Provence by foot or by bike: one of the best active holiday destination!
When you think about France, Provence always appear as one of the top destinations in terms of walking tours and cycling holidays. Provence is a cultural region that covers most of the south eastern part of France, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region. Extending from Avignon, the Papal city down to Marseille, find out our top three reasons to travel to Provence, to enjoy what will certainly be one of your best walking or cycling experiences of your life.
1. The landscape
It is no secret, the landscape of Provence is one of the main reasons why hikers and cyclist travel across the world to come to Provence. With its iconic mountains, such as the Alpilles, that inspired artists – the most famous being Van Gogh -, the Luberon, home to some of the most beautiful villages of France – Gordes, Roussillon… - and to the very famous Provence lavender fields. Last but not least, the Mont Ventoux appears as a heavyweight in terms of hiking and cycling challenge. Made famous by the Tour de France, the Mont Ventoux is often dreaded by many cyclists, professional or amateur, as it is considered to be one of the most difficult stages of the Tour de France as it was first introduced on the itinerary in 1951 : most of its ascension turns around the 10°degree incline, it is sparsely vegetated making it very difficult for the cyclist to face the heat and the strong winds that blow over the summit of this isolated mountain – the average speed of the wind is of 90km/h and it blows for about 200 days per year. The Mont Ventoux became even more famous, for a sad reason, because of the death of Tom Simpson, during the 1967 Tour de France, which sparked the beginning of the fight against doping in cycling.
2. The sites
With an incredible variety of influences, as many population have lived in Provence, from the Ligure and Celts, the Greeks, the Romans, the Germanic tribes…., Provence has a rich cultural history that you can discover thanks to our Provence walking tours or Provence cycling holidays: from the quaint Provence villages -such as Gordes, Roussillon, Saint-remy-de-Provence… -, the Roman influenced cities of Orange, Arles and Saint Remy, or even the gypsy pilgrimage city of Sainte-Marie-de-la-Mer. With its incredible towns, villages, monuments and sites, be sure to, when doing a walking or cycling tour in Provence, to be flabbergasted by its cheer beauty.
3. The culture
From the influences of the many environing cultures, Provence has created its very own one: with its Provençal language, it created its customs, gastronomy, art… Wandering in Provence, also means that you will discover every single aspect of the day to day life in Provence: taste the local cuisine, with iconic recipes such as the “Daube Provençale”, the “Soupe au Pistous, the “Pissaladière” and many more. Accompanied with some of the most beautiful wines produced in France, enjoy a glass (or two) of the amazing Côte du Rhone wines. What would be a Provence walking tour or a Provence cycling holiday without a great well-deserved meal afterwards?
The locals are as colourful as their cuisine known to be exuberant (as the Northerners say), the “Provençaux” are energetic, friendly but also outspoken. If they have something to say, they will certainly say it!
Their friendliness and because they have as we say their heart on their sleeve, meeting people from Provence will definitely give you great memories and will allow you to sink in the atmosphere!
Provence is at the crossroads of many influences as it borders on its west with the Occitanie region, on its East with Italy, South with the Mediterranean Sea and its Arabic influences across it and finally up North with the region of Rhône-Alpes, a more industrious part of France. Its position made this cultural region a melting pot, that over the course of several centuries, allowed this part of France to create their very own culture, that you will enjoy discovering by foot or by bike.
