BritishCaicos

We (myself & wife both 46 & son 10) are in the midst of planning a trip to Provence for Easter 2016.

We will drive from the UK with our road bikes, take the ferry to Caen and then drive down to Provence. We have very little knowledge of the area. We intend to rest for 3 nights, maybe around the large towns on the Rhone which probably will not be cycle friendly.

We then want leave the car at the first hotel and cycle tour with panniers for around 8 nights. We could then either take a train back to the car or the tour could be circular.

My son is 10 but has an expensive road bike and is very comfortable with cycling 40-50 miles a day.

We would rather avoid very mountainous areas.

Could anyone help ? villages, restaurants, hotels : budget not an issue but prefer laid back rather than formal.

We like everything small : villages, hotels etc but also want to see the towns like Avignon and Arles.

I can't work out where the classic Provence landscape areas are!

Thanks

hetismij2

You could consider a couple of days in the Camargue, which is very bike friendly.

StCirq

The first thing you need is a good map that shows topography. And a good look at www.viamichelin.com. And guidebooks - every single one for the region will identify the classic provençal landscapes.

And I'm not sure about leaving your car at a hotel for 8 days. I dont think that's a normal practice.

BritishCaicos

Hets

I seem to remember that the Carmargue is very flat and wind prone in spring?

I do know that the migratory birdlife in this area will be great in Spring but I think what we are looking for is rolling countryside, small stone village and town square. A too romantic image of France?

Cirq

I am working through the geography this afternoon. The Luberon and Vacluse seem like a good start. There seem to be good routes east/west, single hill passes during one day are fine. Day after day of hill climbing just will not be suitable for my son.

StuDudley

The Luberon is an area within the department of the Vaucluse. The Luberon valley north of the Luberon mountains, south of the Plateau de Vaucluse, between the A7, and as far east as the Durance river - is what you are looking for. Lots of bicycle-only well-market trails, rolling countryside, cute stone villages, etc. Also - it is quite popular - so it can get some heavy crowds in the most popular villages like Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, etc. If you bike south over the Combe de Lourmarin - you are in another valley which is a little more arid, but has the same type of rolling countryside & cute villages. You might consider renting a gite in the northern Luberon Valley region and just go out & about from a centrally located gite or B&B - maybe in/near Roussillon. Try Mas Perreal. Husband is an American, wife is Frence, and they have a son a few years older than yours. Kevin knows the area quite well. He is also a contributor on Fodors. http://www.masperreal.com/index.html

My wife & I have vacationed for 20 weeks in Provence, and I've developed a 30+ page itinerary which describes our favorite villages, scenic drives, markets, restaurants, etc. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail. I've sent this itinerary to well over 3,000 people on Fodors.

Stu Dudley

BritishCaicos

Thanks Stu

I'll email if you don't mind.

I have started to put a route together which by chance taking in many of the places you mention. So far :

Rhine towns then cycle south down the valley to Lourmarin over the pass to Gordes further east then I'm losing it.

We have decided on no more than 30 miles a day to keep the pace down and relax.

One huge positive is that whenever I consult streetmap scenes, there seem to be cyclists everywhere. I'd love to do a day up Mont Ventoux but it seems selfish , wife and son just will not make it.

StuDudley

We've vacationed for 8 weeks in Bedoin - which is the "starting" town for the ascent up Mt Ventoux. There are 4 bike rental shops in this small town. Bedoin is filled with cafes, and has a wonderful Monday morning farmer's market. My cousin visited us while we were there & biked up Mt Ventoux. It took him about 2 hrs. Perhaps a good idea is to get to Bedoin on a Monday. Wife & son visit the market & have croissants & cafe creme at a cafe (see my itinerary for details), and you bike up Mt Ventoux while they are engaged with the market & cafe. There are a couple of interesting shops in Bedoin also. The area directly east of Bedoin has lots of bike trails. Hotel/restaurant Les Pins just south of Bedoin is very popular with bicyclists. We've had dinner there many times & it's one of our favorite restaurants in the immediate area.

>>Rhine towns then cycle south down the valley to Lourmarin over the pass to Gordes further east then I'm losing it.<<

Assuming you meant Rhone & not Rhine - the Avignon area has lots of very ugly urban sprawl. I would not want to bike anywhere near there. If you do choose to bike south down the Rhone from Orange (for example), stay close to the A9 on the D976. Then you could head west on the D981 to the Pont du Gard and to Uzes. From Uzes, there really is not any scenic way that I know about (we've vacationed for 2 weeks near Uzes) that gets you to the Luberon. Some people might suggest the D99 through Beaucaire, Tarascon, St Remy & Cavaillon. I'm not a big fan of the D99 (too much commerce in some sections) plus this road might get very crowded with cars during Easter vacation. Cavaillon is a smaller town - but has some nasty commerce around it also. The D973 going east from Cavaillon is not scenic, IMO, until you get past the Gorges du Regalon (even though Michelin shows this as a "green" (scenic) road).

If this was my trip (I'm not a biker, however), I would just stay in the Luberon - north & south of the Luberon mountains. You can go pretty far west to Cerest & Forcalquir and be in a beautiful area. Then from the central Luberon Valley (near Gordes) you can bike up through l'Isle sur la Sorgue, Pernes (through latter 2 cities is not scenic) to St Didier, Mazan, then to Bedoin. See my itinerary for more details.

Stu Dudley

BritishCaicos

Sorry yes Stu, absolutely Rhone not Rhine!

I absolutely do not want to be cycling on heavy traffic main arterial roads in industrial areas, I can do that without driving 900 miles to France!

Thanks for the posts, I am getting a much better feel for the geography of the area.

I have streetviewed quite a few areas and am getting more certain that you are right about concentrating on the Luberon.

The problem is over planning compared to no planing. Without planning this could turn into a disaster, particualry without support and in the even of mechanical failure or with too many demanding climbs in a day.

With too much planning, I am just going to drive 900 miles to re-live an experience I have already had on streetview.

I am tempted to just choose a few small hotels off tripadvisor in the Luberon area book them and ad lib the routes between.

StuDudley

>>I am tempted to just choose a few small hotels off tripadvisor in the Luberon area book them and ad lib the routes between.<<

That sounds like an excellent idea. Perhaps start your adventure with a couple of days at Mas Perreal and obtain as much information as possible from Kevin (before booking the remaining hotels). He'll point you in the right direction.

Stu Dudley

welltraveledbrit

British Caicos

The Luberon is lovely but it's a real climb up into some of the towns, Gordes, Bonnieux etc. but it' sounds like you'd enjoy it!
One of the things we do when we're thinking about walking in France is have a look at the itineraries some of the high end walking tour companies offer. It might be worth looking at the itineraries put together by the fancy bike tour companies from the US and UK, just to see if you can steal some ideas/routes that might work for you?

There must be some specialty guides on biking in Provence?

ira

I am once again in awe of the ability of the Fodorites to provide information that no TA, Guide Book or Encyclopedia could know.

makoola

I can't believe I bumped in to this nice discussion. My wife and I are going to spend 3 weeks in Provence April-May. We will be staying in Aix (TVG from Paris) and work outwards from there. Thanks to all who have responded to BritishCaicos. Thank you for your indirect offer Stu, you will be getting an e-mail shortly. BritishCaicos, I hope you and you family have a blast.

Marsh

makoola

I forgot to ask if anyone has any thoughts on car rental in Aix.

StuDudley

Rent a car through www.kemwel.com or www.autoeurope.com They are really the same company (don't ask why), but Kemwel seems to have the best rates for France. Pick up the car at the TGV station, or somewhere downtown if you are not going to leave Aix for a few days. Kemwel/Autoeurope are brokers located in Portland Maine, and will "set you up" with cars from Europcar, Hertz, Avis, etc. Currently, Europcar does not charge fees for dropping off a car in a different city. Hertz often does charge a drop off fee.

ira - I thought of you as we passed the Hotel Bonapart several times last month. We're headed back to the Dordogne next fall.

Stu Dudley