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Cycling from Ventoux to Luberon - Van Gogh and Camargue
    • France - Provence
    • 8 days
    • Cycling
    • Self-guided
      • From March to November
    • 2 - 10 travellers
      • Simple
      • Comfort
      • Charming
      • Superior
      • Trip code : A1215
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About the Cycling from Ventoux to Luberon - Van Gogh and Camargue trip

About the trip in Provence

Your self guided Provence cycling holiday: This cycling trip takes you through all of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes of Provence, from its most northern point all the way down to the Mediterranean Sea.

You begin near Vaison La Romaine, France’s largest Roman archaeological site and cycle towards the foot of Mont Ventoux, Provence’s highest mountain, its foothills laden in olive groves, cherry orchards, and vines. You head southwards through the picturesque villages, such as Gigondas, Pernes and Isle sur Sorgue.
Next is the Luberon and its 1000-year old perched villages and their narrow cobbled streets: Gordes, Roussillon, Ménerbes – all listed among the most beautiful villages in France. Farther east you reach St. Remy at the foot of the Alpilles mountains, vast plains dotted with cypress trees, a landscape that brought Van Gogh to the region just over a century ago.

After the perched village of Les Baux you reach Arles and its coliseum, before a long stretch of plains in the Camargue Nature Park, with the Mistral winds guiding you down to the Saintes Maries de la Mer on the Med Sea.    

Highlights of the trip

  • A complete and diverse experience of Provence backroads
  • A change of scenery and landscape every day
  • Cycle through the most stunning villages of Provence
  • The famous typical markets of Vaison & Isle sur la Sorgue
  • The lively Roman city of Vaison la Romaine & Arles
  • A stunning finish through the salt flats and to the Mediterranean Sea

    Go Private or go guided ! Customize your holidays with a local specialist here 

From the blog

Cycling from Ventoux to the Mediterranean Sea: Day by day 

Day 1 - The Roman wonders of Vaison

vaison market mont ventoux vineyards

  • You make your own way to Vaison la Romaine, France’s largest Roman archaeological site. Spend time wandering through the expansive Roman ruins before crossing a 2000 year-old bridge and up to the Medieval village. Perched dizzyingly on the rock above the Ouvèze River, the cobbled streets lead up to the ruins of the 12th century feudal castle, from where the view extends to the entire town and to far-reaching countryside.
  • Night in Vaison

  • Famous market on Tuesday morning in Vaison la Romaine

  • We recommend : 
    . Have an extra night in Avignon and take the time to discover this beautiful medieval town, with the famous Pope's palace !
    . Have an extra night in Vaison la Romaine and take the time to discover France’s largest Roman archaeological site !

  • Access :
    . Regular bus lines from Orange station > Vaison. You can take the train Avignon > Carpentras (20mn) and then the regular bus line Carpentras > Vaison

  • Extra transfer
    - Orange station > Vaison : 65 €uros week & day time / 89 €uros Sunday+Bank hol & night time
    - Avignon > Vaison : 90 €uros week & day time / 100 €uros Sunday+Bank hol & night time

Day 2 - Cycling through Gigondas to famous Bedoin, foot of the Ventoux

gigondas vacqueyras wine cycling in the vineyards

  • Ride - Vaison > Gigondas > Bedoin  
    43 km / 26.7 miles - Ascent: + 650 m / Descent: -650 m 
  • In the background all day is Provence’s highest mountain, Mont Ventoux, its barren limestone peak soaring above the plains. Cycling through the most prestigious of Côtes du Rhône landscapes, you reach Gigondas and its world-famous vineyards, with plenty of opportunities to stop at estates and taste their delicious reds. Through olive groves and a sea of vines, you cycle to Beaumes de Venise, a quaint village known for its sweet Muscat wines. Through a succession of tiny and forgotten villages, on back roads lined by oak forest and orchards, you reach Bedoin, legendary starting point in the Tour de France for the ascension of Mont Ventoux, arguably the hardest climb in all of France.
  • Night in Bedoin.
  • MEALS included: Breakfast

  • Small market on Thursday morning in Beaumes de Venise

  • We recommend:
    . Add an extra day & or go for the Mont Ventoux climb ! Contact us 

Day 3 - Through cherry orchards to the Luberon

pernes cherry isle sur la sorgue famous market view on the mont ventoux

  • Ride - Bedoin > Pernes > Isle sur la Sorgue
    34 km / 26.7 miles - Ascent: +900 m / Descent: -800 m
  • The landscapes at the foot of Ventoux are dotted by small villages, off the beaten tourist track, where you can explore tiny streets and centuries-old homes. On seldom-used roads, you’ll pass cherry orchards, Côtes du Ventoux vineyards, and truffle oak plantations. You reach Pernes-les-Fontaines, a lively town full of cafés, with its 40 ancient fountains scattered in the village. Your destination is l’Isle sur la Sorgue, veritable island of a town, surrounded entirely by the green and clear waters of the Sorgue River. The town is world renowned for its antique shops, while the Sunday market fills the entire centre with a display to stimulate all the senses.
  • Night in Isle sur la Sorgue
  • MEALS included: Breakfast

  • Market on Monday morning in Bédoin
  • Great market on Saturday in Pernes les Fontaines

Day 4 - The famous perched villages of the Luberon

gordes roussillon goult heart of the luberon

  • Ride - Isle > Gordes > Roussillon > Isle sur la Sorgue
    61 km / 37.3 miles - Ascent: +500 m / Descent: -500 m
  • The eye-candy is endless for today’s ride, so you better get an early start! In landscapes dotted with dry-stone huts and ancient stone walls, you reach two of the most spectacular villages of Provence. First is Gordes, its majestic grey stone homes rising vertiginously over the Calavon valley, and crowned by its renaissance castle. Then Roussillon, its colourful homes painted in every hue of yellow-orange-red, with the natural pigments taken from the ochre quarry set just beside the village. Ride back to Isle on a cycle-only path created on a former railway line. Or for a more challenging ride, include visits to the hilltop villages of Bonnieux, Lacoste, Ménerbes, and Oppède le Vieux. 
  • Night in Isle sur la Sorgue
  • MEALS included: Breakfast

  • Great market on Thursday & Sunday (big one) morning in Isle sur la Sorgue
  • Market on Wednesday morning in Roussillon

  • We recommend:
    . Add an extra day and explore the complete "Peter Mayle’s Luberon" in 2 days, with the famous perched villages of Bonnieux, Ménerbes and Lacoste - Contact us 

Day 5 - Towards Van Gogh s Provence

eygalieres saint remy olive oil olive groves van gogh

  • Ride - Isle > Cavaillon > Eygalières > Saint Rémy 
    33 km / 20 miles - Ascent: +100 m / Descent: -100 m
  • The lively town of Cavaillon awaits, filled with restaurants and cafés, and bursting with locally grown fruits and vegetables. Through farmlands and endless orchards, you cross the Durance river. You cycle towards the charming village of Eygalières, surrounded by vast olive groves, its beautiful stone houses set atop a hill, and up to the ruins of its castle. You reach Saint Rémy, a second home to Van Gogh and birthplace of Nostradamus, an artists’ town filled with colour and light, bustling with busy cafés.
  • Night in St Remy de Provence
  • MEALS included: Breakfast

  • Market on Monday morning in Cavaillon
  • Market on Friday morning in Eygalieres

Day 6 - Les Baux de Provence and Arles

cycling les baux de provence perched village maussane arles

  • Ride - Saint Rémy > Les Baux > Maussane > Arles 
    50 km / 31 miles - Ascent: +250 m / Descent: -300 m
  • Just outside St. Rémy, visit the monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole, where Van Gogh spent a year of his life and did some of his best work. Through the pine forests, wildflowers and thyme laden hills of the Alpilles, the village of Les Baux will soon appear, listed among the most beautiful villages in France. The village is perched like a nest, high above the famous olive groves below, sitting atop a rocky crag and crowned by the ruins of its feudal castle. The Alpilles mountains make up the last hills before a final straightaway toward the sea. The landscapes then give way to large expanses of farmland and lone farmhouses, with bull ranches and rice paddies on the horizon. The city of Arles appears out of nowhere, its coliseum and Roman theater only two of the many monuments the Romans left behind.
  • Night in Arles

  • Great market on Wednesday & Saturday in St Remy de Provence

Day 7 - Wild Camargue & flamingoes

cycling on the sea well wild flatlands flamingo arles gypsy

  • Ride - Arles > Saintes Maries de la Mer
    54 km / 33.5 miles - Ascent: +50 m / Descent: 100 m 
  • Beyond Arles, heading south, you enter the delta of the Rhône river, not more than a few feet above sea level, a never-ending landscape of salt-cracked earth and untamed lagoons. This is the Camargue region, a birder’s paradise, where herons, egrets, pink flamingoes, and dozens of other species come to nest and fish in the shallow pools. The lands are devoid of homes and buildings, until suddenly Saintes Maries de la Mer appears in the distance, its disproportionate church dwarfing the bunched, whitewashed homes that make up this small town on the sea. The town has a distinct Gypsy influence. It was here that their patron saint Sara drifted ashore 2000 years ago after fleeing Palestine, her remains set in the town’s church. 
  • Night in Saintes-Maries de la Mer

  • Great market on Wednesday & Saturday morning in Arles

Day 8 - End of your Provence cycling holiday

saintes maries de la mer arles

  • End of your trip in Saintes Maries de la mer after breakfast
  • MEALS included: Breakfast

  • Market on Friday in Stes marie de la mer

  • We recommend:
    . Extend your day in Saintes Maries de la mer, and enjoy the wild & endless sand beaches on the Med sea

  • Return: regular bus line Saintes Marie > Arles : see the Line 20 - bus schedule 
  • Extra transfer : Stes Marie > Arles station : From 95 €uros week & day time / 120 €uros Sunday+Bank hol & night time

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    Trip details
    Cycling from Ventoux to Luberon - Van Gogh and Camargue
        • France - Provence
        • 2 adults (2x1310€)
        • 0 children (0x1310€)
      • 8 days
      • Simple
    Total 2620€
    Deposit 860€
    Book now !