Freewheeling & cycling through the Luberon and lavender fields trip

Your Provence cycling trip begins in the quaint town of Isle sur la Sorgue. This veritable island of a village is carved into a circle by the waters of the Sorgue, with quaint quayside antique shops and a labyrinth of narrow roads in the centre.

Meals included : none
Night : Isle sur la Sorgue

Great market on Thursday & Sunday (big & famous one) morning in Isle sur la Sorgue

This first ride takes you through the Pays des Sorgues, its back roads lined with cypresses and old farmhouses. You reach Pernes-les-Fontaines, with its 40 fountains, its Romanesque church, its mansions. You then explore the peaceful landscapes and the perched villages of the Monts de Vaucluse, northern Luberon. Venasque, a medieval town, is labelled as one of “the most beautiful villages of France”. You continue on toward lost hamlets on tiny country roads through cherry orchards and Muscat vineyards, all the way down  to Isle through pine forests and quaint valleys.

Ride : Isle > Venasque > Isle | 40 km - 25 miles | Elevation: +400m/-400m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Isle sur la Sorgue

Your biking journey takes you to two of the most beautiful villages in the region, ending in the picturesque village of Bonnieux. First is Gordes, its grey stone buildings rising in gravity-defying concentric circles, high above the Calavon valley below, crowned by its renaissance castle. In a stark contrast is Roussillon, set on the world’s largest ochre deposit. Its sands, in every hue of yellow, orange, and red, have been used to paint the façades of the village homes, a rainbow of colour highlighted by the ever-present Provençal sun. Stroll through the pigmented streets or the abandoned ochre quarry, a guaranteed postcard picture with every step, before hopping back on your bike. You continue onwards to the perched village of Bonnieux 

Ride : Isle > Bonnieux | 40 km - 25 miles | Elevation: +700m/-430m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Bonnieux

Heading eastward from Bonnieux, you ride through a countryside dotted with stone villas and bories, passing secluded and mysterious truffle oak plantations. You cross the hollow that divides the Luberon mountains in two, and ride atop the scenic Claparèdes plateau, carpeted with lavender. You continue eastward to the tiny and lost villages of Auribeau and Castellet, far off the tourist-radar. You wind down leasurely to the Calavon valley, where a cycle-only path leads you into the town of Apt. Filled with quaint restaurants and cafés - and the world capital of candied fruit- Apt provides the perfect setting for a lunch break, replenishing your energy for your climb back to Bonnieux, on a quiet road lined with vineyards.

Ride : Bonnieux > Auribeau > Bonnieux | 49 km - 30 miles | Elevation: +630m/-630m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Bonnieux 

Market on Friday morning in Bonnieux

There's a reason Peter Mayle chose the Luberon to settle down and write his tales, and today you will see why!
Whether Lacoste, Oppède, and Ménerbes, set on their rocky perches overlooking the valley, with their cafés, tiny shops, windy streets, and picturesque lookouts, is an invitation to explore at length. In between each of those villages, along tiny roads, you will cycle past old farmhouses and centuries-old dry stone huts, and among truffle oak plantations and almond trees. Your Provence cycling holiday ends in l’Isle sur la Sorgue.

Ride : Bonnieux > Menerbes > Isle | 35 km - 22 miles | Elevation: +300m/-600m
Meals included : breakfast