Day One – Arrival in Orange
Arrive with time to spend in the pleasant shops and lively cafés and restaurants of this old town, with its impressive Roman theatre, still used today, and Roman arch constructed to celebrate the campaigns of the second Roman legion. Your accommodation in Orange is a small centrally located hotel.

Day Two – Orange to Avignon
Your first cycling of the holiday is through the world famous winegrowing area of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The route meanders through the vineyards and onto a virtually traffic free cycle route into Avignon. A lovely end to the day would be an evening stroll through the old city with its cobble streets, waterwheels, bell towers emerging from a mass of pink roofs and the famous Pope’s palace, now declared national cultural heritage. Perhaps walk down to the Rhône to view the picturesque Pont St-Bénézet, well known as 'la Pont d'Avignon' through the song, before dinner in one of the many pavement restaurants. 50 km (31miles)

Day Three – Avignon to Arles
Leave the city en-route to the charming fortified town of Graveson whose main street runs alongside the canal, then on to the shady plane trees at Maillane and through the fertile fields of ‘Petit Crau de St Remy’. St. Rémy is a great stop for lunch with its dappled shady boulevards and cooling fountains. To sit in one of the pavement cafés, while taking in the rich scent of herbs from the bustling markets, is the very essence of Provence. Reluctant to leave, there is a choice of the flat route around the Alpilles, or for the adventurous, a challenging climb into the Alpilles with stunning views of the spectacular fortified Les Baux consisting of the lower ‘living’ village and the deserted upper village carved from the solid rock of a natural rock island. At the foot of the Alpilles there is an opportunity to see the well preserved Roman aqueduct before making your way to the former Roman capital of Arles and your hotel for the next two nights. This lovely old town with its impressive Roman remains, huge plane trees and typical café terraces was also, for a while, home to Vincent van Gogh. 55 km (34 miles)

Day Four – Circular trip from Arles into the Camargue
A complete change of scenery today as you leave Arles heading into the
wild flat lands of the Camargue – a fantastic and unique nature reserve
with brackish lagoons, reed beds, wild horses, black bulls and the famous
pink flamingos. Don’t forget your binoculars for use at the observation
areas in order to view the unique wildlife. At Mejanes you can take the
small electric railway to explore the waterside further or later take a short
detour to a visitor centre close to the waterside in an area frequented by
flamingos. Return through the quiet flat country roads to your overnight
accommodation at Arles. 45-55 km (28-34 miles)

Day Five – Arles to Tarascon
Your route today first crosses the ‘Little Camargue’ with more opportunities
to see the famous white horses and black bulls onwards to St. Gilles
which was founded in the 8c. by a Christian missionary from Greece. Spend time here to visit the famous Abbey founded in his memory with its
wonderful medieval carvings before continuing through rice fields and
vineyards to reach King René’s imposing castle in the town of Tarascon and your hotel. 50 km (31 miles)

Day Six – Tarascon to Uzès
Leave Tarascon behind as you cross the mighty Rhône and continue your
journey to the village of Jonquières with its rooftops clustered around the clock tower and beautiful old town hall. Then on to spend time at Pont-du-Gard, the remarkably preserved and massive aqueduct built by the Romans to deliver water to Nîmes. Spend time at the heritage centre, a relaxing lunch or perhaps take a cooling dip in the River Gardon before cycling over the river courtesy of the finest Roman engineers. You may enjoy the sweet smells of confectionary and the Haribo Museum as you approach the medieval charm of Uzès, for your overnight stop.
50 km (31 miles)

Day Seven – Uzès to Orange
Today you are heading back to Orange, through hills covered with the
small evergreen Kermes Oaks and the herbs of the Garrigue, to the
fortified Bastide d’Engras. After crossing the small river Tave, you
continue for a short while on the route of an old Huguenot path towards
the sleepy village of Cavillargues perhaps for some morning refreshments
before continuing through more of the vineyards and beautiful orchards
of Provence. Crossing the River Rhône, it’s on to Caderousse and then the
short distance back to Orange and your overnight accommodation.
55 km (34 miles)

Day Eight – Depart after breakfast
Depart after breakfast. Extra nights in Orange may be booked if you
would like longer to enjoy the unique experience, sights, smells and taste that is Provence.

Travel Information