Provence Biking: A Blissful Journey… (trip)

Provence Biking: A Blissful Journey through the Alpilles & the Luberon

  • Avignon, France
  • Active & Adventure
France

from $2,998* per person6 DaysMay-July, September, October
Boutique accommodations Exertion level: 5
Operator: Backroads 26 people max
It's a slower pace of life here in southern France. Amid the Alpilles, where olive trees glisten silver in the breeze. Where limestone hills press wavelike against the ultra-blue sky. And sun-drenched villages tempt you to linger, relax over a pastis or a local rosé. In the Lubéron, it's a celebration of color, be it poppies and wildflowers in spring, lavender in summer or changing grape leaves in fall. Pedal quiet roads to medieval hilltop towns. Soak up views of vineyards, orchards and windswept countryside. And rejoice in the Provençal cornucopia: fresh goat cheese, honey, olives, tapenade, sun-dried tomatoes and heavenly pastries. Find bliss in Provence, with Backroads, on a bicycle.

  • Incredible biking through perched villages, vineyards and orchards
  • Visit a family-run olive oil mill for a tour and tasting 
  • Discover the vibrant artists' community of St-Rémy
  • Visit Saignon, one of France's ten olders towns
  • Soak up Provençal life in renowned Gordes and ochre-hued Roussillon

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France

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Itinerary

Day 1 Incredible biking through perched villages, vineyards, olive groves and orchards Warm up your cycling muscles and get to know the Alpilles, a world of windswept crags dotted with oak, pine and cypress trees  Explore Les Baux, perched high above a limestone landscape pockmarked with caves and said to be frequented by witches and goblins.

Day 2 Discover the postcard-pretty artist community of St-Rémy, filled with fountains, gardens, cheery cafés and tree-lined boulevards Join a historian on a visit to the asylum where Vincent van Gogh spent his last days Drop in at Moulin du Calanque, a delightful family-run olive oil mill for a tour and tasting.

Day 3 Visit Saignon, one of the oldest towns in France Before bidding adieu to the dramatic scenery of the Alpilles, cycle to Eygalières, a small terraced town guarded by an ancient castle  Spin through picturesque Lacoste and Ménerbes en route to the Domaine de la Citadelle winery, home of the Corkscrew Museum Discover Roussillon, surrounded by brilliant ocher hills.

Day 4 Marvel at the beauty of Gordes, a striking village perché clinging to the craggy southern face of the high Vaucluse Plateau Quiet roads lead through rolling fields of lavender and wheat into the foothills of Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence."

Days 5-6 Savor farm-fresh cuisine and noteworthy regional wines Rub shoulders with the locals in quintessential Provençal villages such as  Venasque, one of "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" (The Most Beautiful Villages of France)  Surrounded by venerable Côtes du Ventoux vineyards, relish a final spin through idyllic hamlets of the Vaucluse. 

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