France Provence and Camargue

France Provence and Camargue
Ratatouille and Bouillabaisse
Beratung & Buchung
Kristof Halasz
France
Inclusive services
17 nights incl. breakfast
6 dinners
City tour in Aix, Avignon and Arles
Entry fee Ockerfelsen
Entry fee Lavender museum
Entry fee Olive oil mill
Eintritt Theater Orange
Wine tasting Châteauneuf-du-Pape
All interim shuttles during the tour by train and bus
Rotalis guide during the whole tour
Rotalis service bus during the whole tour
Rotalis touring bike (excluded electric bikes)
Tagesablauf
Arrival: Saturday
Your room will be ready at the hotel "Cézanne" at 2 p.m., a comfortable and centrally located hotel near the
railway station. At 4.30 p.m. your tour guide awaits you in the reception hall for a sightseeing tour through
the historic center. Sightseeing tour and accommodation from Saturday to Sunday are already included in
the package price.
1st Day Sunday: Aix-en-Provence – Fontaine de Vaucluse (29 miles)
A day full of scenic highlights awaits. After a one hour bus ride into the minor Luberon, we start our bike
tour on a road closed for public traffic with fantastic views over the plains. Then, we descend into the
Durance valley. Along agricultural fields and fruit groves we reach Fontaine de Vaucluse, where we will be
accommodated at the „Hôtel du Poète", a nicely renovated water mill at the Sorgue riverbank (swimming
pool). It takes 20 minutes by foot to one of the world’s largest karstic springs. Our restaurant is located only
a few minutes from the Hotel near the river.
2nd Day Monday: Fontaine de Vaucluse – Cabrières d’Avignon (43 miles)
In about one hour a bus takes us on top of Mount Ventoux, offering a terrific view and an everlasting
impression, on a clear day. About 19 miles of gentle descent with only three ascending legs lie ahead of us
until we reach today’s destination. Near Sault we reach the Plateau de Vaucluse, a thinly populated karst
landscape with rambling flocks of sheep and large fields of lavender. Again our bicycles roll down the hill
until we reach Gordes, a jewel among Provencal villages due to its exposed position and mediterranen
Flair. Only a few Kilometers separate us from our Hotel, the "Bastide de Voulonne". Monsieur and Madame
Hemery made their dream of a charming guesthouse come true. The comfortable hotel offers an outdoor
pool and an excellent cuisine. (2 nights)
3rd Day Tuesday: Round trip through Luberon (26 miles)
Our route leads along quiet roads into the heart of the “red rocks”. Surrounded by steep faces in various
ochreous shades lies Roussillon, its houses picturesquely matching the ochery ground. Very imposing are
the distinct colours and forms created by wind and rain in an open ocre cavity. Somewhere below Goult a
particularly nice spot invites for a picnic, offering a panoramic view onto the heights of Luberon and
Vaucluse. Along our route back to the hotel, we visit an interesting museum where we gain insight into the
history of lavender and its processing. We spend our second night at the “Bastide de Voulonne”.
4th Day Wednesday: Cabrières d’Avignon – Arles (30 miles)
In the morning, we take a bus shuttle onto a hill in the Alpilles. Our lonely route takes us along jagged
limestone rocks with beautiful panoramic views and through seemingly endless olive groves to Mausanne,
the “secret olive capital” of France. In the afternoon, our leg leads through the Crau, Europe’s last stone
prairie, to Arles, probably the most beautiful city at the Rhone river. We are welcomed at the “Grand Hôtel
Nord Pinus”, a famous 4-star hotel in the nicest place of the town which already inspired Van Gogh to his
famous “Café de Nuit”. On our way to this evening’s restaurant we will show you the most beautiful and
important sights of Arles. (2 nights)
5th Day Donnerstag: Roundtrip Camargue (25 miles)
Surrounded by the delta distributary of the Rhone river, the Camargue stretches from the city boundaries of
Arles to the sea. We circle this huge natural reserve on quiet, completely flat paths, mostly reserved for
hikers and bikers. The northern part, today Europe’s largest rice growing area, has preserved its
nativeness, regardless of its touristic attraction. In these wetlands at the mouth of the Rhone around 400
varieties of birds have been counted, which feel at home in the brackish water ponds. The salt-water lakes
attract flocks of flamingos. One often sees herds of half-wild white Camargue ponies or black bulls called
"manades". In the afternoon, we will reach Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a famous pilgrimage site with a
Romanesque defensive church. The bus will take us back to Arles for our second night at the "Grand Hôtel
Nord Pinus".
6th Da Friday: Arles – Avignon (24 miles)
After breakfast, we take the train and reach Orange within 30 minutes. Our cycle route leads through this
lively town to the Roman Theater, which is extremely well preserved and one of the most beautiful theaters
of the antiquity. Soon, we find ourselves in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the most famous wine village of the
Provence and a former papal summer residence. Continuing, we pass Villeneuve-les-Avignon, called "the
city of Cardinals", due to the estates they owned during the papacy. In the early afternoon, we reach
Avignon, known as "the city of Popes" and site of world-historical events in the 14th century. We spend our
last night at the "Hôtel Cloître Saint Louis", a luxuious 4-star Hotel in a historic building (swimming pool),
and have our farewell dinner in an excellent Restaurant in town.
7th Day Saturday: Avignon
In the morning, on a guided tour through Arles, we visit the Pope’s Palace, one of the most important
secular buildings of Gothic architecture, as well as the Cathedral Notre-Dame-des-Doms. Once again, we
enjoy the Provencal ambience in this picturesque town. Our tour ends about noon, there are hourly trains to
the airport of Marseille (about 50 minutes).
Dates and prices
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