Provence – the origin of savoir-vivre

Tag 1: Ankunft in Aix-en-Provence
The adventure begins! At 4 o'clock in the afternoon you will meet the tour guides at the tour start hotel.

Tag 2: Aix-en-Provence - Maussane-les-Alpilles
We leave beautiful Aix-en-Provence, ride west and soon reach the Étang de Berre, the largest inland lake in France. Here, a jump into the cool water or a café au lait on the beach is tempting before we reach the small, ancient village of Miramas-le-Vieux at the northern end of the lake. We can see it perched on a hill from afar and look forward to strolling through the medieval alleys and grabbing a bite to eat. From here, it's not far to our destination for the day, Les Baux-de-Provence, a small village overlooked by a huge, ruined castle.

Tag 3: Maussane-les-Alpilles
On our first rest day, we will make an excursion to the nearby town of Arles, which is one of the most attractive towns in Provence. Under the Romans it experienced its greatest flowering and to this day it has lost none of its splendor. Especially the amphitheater and the other Roman buildings are very impressive. Just behind Arles begins the famous Camargue with its flamingos and white horses. Of course, we will not miss this unique nature experience!

Tag 4: Maussane-les-Alpilles - Villeneuve-lès-Avignon
The day begins with a climb, we cross the small mountain range Les Alpilles, whose bare limestone peaks look like they are covered in snow when the sky is blue. North of it is the small town of Saint-Remy-de- Provence, where Nostradamus was born, and Vincent van Gogh lived for a year. It is worthwhile to linger here for a while. In the afternoon we reach Avignon, which captivates us with its beautiful old town, the Pope's Palace and of course the famous bridge. Our accommodation is on the other side of the Rhône, in the charming and quiet village of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.

Tag 5: Villeneuve-lès-Avignon
Near Avignon is the Pont du Gard, one of the most famous Roman buildings in France and of course we do not miss it. This 2000-year-old aquaeduct is a masterpiece of Roman architecture and an absolute feast for the eyes! The way there is also beautiful, as we ride along the rivers Rhône and Gardon, while the way back takes us through extensive vineyards.

Tag 6: Villeneuve-lès-Avignon - Gordes
We follow the Rhône upstream a little further and admire the ruins of the former papal summer residence in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which was built about 800 years ago. We then head east, crossing lonely and mostly flat stretches of land before the foothills of the Monts de Vaucluse tower up before us. In a secluded valley and surrounded by lavender fields is the Abbey of Notre Dame de Sénanque. It looks as if it has fallen out of time and we let ourselves be enchanted by it before we move into our quarters a few kilometers further on, in Gordes.