Tour de Provence Roman: Cycling Holiday Provence

The tour is 7 days long with 5 days cycling. If you arrive early on day 1 you may wish to take an optional cycle (as detailed in the itinerary) in which case you would have 6 days of cycling.

This cycling tour is graded relaxed to moderate (2.5/5), with some hills and distances sometimes near 60 km (37 mi) in a day. The cycling groups are limited to 16 and have 2 guides both fluent in French and English, together with a support van that’s never far away.

Provence offers quintessential French villages, stunning fields of lavender, distant snow-capped mountain peaks, and famous star-studded seaside towns of the Cote d’Azur.

This cycling holiday in Provence focusses on the Roman heritage sites in Provence but also highlights local cuisine, wine and cultural experiences.

If you wish to have your own room then a single supplement is payable.

If you have a vehicle the tour operator can arrange secure parking for your car and return you to it after the tour.

All evening meals are included, and the tour operator carefully selects the restaurants for cuisine and ambience, favouring those with a strong regional flavor. All meals include a starter, main course and dessert; some will have an additional cheese course. The tour operator is happy to arrange for the restaurants to cater for specific dietary requirements, allergies, etc.

They also include wine with the meals, again favouring the local appellations of which there are so many! Breakfasts are included, usually continental although many hotels will provide a buffet-style breakfast. The tour does not include lunch as different people have different requirements, but the tour operator can suggest restaurants for lunch. The guides will often organize picnics on days where the itinerary and weather are suitable.

Yes, the tour operator provides lightweight alloy framed Trek ‘hybrid’ touring bicycles with 24 indexed gears, fully equipped with lock, pump and toolkit (although the guides will generally be on hand to fix punctures and minor mechanical problems). For carrying the items you might need during the day (camera, wallet, windbreaker etc.) a capacious handlebar bag is fitted, which also features a large map pocket. These clip on and off the bike in a flash so that you can always take your valuables with you when off the bike. The bikes are meticulously maintained and the tour operator keeps a wide range of sizes; female specific saddles are also available.

The tour operator also carries rain capes should they be required (but hopefully not!). For certain tours, they also have available 27-speed drop-handlebar race-style bikes, and tandems may also be available on certain tours by special request.

The tour operator does not provide helmets automatically, as they find people prefer their own if they want to wear one, and sizing and fit is quite personal; however, they always have helmets available for use.

You will have two guides on every tour; one cycling with the group and one in the minibus which will follow the group. The bus carries all luggage not required for the day's ride and will always be available for anyone at any point during the day. If for instance, you want to take a day off the bike, or if a particular day seems a little hard, the bus will take you for as long or as little as you wish it to.

To ensure maximum flexibility for all riders, everybody is provided with detailed route maps for each day, and both guides are easily contactable by mobile phone. The guides are enthusiastic experts on the local area and will be able to sort out any problems or special requests that you might have.

Yes, 18 is the minimum age for the tour.

The tours are kept to a small size of just 16 participants.