Provence  Bike Tour Reviews (page 3)

  • Provence by Bike and Boat
    (5/5) Jennifer Sutton May 3, 2023

    Beyond expectations!

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    This slow way of travelling is perfect for savouring Provence on all levels…
    Captain Willy and crew were extremely friendly, attentive and helpful. Our bike tour guide Michela was very safety conscious as well as informative and inclusive, all done with her Italian humour! The schedule was packed but never rushed. It helped that our group was cohesive and respectful of each other…and punctual! The food was excellent and our bow berth beyond expectations.
    I have already recommended this tour to others!

    What was the date of your tour?
    April 22 from Avignon
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Jill Kaufman September 6, 2023

    Amazing experience!

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    The small barge experience turned our group of strangers into good friends; the food was excellent; the routes and countryside beautiful; the tour guide was knowledgeable, skilled, and fun! This tour exceeded our expectations.

    What was the date of your tour?
    Late August 23
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Joanna Havener September 14, 2023

    Loved every minute!

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    Our tour leader was fun, knowledgeable and very safety conscious. The route was almost all flat, only one big climb on Wednesday. The ship's crew was helpful and saw to it that my husband had potato chips in his lunch. They accommodated my wish for vegetarian meals. The small towns were charming and I loved learning about their history. Highly recommend this trip. (My husband and I are in our 70s and the ebikes were a great help to us.)

    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 12th century church (photo by Joanna Havener)
    • 12th century church (photo by Joanna Havener)
  • (5/5) ALEX BERESNIEWICZ October 8, 2024

    Great trip

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    Beautiful countryside with little climbing made for a totally enjoyable trip. Our guide, Alex, was absolutely amazing, our care on board the boat was flawless, and the meals at dinner were all excellent. Five stars!!

    Countries included in this tour?
    France
  • (5/5) Jennifer Sutton 6 months ago

    Beyond expectations!

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    This slow way of travelling is perfect for savouring Provence on all levels…
    Captain Willy and crew were extremely friendly, attentive and helpful. Our bike tour guide Michela was very safety conscious as well as informative and inclusive, all done with her Italian humour! The schedule was packed but never rushed. It helped that our group was cohesive and respectful of each other…and punctual! The food was excellent and our bow berth beyond expectations.
    I have already recommended this tour to others!

    What was the date of your tour?
    April 22 from Avignon
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Jennifer Sutton 6 months ago

    Beyond expectations!

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    This slow way of travelling is perfect for savouring Provence on all levels…
    Captain Willy and crew were extremely friendly, attentive and helpful. Our bike tour guide Michela was very safety conscious as well as informative and inclusive, all done with her Italian humour! The schedule was packed but never rushed. It helped that our group was cohesive and respectful of each other…and punctual! The food was excellent and our bow berth beyond expectations.
    I have already recommended this tour to others!

    What was the date of your tour?
    April 22 from Avignon
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Roger and Pam Riedel 4 months ago

    We all enjoyed everything about our trip!!!

    · · Provence by Bike and Boat

    We absolutely enjoyed our stay on the Caprice. Georgio was our guide and I don't think we could have enjoyed anyone better. He is very knowledgeable and witty! We would love to ride another tour with him in the future. We were a group of 5 and we all had the best experience. The Caprice staff treated us very well. The ship was always clean and comfy. The post ride snacks were perfect after riding in 97-degree weather every day. All the food was more than we expected, and we were thrilled with the vegetarian options for those of us that are veggie preferred people!
    Still going thru all the photos and reliving the trip. We made great memories and hope to meet up with Georgio again in the near future. Thank you all for this very memorable trip.

    Countries included in this tour?
    France
  • Provence Getaway
    (5/5) Sara guinea 7 months ago

    Excelente

    · Provence Getaway: The Secrets of Southern France (4 nights)

    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

    Countries included in this tour?
    France
  • Discover the stunning region of Provence by bike!
    (5/5) Edouard Cornudet June 21, 2023

    Amazing

    · Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon

    France is perfect for cycling. And we follow all the instruction in the paper and arrive well everywhere. There were like 3 or 4 instructions in the whole book that weren't good but in general it was very well indicated. Organization was great and philip was also perfect as loos 3 tired in two days, every morning before the start he came with new tires to replace the old ones. Thanks!

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 2023
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    •  (photo by Edouard Cornudet)
    •  (photo by Edouard Cornudet)
    •  (photo by Edouard Cornudet)
    •  (photo by Edouard Cornudet)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) David Brown May 15, 2024

    Magical Mystery Tour

    · Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon

    Cycling around Provence is a wonderful experience. The countryside is exquisite and the towns magical.
    Our tour was perfectly organised. Our bikes were quality and were delivered to our hotel on time with a thorough explanation on how to use the ebike. Our tour organiser met us to make sure we had everything we needed for our self guided cycling three days. She was very thorough and lovely.
    We had great weather which always helps. The maps they provided are amazing. You pretty much avoid all main roads and cycle on picturesque little pathways and side roads. We felt very safe. Was a magical experience.

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    1 now
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) David Frac June 9, 2024

    Wonderful bike trip!

    · Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon

    We very much enjoyed the bike trip in Provence. The e-bikes provided were fantastic. The routes selected were so nice! Maybe 10% of the trip was on traffic roads, the rest was on bike paths, quiet country roads or even gravel roads through farmlands. We really appreciated the hand-off of the equipment, everything about the bikes was very well explained. We also appreciated the pre-tour meeting, where we went over every detail of the trip and received recommendations. We really appreciated receiving the GPX files ahead of the trip, so we could download them and follow the GPS guidance. The towns we visited were so very nice, we appreciated the care given to the construction of the route. The accommodations at the various hotels were excellent. The one thing I will mention about this trip is the Mistral Winds, which I had never heard of before. We were lucky, we only had one day of moderate winds, but I understand they can be strong at times. On the first day of our bike trip, from Avignon to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, we actually found two bike paths that were not on your printed directions or gpx files. The first was apparently some brand new four lane bike path that a local told us about. This is soon after you cross the Rhone river from Avignon. The second was near Châteauneuf-du-Pape, we happened to see some cyclists on this path, and took that instead of riding on the road.
    I wish I could be more specific about where these two trails were, but the details have slipped my mind. If you can somehow update your routes/directions for these bike paths, I think it would help future bikers.

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was our third bike tour.
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) B. Powell July 5, 2024

    Quintessential Provence!

    · Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon

    A great sampling of quintessential Provence villages and sights... hilltop villages, wild poppies, fields of lavender. We thoroughly enjoyed all the scenery and activities along the way.

    The first day of riding between Avignon and CdP was congested with car traffic (as to be expected close to a bigger city/area), but the other days were primarily smaller roadways and paths and very enjoyable and scenic. We did the add-on day to Arles and were really glad that we included that city in our tour. It felt complete to conclude the trip in Arles. A few of the gps routes lead us into the city center at end of day (instead of directly to hotel), but it was easy to navigate to hotels, and the gps tracks were otherwise very helpful to follow.

    We opted for the self-guided tour but felt very supported by the local tour operator who was very responsive to any inquiries we had via WhatsApp.

    We have many good memories of this trip!

    What was the date of your tour?
    June 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    •  (photo by B. Powell)
    •  (photo by B. Powell)
    •  (photo by B. Powell)
    •  (photo by B. Powell)
    •  (photo by B. Powell)
    •  (photo by B. Powell)
    • 4/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 4/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) M. Jane Hughes October 6, 2024

    Amazing countryside

    · Cycling Paradise of Provence - to and from Avignon

    We love the self guided. We come and go as we like. Stop and experience what we want. Loved the lavender fields but loved the tarragon ones as well. Friendly and helpful people. The rides were set to go by many amazing sites. Loved it.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2024
    How many tours have you completed?
    Two
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat easier
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 3/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park
    (5/5) freemand2b June 13, 2017

    Provence Bike trip

    · Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park

    We arrived a day early and the tour operator provided us bikes to use that day which we spent riding through and around Avignon. France is a very bike friendly place. We were the first of the season and the tour operator came in person to orient us. We were self guided group of four. Two of us speak French but one could easily do this with English only. We have been to Europe many times (first time on a bike ride) and in the past some 3 star hotels could be marginal but I have to say the quality of the hotels exceeded my expectations. Hotel operators were very nice and welcoming. We were given a recommendation for dinners. Some we used others not depending on how we felt that evening. The landscape and tour route was excellent and we were able to visit many different sites and points of interest. We took a few wrong turns but in general the provided maps and instructions were good. Google maps was a good compliment. The luggage was there waiting at each of the next hotels with no issues. The only thing I wish is that we had extra days at each of the stays to explore the towns more. Had a great time.

    What was the date of your tour?
    May 2017
    How many tours have you completed?
    1
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 4/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) griffin vulture October 16, 2019
    · Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park

    How many tours have you completed?
    7
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 3/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 2/5 Ease of navigation
    • 2/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) BadgerBiker October 6, 2019

    Provence self-guided

    · Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park

    Excellent tour through spectacular scenery & history. Good hybrid bikes & hotels. Only complaint is self-guided directions are a little sketchy. GPS routing definitely a big help, but had a couple glitches too (e.g. bridge out on one back-road trail!). Highly recommend this tour, would be perfect if GPS routing was spot on.

    What was the date of your tour?
    September 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    3
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 3/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 4/5 Local tour company services
    • 4/5 Route selection
  • (5/5) Auskang September 19, 2019

    Great Food, Wine, and Views

    · Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park

    We had a great time touring around the Avignon area and rode through very different terrains from average city streets to farm back roads, through historic cobble stone streets and narrow highways. Mike and Bernard were expert at guiding our tour group through difficult paths and to get to beautiful views and interesting attractions such as the Roman ruins at Glanum and the projection art show in a quarry.
    The hotel styles varied in space and quality but they were comfortable, and they all had nice European breakfast options. The cantaloupe served in Cavaillon was the sweetest I tasted.
    The wine tasting and winery tours were welcome stops on the rides. Eric at Cave Jamet was very friendly and colorful and treated us to a great spread at the wine tasting.
    Evenings were spent relaxing at the pool at the hotels on the route and having beautifully created dishes at dinner. The best part of the trip making friends with other riders from around the US and UK. Their company made the trip fun and enjoyable.

    What was the date of your tour?
    8/31/2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    0
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • Ruins at Glanum (photo by Auskang)
    • Ruins at Glanum (photo by Auskang)
    • Carrieres de Lumieres (photo by Auskang)
    • Gordes (photo by Auskang)
    • Gigondas wine tasting (photo by Auskang)
    • Palais de Papes (photo by Auskang)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 4/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Erin ELE September 18, 2019

    Wonderful Trip, Picturesque days and Beautiful Evenings with Great Company

    · Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park

    This was a wonderful way to see and experience Provence. The countryside is beautiful and a bike tour allows you to actually be a part of it. Mike, our guide and Bernie (his helper!) were fantastic and really made the trip special. Their personalities were very low key and low stress, yet they were unbelievably accommodating. The company focuses on ensuring your meal experience is amazing and that definitely did not disappoint. Each meal was just lovely from a service and a quality perspective.

    We had a large group of 22 which made the management a little challenging, but they responded very well. Ideally, a group of 15 would be perfect, but the people on the trip were wonderful as well. This is a trip for someone that is decently fit. Some of the hills were challenging - but they were doable if you took your time. If you aren't cyclist I would recommend the ebikes for sure.

    Our stops were fantastic and allowed for time to relax and enjoy the scenery. As a shopper we had a great day shopping in a small town which made it even more of a plus.

    The hotels we stayed in were very quaint. I don't use that term as a way of saying old and tired. They aren't large 5 star hotels, but we didn't want that winding our way through Provence. They were beautiful and clean and perfect hotels that had everything one would need. And they were what was in my mind's eye of a hotel in Provence.

    I would highly recommend the trip, but I would be prepared for the rides and a few hills. The wine became that much sweeter that evening! As did Bernie and Mike! Thank you for a perfect trip!

    What was the date of your tour?
    August 31, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    This was the first
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • Photo 1 (photo by Erin ELE)
    • Photo 2 (photo by Erin ELE)
    • Photo 3 (photo by Erin ELE)
    • Photo 4 (photo by Erin ELE)
    • Photo 5 (photo by Erin ELE)
    • Photo 6 (photo by Erin ELE)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) tsn3808 September 10, 2019

    Provence Bike Tour with the Chain Gang

    · Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park

    We just completed the Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park guided bike tour. This tour provided outstanding scenery and an opportunity to visit several wineries and do some wine tasting. The food was outstanding and the selected hotels met our expectations. The hotel hosts were very friendly. We had 2 guides due to the large number of cyclists. The Chain Gang guides were very friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable with the route areas. There was great camaraderie among the cyclists and the guides. We enjoyed this tour tremendously and recommend this tour for other cyclists.

    What was the date of your tour?
    8-31 thru 9-6, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    4
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    As expected
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • Photo 1 (photo by tsn3808)
    • Typical evening meals (photo by tsn3808)
    • Reached the top of the final hill (photo by tsn3808)
    • Photo 4 (photo by tsn3808)
    • Avignon (photo by tsn3808)
    • Photo 6 (photo by tsn3808)
    • 5/5 Value
    • 5/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 5/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
  • (5/5) Christine August 18, 2019

    Provence bike tour

    · Provence’s History, Landscapes, and Luberon National Park

    This bike tour is a great way to see southern France. It was very hot when we did this trip and some of the climbs in the mountains were challenging. It was also rewarding to make the climb since the downhill after was amazing! Some training is suggested especially if you go during the hottest part of the summer. Enjoyed the scenic old villages of the Alpilles and in Luberon. Benefits of the guided tour is the great camaraderie among travelers around the world and eliminating the planning and decision making.

    What was the date of your tour?
    August 3-10, 2019
    How many tours have you completed?
    2
    Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
    Somewhat harder
    Who is this tour suitable for?
    Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
    Do you recommend this tour?
    Yes
    Countries included in this tour?
    France
    • 4/5 Value
    • 4/5 Included meals
    • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
    • 5/5 Hotels or boat
    • 5/5 Scenery
    • 5/5 Ease of navigation
    • 4/5 Tour documents
    • 5/5 Local tour company services
    • 5/5 Route selection
    • 4/5 Guides (if applicable)