After checking in at Auckland Airport this afternoon we board our Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore.
We’ll arrive this evening and transfer to our hotel.
We have a day at leisure in Singapore and this evening we transfer to the airport for our flight to Paris.
We have a late check out of 6.00pm at our hotel.
We arrive at Paris airport early this morning and transfer to our hotel.
(The hotel has been booked from the night before and so we can check in straight away).
Today there will be opportunity to explore the local area, take in some daylight and try and adjust those body clocks to European time.
The day is free to do what you wish with… or you can explore Paris with Helen, your Tour Leader.
This morning we make our way to the Train Station to catch the TGV to Aix-en-Provence.
On arrival we walk to our hotel and check in.
The rest of the afternoon is at leisure and this evening we have dinner at a local restaurant.
We have a guided walking tour of Aix-en-Provence this morning.
The first part of the afternoon is at leisure and late afternoon we have a pre-tour briefing with our cycle guide.
This evening we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Today we will see a big part of the Provence landscape: olive trees, lots of water and a few small mountains. First we will leave Aix-en-Provence behind us.
Soon the region will become more agricultural and many fields and plantations accompany us towards the Etang de Berre, the largest inland lake in France. We are still in the flat regions near the Mediterranean Sea, but on the horizon we can already see some hills rising up.
Today’s destination, Maussane, is located in the Alpilles, the “small Alps” – which fortunately are not higher than 1700 ft.
This evening we have dinner at a local restaurant.
We have a rest day in Maussane-les Alpilles – and there is so much to do. The area around Les Baux itself, with its extraordinary rock formations, has enough attractions to keep you busy for a day. The village of Les Baux with its castle ruin is definitely worth a visit. But we are here for cycling, and there are some options as well.
There is a very scenic route into the adjacent town of Arles, almost a must-see with its Roman amphitheatre. If you still have enough energy left, you should extend the trip into the Camargue to see the white horses, the black bulls and the pink flamingos. Those of you that do not want to go this far, can easily ride back to our hotel from Arles directly. On the way back you can visit the remarkable Abbey of Montmajour.
We are leaving Maussane-les-Alpilles on a very scenic road today. As soon as we have left the Alpilles behind, the landscape becomes flat again.
After visiting a few sights, some of which are more than 2,000 years old, we reach the Rhone River again. Tarascon and Beaucaire are inviting us for lunch in one of the many small restaurants. From here on we can follow the official Rhone River cycle path, the ViaRhôna, until we arrive in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. The cycle path would lead all the way to Lake Geneva – do not miss the turnoff, otherwise it will be a long day!
This evening we have dinner at a local restaurant.
This is one of these rest days, when 24 hours are just not enough to see or do everything you could or should! One option is definitely to rest and take it easy – sleep in, stroll through Villeneuve a little bit, maybe visit the local sights like the monastery La Chartreuse or the castle Saint-André.
A definite must-see is Avignon, waiting for you on the other side of the Rhone River, with its UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the historic old town. And for the avid bikers there is also a very attractive destination not too far away: the famous and gorgeous aqueduct Pont-du-Gard, which can be explored by foot and bike.
Avignon was the residence of the pope – and in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, just a few miles up the Rhone River, was his vineyard.
It is a bit early in the day to do a proper wine-tasting, but we will use the opportunity to learn about the wine growing in the region.
On beautiful cycle paths we will ride towards the department Vaucluse and we can feel the terrain become more mountainous again. The most famous mountain in Vaucluse is Mt. Ventoux, a famous climb of the Tour de France – fortunately, the 6263 ft. high mountain is far enough away from our route. We prefer to stop at the very picturesque Senanque Abbey, before we let our bikes roll down towards Gordes.
This evening we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Today really is a REST day; we will take it easy. If you want, you can spend the day in Gordes, maybe go for a little hike, or just sit back and relax.
The cyclists also have an easy day ahead of them; today there is almost more sightseeing than cycling on our schedule. First we can let our bicycles roll down the hill into the valley. Our first stops are a lavender museum and an olive oil mill – we can finally find out why there are so many olive groves and lavender fields. From here, a beautiful cycle path takes us back to the foot of the hills. Now we ride back up to Roussillon, the home of the colour ochre. Eventually we will ride back to Gordes, where we could enjoy the rest of the day with a good glass of wine.
Today’s route from Gordes to Aix-en-Provence is dominated by a real “high”-light: we cross the Luberon. This limestone mountain range reaches up to 3,600 ft. and its gorgeous nature has been under protection since 1977, when it was declared “Natural Park Luberon”. Fortunately there is a small gap between the Petit Luberon in the west and the Grand Luberon in the east – that is where we will cut through.
Picturesque villages line the way; you could stop every five minutes and take a photo or explore the small streets of an old town. We pick the most beautiful ones, and then we head further south. After crossing the Durance River, we will visit the Silvarcane Abbey. And then it is not far to our destination, Aix-en-Provence.
This evening we have our Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.
Today we take the TGV back to Paris.
On arrival we walk to our hotel and check in.
Today is at leisure in Paris.
This evening we transfer to Paris airport for our flight to Singapore.
We arrive at Singapore airport early this evening and transit through to our flight home.
Home to New Zealand with special memories of enjoying the active life in Provence.