Provence Tour 2025-2026 The Experience of a Lifetime!
September 15th-21st 2025
May 26th-june 1ST
(sold out)
June 9th-15th 2026
Day 1: Aix-en-Provence to Lourmarin
Our tour begins in Aix-en-Provence, ancient capital of Provence that will charm you with its elegant fountains, colorful outdoor markets and vibrant cafes. Famously, Aix is the birthplace of the painter Paul Cezanne, whose early paintings of the nearby Mont Ste-Victoire encapsulate his passion for the Provencal landscape. Aix embodies Provence as a joyful place, and the provencal people are legendary for their l’art de vivre (the art of living). We invite you to come along with us, and experience the joy for yourself!
We start with a walking tour of the Old Town area of Aix. We will enjoy several open air markets and a peek at the St. Sauveur cathedral before meandering toward the Cour Mirabeau, one of the loveliest boulevards in all of France! We’ll pass by the cafe where Cezanne would often sip pastis with his pals, and then continue further down the boulevard for a stop at one of the best purveyors of calissons in Aix (a local sweet delicacy). As we conclude our walking tour, we will say goodbye to Aix with our first taste of the Provencal lifestyle under our belts, with many more to come!
Next, we head north by van to the village of Lourmarin, less than an hour’s drive from Aix and our home away from home for the next few days. On the way to Lourmarin, your guides will treat you to a picnic lunch with a view of Mont Ste-Victoire and welcome you to Provence with a toast!
Upon arrival at our hotel in Lourmarin, you’ll have a chance to relax by the pool before our bike fitting and safety talk. We’ll plan a short ride through the countryside so you can become acquainted with your bike. For those interested, we will also have the option of a longer ride before dinner. Later, we will take a short stroll from our hotel to a traditional Provencal restaurant in the center of town. Bon appetit!
We encourage you to take your time, let go, explore and savor your experience.
Included: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner together in Lourmarin.
Day 2: The perched villages of the Luberon
Today we will pedal up a beautiful winding road through a canyon to the perched medieval villages of Bonnieux and LaCoste. Enjoy expansive views of rolling hills from the summit of Bonnieux before coasting down into the valley, where you’ll pedal through vineyards, olive groves, and fruit orchards. We’ll slowly pedal up to the yellow sandstone village of Lacoste, where we’ll explore the town on foot before enjoying lunch at a lovely cafe perched at the edge of the village with commanding views of the valley. Lacoste has a somewhat colorful past as its most famous resident, the Marquis de Sade, resided in his castle there for many years.
After lunch, you’ll have the option of a longer bike ride, or returning to the hotel where you can relax by the pool or book a massage at the spa. As we roll back into Loumarin, we will stop at a renowned ice cream shop to celebrate our ride!
In the evening, we will take you to dinner in a stunning location at the foot of the Buoux cliffs, a destination for rock climbers from around the world. The family-run restaurant serves hearty Provencal cuisine–ratatouille, anchoade, tapenade, slow cooked lamb, and they will even catch your trout from a small lake before dinner.
Included: Breakfast, dinner together in Buoux.
Route essentials: 24 miles, elevation gain 2785 ft, estimated time 3-4 hours-downhill for half the distance.
Day 3: Choose your adventure day!
This is our choice (choix) day, with options for walking, cycling, flying, or just relaxing. It’s a day to follow your folly.
Choix 1-Stay at the hotel and relax by the pool. Tuck into a cafe in Lourmarin for lunch and people watching. Remember that in France, you are encouraged to linger for as long as you wish at a cafe. Take a stroll around the town and maybe visit the chateau. Book a massage.
Choix 2-Ride from Lourmarin to Gordes.
We’ll pedal back to LaCoste, then head northwest toward the hilltop village of Gordes. Perched high atop a cliff with its imposing Medieval castle, Gordes is one of the seven most beautiful villages in France. We’ll have time to walk around Gordes, enjoy a nice lunch, then head back to Lourmarin.
Distance Lourmarin to Gordes loop: 36.8 miles; elevation gain: 1596 ft; estimated time: 4-5 hours
Choix 3-Van to a hot air balloon experience, followed by a drive to Roussillon for a walk and then wine tasting at Domain de Tara. For the experience of a lifetime, book a hot air balloon ride where you’ll rise over the Luberon with unparalleled views of the red ochre cliffs of Roussillon, vineyards, and hilltop villages. The balloon ride takes about one hour. We’ll be waiting for you after your ride, then explore the red ochre cliffs of Roussillon and stop for lunch.
Choix 4-Van to Ménerbes for a walk around town and purchase of picnic supplies at the Thursday market, followed by a wine tasting at Ridley Scott’s winery. We’ll then savor our wine with a leisurely picnic lunch in the countryside. We’ll plan on playing a game of Petanque after our picnic.
Included: Breakfast. Dinner on your own.
Day 4: Lourmarin to St-Remy-de-Provence.
This morning we bid au revoir to the Vaucluse and head west toward St-Remy de Provence, a vibrant village and art colony at the foothills of the craggy Alpilles mountains. We’ll head out together as a group today and coast downhill to the village of Lauris, where we’ll join a gravel road that follows the Durance river. We’ll spend a good bit of our day today pedaling along the Durance, so make sure to bring your flipflops if you’d like to dip your feet in the water!
After crossing the Durance river, we’ll plan a stop at the Abbaye de Silvacaine. You’ll enjoy the harmonious Romanesque architecture of this Cistertian monastery, founded in the twelfth century. After visiting the Abbaye, our bike route will follow a totally traffic-free greenway (voie verte) that meanders for approximately 10 km along the Durance river. We will stop for a riverside picnic and a chance to go rock collecting or bird watching after lunch.
Our journey will end today in the village of Mallemort, a great stop for ice cream, where you’ll have the option to take a shuttle to our hotel. For those of you wanting a longer bike ride, one of your guides will escort you on a steady uphill climb through the heart of the Alpilles mountains to St-Remy.
Included: Breakfast, picnic lunch by the river, ticket to abbaye visit.
Total distance: 24 km (15 miles) Lourmarin to la Roque d’Antheron 14 km approx; La Roque d’Antheron to Malemort 10 km approx (downhill out of Lourmarin, then route is flat along the river)
Day 5: St-Remy to the Pont-du-Gard.
This morning, after breakfast, we’ll shuttle everyone by van to the ancient Roman city of Arles, and home to one of the best markets in France! We’ll enjoy the sites and sounds of the market and each gather supplies for our riverside picnic. After supplying ourselves, we will continue on to the Pont du Gard, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We will load up in canoes and paddle down the Gardon river and float under the Pont du Gard, a remarkably preserved Roman aqueduct that stretches across the river. We will have a market picnic on the shore with views of the Pont. Make sure to bring your bathing suit!
Included: Breakfast, picnic, canoe rental, dinner on your own.
Let's Explore!
Let's Explore!
Day 6: St-Remy to Les Baux loop ride
This morning, we’ll visit the medieval fortress town of Les Baux. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful village perched on the cliffs of the Alpilles (little Alps). You’ll have the option today of going by van or bike to Les Baux. Due to its strategic position, Les Baux was a medieval powerhouse, and the Lords of Les Baux commanded all of Provence for generations.
We’ll take a leisurely morning stroll through the village of Les Baux and tour its medieval chateau, then we’ll visit a cavernous limestone quarry, Les Carrieres de Les Baux. Inside the cool spacious caves of the quarry you’ll enjoy a spectacular sound and light show. Past shows in the quarry featured the paintings of Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Monet. We’ll follow our morning of touring with a relaxing lunch in the village before heading back downhill.
You’ll have the option of returning to the hotel after lunch with one of your guides, or continuing on for a longer ride with another guide into the Alpilles mountains.
Les Baux is famous for its high quality olive oil, considered to be one of the best in the world. On our way back to St-Remy, we'll plan a visit to an olive mill and a vineyard for tastings. The robust red wines of Les Baux terroir are characterized by their deep red color and floral notes.
Total distance: 22 km: (St-Remy to Les Baux 10.4 km; Les Baux to St-Remy 10.9 km)
Included: Breakfast, admission to Les Carrieres, final dinner together.
Day 7: We’ll have a final breakfast together and reminisce over our adventure in Provence with “Let’s Explore!” We will assist you with your train connections, or suggest other places of interest to explore in the nearby area. Hopefully, we’ll see you again on upcoming tours in France. Bon voyage!
