Provence, Les Plus Beaux Villages Cycling Tour
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Overview
Highlights
- The opportunity to visit and/or stay in no less than 8 Les Plus Beaux Villages
- St Remy, birthplace of Nostradamus and the site of the sanatorium where Van Gogh painted his final works
- History across the ages from the Roman ruins of Glanum to Medieval Castles and Abbeys
- Sample iconic wines from Chateauneuf du Pape and Côtes du Rhône
- Take up the challenge of one of the most iconic cycle routes of them all – Mont Ventoux
- Embrace the elements of the good life that Peter Mayle so articulately depicted in his 1989 book ‘A Year in Provence’!
- A quintessential Provençal experience: the weekly market. Delight in the sensory overload
- Ride along the Gorges de la Nesque, one of our favorite cycling routes across all the tours we run
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- Bikes equipped with Garmin GPS (choice Bianchi road carbon, hybrid Bianchi Via Nirone 7); Ebikes (EWheel) for an extra charge of $95. In Provence Lynskey Titanium road bikes will be the standard road bikes.
- Two professional tour guides throughout the program*
- All accommodations
- All breakfasts
- Lunches and Dinners according to the tour program (usually three lunches are included and all dinners but one)
- Support vehicle during the tour and luggage transfer
- Group shuttles at the beginning and at the end of the tour
- All activities mentioned in the day-by-day description
- Commemorative t-shirt
Itinerary
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Mas de l’Oulivié
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 9 mi or 15 km
A gentle but rolling start to the tour as we ride a loop from our home at the Mas de l’Oulivie for the first couple of nights through the Parc natu...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Mas de l’Oulivié
Terrain: Hilly
Ride: 24/37 mi or 38/59 km
We head deeper into the Parc naturel régional des Alpilles today on a rolling loop ride that meanders through vineyards and olive groves. ...
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Mas des Rosmarins
Terrain: Hilly
Ride: 32/46 mi or 51/73 km
We head east into the Vaucluse region of Provence towards our base for the next couple of days Gordes. After bridging the Durance we head ...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Mas des Rosmarins
Terrain: Rolling Hills
Ride: 30/57 mi or 48/92 km
Gordes great location gives us great access to some spectacular riding. Today we enjoy a short loop to the villages of Saint Satu...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Mas des Rosmarins
Terrain: Hilly
Ride: 32/48 mi or 52/77 km
Once again we find a series of quiet and picturesque routes as we continue our discovery of Provence’s most beautiful villages. We ride f...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Chateau de Mazan
Terrain: Rolling Hills
Ride: 26/47 mi or 42/75 km
We leave Gordes and head north, cruising past the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senaque on our way to Venasque. After enjoying fanta...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Chateau de Mazan
Terrain: Mountains
Ride: 20/39/43 mi or 32/63/70 km
Our final day on the bike takes us towards the monolith known as Mont Ventoux as we head north towards Bedoin. For the foolhard...
Meals: Breakfast
Terrain: Departure
Ride: None
After a leisurely breakfast, we organize a shuttle to the TGV train station on the outskirts of Avignon from where fast trains can be caught to a number of European cities.
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Tourissimo.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Tourissimo Reviews & Ratings
Extremely well organized
Extremely well organized and executed without problems.
This was my best tour ever for route selection
This was my best tour ever for route selection, accommodati...
Awesome
Awesome attention to every detail.
Well organized
Well organized, great attention to detail, amazing how you found all those little quiet roads.
Great tour
Great tour but a little tiring (distances & elevations) for someone over 70!
Other Tourissimo Reviews
Great routes, guides, hotels and bikes!
Great routes, guides, hotels and bikes!
I really enjoyed the tour.
I really enjoyed the tour. The bike and cycling routes were great, loved the scenery in Slovenia and appreciated the off-bike tours. I loved the Italian lunch at the...
Tour route was awesome.
Firstly, Beppe is a great tour guide. I appreciated all the stops for gelato and espresso. Tour route was awesome. The first day was on the line of being too long ...
Tour Operator
Background and Mission
Tourissimo is a new deeply authentic Italian travel company whose mission is to provide active travelers a unique way to experience the natural and cultural wonders of this magnificent country. With its highly focused niche approach, Tourissimo aims to become the number one Destination Management Company (DMC) in Italy for active travel by designing, creating and implementing exclusive programs for individuals and small groups, intimately presenting each region with a strong focus on “insider access” and special personal connections to maximize sense of place. Understanding that most travelers today want to be fully engaged and seek memorable and meaningful experiences, all Tourissimo journeys include breathtaking scenery and activities, gourmet food and wine and a range of accommodations that together create an unforgettable taste of Italy.
Tourissimo was founded in 2015 by Beppe Salerno, a former general manager at one of the industry’s leading companies who has carried out (both as a manager and as a guide) hundreds of tours throughout Italy and amassed outstanding experience and knowledge in the field of active adventure vacations in some of the most inspiring destinations throughout Italy. Tourissimo began with a handful of destinations including Piedmont, Puglia, Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre; new destinations for 2016 include Tuscany, Sardinia and Friuli with the bordering country of Slovenia. Each itinerary is a carefully balanced mix of physical activities, cultural immersion and authentic learning experiences.
The Tourissimo Experience
Tourissimo provides turnkey, fully supported programs primarily serving small (8-14pp) private groups through outbound tour operators, travel agents, and private organizations, such as cycling clubs and affinity groups. All tours are designed to provide extraordinary educational hiking and bicycling in geographical areas where Tourissimo has outstanding expertise. These carefully crafted programs are active immersions into local culture and delicious cuisine for energetic, highly curious, young-at-heart travelers of all abilities who love the outdoors.
Tourissimo’s Signature Tours are ready-to-book programs of six or seven nights offering three activity levels: recreational, moderate and athletic. The cycling tours allow riders to choose a performance road bike, hybrid bike or even an Ebike (bike with pedals assisted by an electric engine). Custom tours are also available, whereby Tourissimo specifically designs programs in any Italian destination based on the individual or group’s specific interests and preferences. Custom tours may include things like kayaking, learning to make ceramics from local artisans, making handmade pasta from scratch or literary city tours in the footsteps of Dante, just to name a few.
Rates typically range from $450 to $750 per person per night, including accommodations, most meals, all transfers, daily cultural activities and two or more professional tour leaders. Programs are usually a weeklong in duration, but there are no minimum number of nights on custom tours. Reservations can be made via www.tourissimo.travel or by calling 857-997-0051.
Additional Background
According to Active Travel Association’s 2015 Industry Snapshot, Italy is the top destination for soft adventure travel in Europe. With its longitudinal, peninsula-like shape, Italy has varying elevations from sea level to mountains reaching 12,000 feet. The country has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites (47 as of 2015), and with approximately 5000 miles of coastline and two mountain ranges including the majestic Dolomites on Eastern Alps, it’s no wonder that Italy tops the wish lists for those seeking beautiful adventures. In addition to being an unchallenged destination for food and wine aficionados, Italy’s dense network of roads and trails, charming villages, hamlets, castles, monasteries and abbeys make it the ideal destination for active travelers.
Cycling and Walking tours in Italy Tourissimo is the first Italian Destination. Management company specialized in active travel. We are local experts; we rely on experienced Italian guides and staff to deliver authentic travel experiences.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- Airfare
- Pre-night hotel stays and post-tour hotel stays
- Wine and beer with meals
- Personal expenses such as laundry and phone
- Guide gratuity
If you must cancel your reservation, the fees for doing so are as follows.
Days Prior to Departure Cancellation Fees:
91+ will be Admin fee – 250 USD
61-90 - Tour deposit
31-60 - 50% of tour price
0-30 - 100% of tour price
For reservations canceled with at least 91 days advance notice, we will apply your cancellation penalties to a future reservation, no questions asked. This credit will never expire. No penalties for name changes.
7 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches and 6 Dinners
Climate Data:
In June, temperatures average 13C (56F) low / 26C (79F) max - precipitation probability 13%.
Info about food and wine:
With a strong Italian and Spanish influence the cuisine of Provence has a distinctive flair that sets it apart from more classic French fare. Blessed with an abundance of natural ingredients that flourish in the region, Provence is unsurpassed for the freshness of its produce and variety of its dishes.
For starters you could try a sweet Cavaillon melon or one of the classified goats cheeses of the region accompanied with some fresh figs. Alternatively, you could sample a selection of tapenades on some crispy hot toast or perhaps you’d prefer a simple but exquisite pistou (basil) soup.
Moving on you could stay light with a Nicoise salad or if you’d prefer to sample something richer the regions signature dish bouillabaisse or daube (beef stew) might suit. As an accompaniment, the black diamond – truffle- could add an extra complexity to the mix that is already accented by fragrant herbs and rich olive oils.
And to finish it off the master Chocolatier Joel Durand in St Remy could sate your sweet tooth or perhaps the master Nougatier Boyer of Sault might provide a lighter option. Or just keep it simple with some anis candles or marrons glaces (crystallized chestnuts).
Whatever you choose we are sure that you will be blown away by the freshness and flavours that permeate Provençal cuisine and that’s before we even start talking about the wines to accompany it.
Provence is one of France’s serious fine wine regions, on a par with Bordeaux and Burgundy. The wines from Provence appear under 3 prefixes Coteaux D’Aix en-, Côtes de- and Les Baux de Provence – all of which you will have a chance to sample on this tour. In contrast to the cultured power of Bordeaux and the elegance of Burgundy, Provençal red wines are earthier with an almost rustic flavour. In this respect they are really interesting since quality commercial wine making is balanced by a real sense of identity.
On our tour we will cycle through some of the most prestigious wine areas that this region has to offer with a focus on the Southern Rhone, the small Les Baux appellation and Côtes de Ventoux. Since wine has been produced in the region for over 2600 years there is a large variety of grapes used in production. We look forward to introducing you to the plethora of wines on offer.
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