Landscapes of the Luberon Cycling

9 days

from

$2,349 USD

incl. taxes

View Dates & Prices

Cycling

Suitable for:

Age 12+

Activity level:

Leisurely / Moderate

Trip code:

C08PL

Way to Travel:

Self-Guided Holidays

Activity:

Cycling

Group size:

1–6

Min age:

Vineyards, olive groves and apple orchards, punctuated by canals and clear, flowing rivers characterise Provence.

This eight night holiday offers you a truly Provencal experience, taking in the lush countryside and mountain landscapes of beautiful Provence - the inspiration for many an artist and author, including Van Gogh, Cezanne and Picasso. Your cycle route explores the region's mediaeval towns and charming perched villages such as Gordes and Bonnieux, along with sprawling vineyards, curious caves and castle ruins, all against a vibrant backdrop of colour - think rich ochre, delicate lavender and even white cherry blossom in spring. With a number of small wine producers dotted along your route, you can stop and taste some of the region's local wine in between rides.

Highlights

Ride along country lanes and greenways in tranquil, unspoilt countryside
Taste the local wines
Visit medieval towns and castles

Key information

8 nights in 3-star accommodation
6 days cycling (including 2 optional rides); averaging 34km per day
80% on quiet tarmac roads, 20% on cycle paths and tracks
Optional electric bikes
The route mainly follows quiet country roads, some short sections are on busier roads

Countries visited: Adventure Holidays in France

What's included

All breakfasts and 4 dinners
All accommodation
Luggage transfers between hotels
GPS route directions
RideWithGPS navigation app
Local bike hire

What's not included

Optional electric bikes
Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request)
Any Solo traveller supplements (where only one person is travelling on a departure date)
Visas or vaccinations

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Live Chat >

Request a Brochure >

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

Days of Cycling

Terrain:

The majority of the route is on quiet country roads, although there are some short sections on busier roads. There is also some cycling along a dedicated cycle greenway.

Day by day breakdown

Day 2 35.0km/22.0miles

Day 3 9.0km/6.0miles

Day 4 37.0km/23.0miles

Day 6 36.0km/22.5miles

Day 7 26.0km/16.5miles

Day 8 38.0km/24.0miles

Responsible Travel

At Exodus we believe in the power of Responsible Travel.

Every time we travel, we are part of a global movement that creates jobs, builds more sustainable societies, encourages cultural understanding and safeguards common natural and cultural heritage. To learn more about what Responsible Travel means to Exodus click here…

Itinerary

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Pernes-les-Fontaines

Day 1

Arrive in Pernes-les-Fontaines

Arrive at your 3-star hotel in Pernes-les-Fontaines. Relax with a dip in the pool or explore the grounds before dinner. Dinner is included at a local restaurant, transfers to and from are provided.
Comfortable hotel

Meals included: Dinner
Day 2

Pernes-les-Fontaines to Les Imberts

Cycle alongside the Canal de Carpentras, before heading, via quiet country lanes and verdant vineyards, towards the ‘island city’ of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, surrounded by the clear waters of the River Sorgue. This popular town offers many riverside cafés and is a great place to stop for lunch before heading on to the charming, mediaeval village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. Visit the largest spring in France, or potter around the handful of quaint shops and cafés, before ascending to your first, stunning view across the Luberon Valley. You then descend, amidst vineyards and olive groves, to the village of Les Imberts, just below the famous perched village of Gordes.

Ride options: 30km/19mi or 35km/22mi
Comfortable hotel

Meals included: Breakfast Dinner
Day 3

At Les Imberts (Optional)

Walk or cycle to the famous, medieval perched village of Gordes today, to experience one of the best views there is over the Luberon – a patchwork of open plains, sprawling vineyards and olive groves. Explore the village and its castle and perhaps take a taxi (payable locally) up to the beautiful l’Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque. Guided tours are available in the afternoon, or pay an early morning visit for the chance to explore at your leisure.

Optional ride: approx. 9km/6mi
Comfortable hotel

Meals included: Breakfast Dinner
Day 4

Les Imberts to Apt

After breakfast set out through the tranquil countryside and make the short climb up to Roussillon and the start of the Ochre Trail. Enjoy the views, and perhaps a morning coffee, before pedalling on to Gargas to visit the vast Ochre Mines of Bruoux, and enjoy a spot of lunch. You'll then follow quiet lanes past vineyards - perhaps stopping to taste and purchase some of the local wines - up to the perched village of Saint-Saturnin-les-Apt, before freewheeling down to the medieval town of Apt, famous for its crystallised fruits and traditional pottery.

Ride options: 33km/21mi or 37km/23mi
Comfortable hotel

Meals included: Breakfast
Day 5

At Apt

Today explore Apt's old town, wandering along the narrow alleyways to the ancient Cathedral of Ste Anne, which has its origins in Roman times (the lower crypt dates back to AD 1). In addition to the town's museums and the Maison du Parc du Luberon, there are also plenty of shops, cafes and colourful Saturday and Tuesday markets selling a range of locally grown produce and traditional Provencal arts and crafts.
Comfortable hotel

Meals included: Breakfast
Day 6

Apt to Maubec

This morning your route follows a greenway (once an old railway track) alongside the River Calavon before crossing the Pont Julien, a stone bridge built in Roman times and an excellent picnic spot. Leave the greenway then to follow quiet lanes to the wonderful village of Bonnieux, passing Château la Connorgue en-route (made famous by Ridley Scott's film A Good Year starring Russell Crowe), where you can stop for a tasting. From the village you then head on through the centre of the Luberon with views up to the perched villages of Lacoste and Bonnieux, as you wind your way to Maubec and your hotel.

Comfortable hotel

Meals included: Breakfast
Day 7

At Maubec (Optional)

Options today include circular rides to the pretty villages of Lagnes, Taillades and Robion. Alternatively, take a taxi ride (payable locally) to explore historical Saint-Remy-de-Provence to visit the old town, impressive Roman site of Glanum and the monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole where van Gogh lived during the period of such eternal masterpieces as The Starry Night.

Comfortable hotel

Meals included: Breakfast
Day 8

Maubec to Pernes-les-Fontaines

This morning you’ll cycle past apple orchards to the small, mediaeval town of Le Thor on the banks of the River Sorgue before continuing to the hilltop town of Thouzon. Visit Castle Thouzon (an ancient fortified monastery) and explore Les Grottes de Thouzon, a 320m-long cave carved out by an underground river over 60 million years ago. After lunch, continue on to Pernes-les-Fontaines where you’ll have time to explore the mediaeval old town and the numerous ancient stone fountains.

Comfortable hotel

Meals included: Breakfast Dinner
Day 9

Leave Pernes-les-Fontaines

If you are on our standard transfer our reps will take you to Avignon TGV station in time for the train to Marseilles.

Meals included: Breakfast

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

Show map

Essential Info

Visas

France

No visa required for British passport holders.

For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers

Visa regulations can change without notice: please check the current regulations in good time to obtain a visa if one is required.

Vaccinations

France

There are no specific health risks.

Eating and Drinking

All continental breakfasts and 4 dinners are included.

Provençale cuisine is a blend of many influences from the plentiful sea, to neighbour Italy and the early Roman occupation. The soil is rich and the climate is conducive to producing a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.

Whilst not the most sophisticated of the French cuisines, most dishes use the excellent tasting local fresh produce. Cooking à la Provençale uses local olive oil, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and wild herbs, all ripened by the sun to give an intensity of flavour. You can browse among the colours and smells, and make picnic purchases at the lively local markets.

Weather

Weather in Aix-en-Provence is good throughout the year thanks to its mild Mediterranean climate. The region welcomes hot, dry summers (June to September) averaging around 30°C. Spring (March to May) and autumn (October to November) are cool and balmy and perfect for cycling.

Is this trip for you?

Your week starts in the medieval town of Pernes-les-Fontaines, before taking you past pretty L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, at the foot of the Vaucluse Plateau. Surrounded by the River Sorgue, this is a charming town to potter around, its narrow streets filled with quaint cafes, little antique shops, old bridges and water wheels, not to mention a bustling market every Sunday. You then move on to the town of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, overlooked by crumbling castle ruins and home to the source of the River Sorgue. After following the Ochre Trail to explore the narrow streets and pastel-painted houses of mediaeval Saint-Saturnin-les-Apt, overlooked by sprawling castle remains and two 17th Century windmills, you freewheel down to the medieval town of Apt at the centre of the Luberon National Park. A greenway then leads you along the middle of the valley with views up to the famous perched villages of Bonnieux and Lacoste, and on through sleepy Maubec to Cavaillon. Your week ends with a possible visit to Thouzon's impressive caves, carved by an underground river, before you head home from Pernes-les-Fontaines.

Activity Level: 2 (Leisurely/Moderate)
Average daily distance: 34km (21.5 miles).
No. of days cycling: 6 (including 2 optional rides)
Terrain and route: The majority of the route is on quiet country roads, although there are some short sections on busier roads. There is also some cycling along a dedicated cycle greenway.

Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to cycle independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodations, provide you with a map and route notes so that you can cycle at your own pace, while your bags are transported from one hotel to the next.

It is important that you are happy reading maps and following route notes, we make these as accurate as possible and they are regularly checked. Where possible we stick to cycle tracks and quiet roads to make the journeys as pleasant as possible, however, on occasion we have to use busier routes.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The route notes contain an emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies.

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Live Chat >

Request a Brochure >

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

Accommodation

Hotels

You stay in a wonderful mix of hotels this week. Hotel l'Hermitage offers a relaxing stay in a 19th Century manor house with lovely grounds and a swimming pool; Mas de la Sénancole in Les Imberts is your next stop, offering Provençal-style rooms, a heated outdoor pool and a spa with sauna, hot tub and massage room; your home in Apt is the cosy Hotel Sainte Anne, a small family-run hotel just across the river from the old town; and your final stop is La Bastide du Bois Breant, a former farm house, once owned by a duchess and set amid its own woodland in the peaceful south west of the Luberon.

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Live Chat >

Request a Brochure >

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes