bike Protection:
Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE.
Surface and terrain
Cycling in Provence is primarily on quiet country lanes and small secondary roads rather than continuous bike paths. While some dedicated cycle paths exist, they are not yet continuous across the region. Traffic is generally light, routes avoid busy roads whenever possible, and Provence is a very bike-friendly region with drivers accustomed to cyclists.
The terrain varies between flat and gently rolling countryside, with occasional short climbs but no sustained or steep gradients. This tour is well suited for casual or recreational cyclists and rewards riders with beautiful scenery through vineyards, olive groves, and charming villages.
How to get there
Tour start
Nearest airport: Paris
Nearest train station: Nimes
Tour end
Nearest airport: Paris
Nearest train station: Avignon
Nimes is accessible via train from Paris Gare de Lyon (3hrs ) or Paris CDG airport (3.5 hours). Avignon offers the same return travel time to Paris.
Reviews
- ★★★★★ Sara guinea
Excelente
It was a very nice try, we enjoy it very much, it’s a great company, starting with the atención online, follow with the pick up, the hotel, and the nice selección of the ride, the bikes are very good. I will recomendé 1000% and will go back some day
- ★★★★★ klrea
Touring Provence
This is an amazing and beautiful part of the country to visit, and our bike tour organizers set up a really great agenda. However, we don't feel that bicycling was the best way to see the area, and next time we will rent a car instead.
We opted for the self-guided tour because we wanted to be in control of when and where we stopped. The tour organizers were super helpful and friendly and did everything possible to set us up and get us on our way. However, the bikes were extraordinarily heavy, much heavier than what we are used to riding at home, and, for the amount and type of riding that was on our schedule, made the touring harder than we expected it to be. Also, this was my husband's first bike tour, and the first self-guided tour for me. I found that having to watch the GPS and navigate detracted from being able to enjoy the countryside as we rode through. Finally, while, the little towns along the way were lovely and a delight to see, we were not accustomed to the provincial French practice of closing up shop in the afternoon until opening back up for dinner at 6pm, and so were often without food for the day. It was hard to time the riding to arrive in time for lunch when we didn't know how the riding would take.
One more unexpected event was the arrival of the Mistral winds on the last day of our ride, which came blustering in at 30 mph. So, while the weather was nice otherwise, the strong and cold wind made riding heavy bikes uphill something we took a pass on. Fortunately, we were able to find transportation by car into the area that we wished to visit.
For these reasons, although I think this is a great company, I think there are some places that are best visited by car, even though I am an avid and strong cyclist at home.- What was the date of your tour?
- 4 October 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- ★★★★★ lifejazz
Amazing Sights in Provence
We enjoyed our bike tour through Provence. Our first time to use e-bikes, which given the winds and the hills, seemed like the thing to do. Really enjoyed the e-bikes for their ease of use and making the windy or hilly sections enjoyable. The orientation was very thorough and the combination of the gps and the paper charts made navigation very easy. The two hotels were, not to understate it, wonderful. Excellent accommodations, lovely people, great food. We even got attached to a French Bulldog, Cinquante, belonging the owners of the hotel in Collias. Quite the character! On the whole the ride was through vineyards and side roads. The only unpleasant bit was from Collias to Tarascon. We spend too much time on heavily trafficked shoulder-less roads with trucks and cars whizzing by at 50 miles an hour a couple of feet from us. We've been riding for several decades and as a practice, I would never ride on that kind of road. So that bit needs some adjustment (which is why this is a four star instead of a five star review). But other than that, the rest of the ride was a delight.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/16-20
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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