Arrive at Marseille’s Marignane Airport at your leisure. You Cycleventures guides will be waiting when your plane touches down to transfer you to the nearby town of Salon de Provence.

As today is a short cycling day, plan to make a stop in Les Baux just ten kilometers south of St. Remy. This fortified village features ruins of an eleventh-century citadel that blends into the surrounding rock and a perfect collection of churches and mansions.

St. Remy beautifully symbolizes the essence of Provence with its tree-lines boulevards, fountains and narrow streets. Vincent Van Gogh spent a year here and painted Wheat Field with Cypress and Ravine and nearby is an fascinating Roman ruin dating back to the first century AD. The hilly Chaine des Alpilles region around St. Remy boasts great riding options too.

Cycling out of the Alpilles we strike out for Cavaillon and the Durance River valley to the east.  From here we skirt the Plateau de Vaucluse as we continue the short distance to our hotel in St. Didier.

Start today on flat terrain as you ride around the imposing Mont Ventoux. This afternoon you’ll be dropping into a lower gear as you climb the rolling foothills of Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail range.

Today’s ride is unreal and you start out along the Ouveze and the Toulourenc rivers as you continue circling Mont Ventoux counter clockwise. Then it’s into the little town of Sault on the edge of the Plateau de Vaucluse.

Ever dreamt of climbing the most difficult climb from the Tour de France? If so, today is your chance! The 1909 meter Mont Ventoux climb is deceivingly tough. If you’re not up for the big challenge, the area around Sault is laced with fields of lavender, cereals and grazing sheep; perfect for a shorter ride like the fantastic Gorges du Nesque loop.

Today’s delightful route to Forcalquier takes us through a soft and hilly countryside of cool forests beneath rocky promontories dotted with old hilltop villages and dry stone huts. The views and atmosphere will leave you breathless. Tonight’s accommodation is out of town in a beautiful rural setting.

Today we’ll give you a few fantastic riding options to choose from. Feeling mellow and looking for a flatter option for an afternoon loop or are you keen on a remote and challenging ride into the Montagnes de Lure? Either way, you will be satisfied and you can come back to the hotel and sit by the pool.

Over the hills and far away is today’s theme as we pedal along lazy river valleys, though remote small towns and up and down hills. Expect to see a handful of cars for a good part of today. At the end of the day it’s downhill into Apt.

Apt is an interesting and vibrant small town well worth a morning walking tour. However, just beyond the town line is the real Provençal countryside of vineyards, estates, quaint villages and leisurely winding roads amongst the incessant chirping cicadas and the pleasant aroma of sage, lavender and thyme. Today, you can choose from a myriad of top rides that we’ll suggest.

This morning is market day in Apt and by mid-morning the town will be buzzing with stalls and shoppers from the region selling flowers, herbs, cheeses, crafts, arts and much, much more! Market day is also a great time to sit back at a café and watch the world go by. When it’s time to ride, you’ll pedal out of town on perfect quiets roads on a loop that we recommend. How about heading out to the dreamy town of Gordes for lunch, then a visit of the famous Senanque abbey, across to Murs and Roussillon. You will love the riding!

Our last day or riding, today we head south, traversing the Luberon.
Be sure to stop in Lourmarin with its chateau, and you could opt to do the small additional loop to the sweet little village of Vaugines with a great little café, Café de la Fontaine. From there it’s down to the Durance river and a final stop at the Silvacane monastery on the pastoral landscape of the south bank. With its pink-tiled roofs and small square bell tower, it offers a beautiful example of Cistecian beauty. Then its onto Equilles where we’ll transfer to our hotel near the Marseille airport.

Today we’ll shuttle you to Marseille’s Marignane airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage!