This self guided short break cycling trip links the towns of Saint Rémy and the Roman town of Arles, to the Gypsy influenced Saintes Maries de la Mer on the Mediterranean Sea. Along seldom-used roads and accompanied by the scent of thyme and rosemary, you’ll ride in the footsteps of Van Gogh, in the plains and hillsides of Provence, through olive groves and vineyards and explore the Camargue : a land of wild open spaces.
You cycle through Provence's history all the way to the Regional Natural Park of the Camargue: extended flatlands of rice paddies and vast salt marshes, sparse farmhouses and windswept fields. White horses trot through the marshes, black bulls graze in their farms. Thousands of flamingoes and herons paint the skies in their graceful flight.
From the Camargue, you reach the secret beaches of one of the few remaining untouched coastlines on the Mediterranean.
Your trip begins in St Remy de Provence, an artists' town where Van Gogh spent the last year of his life. Explore the artsy Saint-Rémy de Provence & the museum of Van Gogh's paintbrushes. Head into the sunlit hills to discover the remains of the Roman town of Glanum.
Meals included : none
Night : Saint Remy
Market on Wednesday & Saturday morning in St Remy
You continue towards St. Etienne-du-Grès and the Romanesque chapel of Saint Gabriel. From here you follow the imposing silhouette of the Alpilles, among olive groves and almond trees. After lunch or a picnic in Fontvieille, you will visit the elegant Château d’Estoublon estate and sample their olive oils and fine wines. Riding into the heart of the Alpilles, you reach Les Baux de Provence, a medieval village built atop a vertiginous rocky spur and listed as "one of the most beautiful villages in France".
Ride : St Remy > Les Baux > Maussane| 28 km - 17 miles | Elevation: +250m/-300m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Maussane
It’s a short and easy morning ride. Following the contours of the Alpilles mountains on quiet, narrow roads, you reach the ruins of a Roman aqueduct. From there you have a short climb before a picturesque and leisurely descent to Arles.
Enjoy a free afternoon and stroll through Arles, the "Rome" of Provence with its lively streets and remarkable wealth of Roman monuments, including its majestic coliseum. This small city emits a warm and authentic charm.
Ride : Maussane > Arles | 20 km - 13 miles | Elevation: +100m/-100m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Arles
Great market on Wednesday & Saturday (big one) mornings in Arles
Your day’s journey takes you due south, through vast expanses of rice paddies and marshlands, where you enter the heart of the Camargue Nature Park. The lagoons are untamed and carry on as far as the eyes can see, harbouring clumps of the precious few plant species that can survive the salt-rich waters. The salt crystals on the cracked earth shine like diamonds in the Mediterranean sun. You then veer right along the sea wall, a thin strip of land in between nowhere and the Mediterranean Sea. Soon you’ll catch a glimpse of the bell tower of Saintes-Maries de la Mer, and the white washed homes of the town.
Ride : Arles > Stes Maries | 54 km - 31 miles | Elevation: +100m/-100m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Saintes Maries
You can split the cycling ride in two between Arles and Saintes Maries de la Mer and book an extra night in a "5* Prestige manade" - a traditional horse & bull farm of the Camargue : a unique experience and a real insight into the life of the Camargue cowboys who give the area a Wild West aura !
. RIDE 1 - Arles > Le Sambuc
Biking across the Rhône River, the flatlands extend as far as the eye can see: wheat fields, rice paddies, orchards and vineyards, country roads lined with small canals bordered by bamboo, poplar and willow trees. You cycle past traditional bull and horse farms (manade) that line the huge marshlands of the Vaccarès. At the Mas de Capelière, an interesting nature path presents the different natural environments of the Camargue.
Ride : 33 km - 21 miles | Elevation: +100m/-100m
Treat yourself and stay in a traditional "manade" 5* hotel : Jacques, the owner, raises horses & bulls on his farm. In this renovated 17th century farmhouse offering 5 star accommodation, you will be welcomed in an authentic and refined "Camargue" atmosphere.
. RIDE 2 - Le Sambuc > sea wall > Saintes Maries
You continue due south, through vast expanses of rice paddies and salt marshes and enter the heart of the Camargue Nature Park. The wild lagoons harbour clumps of the precious few plant species that can survive the salt-rich waters. You then bike along the sea wall, a thin strip of land in between the wilderness and the Med Sea, where you can enjoy the sight of thousands of flamingoes that nest in the region. Soon you will catch a glimpse of the bell tower of Saintes-Maries de la Mer and the white-washed homes of the town whose gypsy spirit lies in the patron saint Sara: her raft drifted to these shores 2000 years ago from Palestine and her remains are said to be in the church that dwarfs the rest of the town.
Ride : 35 km - 22 miles | Elevation: +50m/-50m
. Enjoy a day horse-riding with a real Camargue cowboy "gardian". You will ride over 500 hectares (1235 acres) of land, between rice paddies and pastures. The famous white Camargue horses will take you off the beaten track, galloping close to the Camargue bulls.
If you are a good horse rider, you can participate in the sorting of the bulls with the cowboys, happy to share their work and passion with you. A great experience!
. Enjoy a day bird watching. Our guide, a native of the region, will reveal the secrets of the wild Camargue and share his passion with you in the heart of a preserved environment, home to 350 species of sedentary or migratory birds.
End of your trip after breakfast. Enjoy Saintes Maries de la Mer and the wild beaches on the Med sea
Meals included : breakfast
Return
. Regular bus from Saintes marie to Arles - Ligne A50 ( 04 90 54 86 16 )
And then bus Arles to St remy - Ligne L1054 ( 04 90 94 11 40 )
. Regular train lines from Arles to Avignon, Marseille city / airport
. Private transfer from Stes marie to Arles 45mn : contact us
25 km of easy pedaling up the Petit Rhône riverbank: watch out for the lovely typical Camargue houses with their reed and thatch roofs. Through the marsh flatlands, you cycle to the Pioch Badet Estate from where you head south between the expansive ponds to the Saintes-Maries: here you will find flocks of birds, grazing black bulls and native white horses trotting through the sands.
Ride : Saintes Maries > Pioch Badet > Saintes Maries | 26 km - 16 miles | Elevation: +50m/-50m
