E-Biking in Provence

Tour Type:

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Activity:

Leisure Cycling | Leisure Cycling

Activity Level & Terrain

This trip is graded "easy to moderate" overall with the use of an e-bike. However, should you be travelling with someone who does not wish to ride an e-bike then the trip is graded "moderate" as the rolling terrain packs more of punch without the extra assistance provided by an e-bike motor. You should be in good physical fitness to fully enjoy the cycling on this tour. If you cycle a few times each month as part of an active lifestyle and enjoy actively seeking new sights, this trip should suit you.

Daily routes vary from 22-41 km (13-25 miles) each day with one optional loop ride from Gordes. The terrain is undulating, but not especially challenging with no technical descents, and with the assistance of an e-bike hills you may have considered intimidating suddenly seem very doable. Daily ascent varies between 105m and 601m on the toughest day from Gordes to Bedoin. Make sure to take plenty of breaks especially if cycling in the heat of the day and stay hydrated.

French traffic generally has respect for the "velo" and where there isn’t a cycle lane (or shoulder) you should be given plenty of space, but you should be comfortable sharing the road with vehicles, as the first and final days of riding include short sections on single carriageway roads with faster flowing traffic.

Navigation

The route is largely not signposted and follows a mixture of quiet country roads, cycle paths, and includes some short stretches on busier roads when there is normally a narrow cycle lane (or shoulder). We provide you with detailed turn-by-turn route notes, GPX tracks and maps in our GPS Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app. Simply download the routes to your phone for offline use and off you go!

• 6 Nights in hand-picked B&B's and small hotels
• 6 Breakfasts
• Rental of an e-bike for each person on the trip
• Luggage transfers
• Transfer on day 7 from Chateauneuf du Pape to Avignon TGV train station
• Information pack
• Access to route notes, detailed maps, and GPS tracks in the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
• 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our office

• Travel to / from Avignon
• Lunches, dinners, drinks & snacks
• Personal equipment
• Travel insurance (required)

• Additional nights before, during or after the trip

When To Go

You can start on any day of the week from April to October, subject to availability. Peak holiday months in Provence are June, July and August so we suggest contacting us as soon as your plans are finalised if you wish to travel during this time. The lavender, that’s so iconic of region, normally blooms from mid-June until it’s harvested in mid-August.

Weather and Climate

Getting to the Start

The trip begins and ends in Avignon—easily accessible from Marseille and Lyon airports via train and shuttle bus in under 2 hours. Alternatively, if you are combining the trip with a visit to Paris, or it’s simply easier to get a direct flight to Paris, it’s a 4 hour train journey (with changes) to Avignon. Marseille and Lyon are well connected across Europe with direct flights, but if you’re flying from further afield we recommend taking an internal flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport or taking the train.

The trip includes a private taxi transfer from Chateauneuf du Pape to Avignon TGV train station for ease on your onward travel day. This transfer can be amended to anytime before noon to suit your travel plans.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be transferred between your accommodations as per your itinerary. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

The trip includes a private taxi transfer from Chateauneuf du Pape to Avignon TGV train station for ease on your onward travel day. This transfer can be amended to anytime in the morning to suit your travel plans.

General Information

The reviews for this trip, up until December 2019, are based on a previous similar itinerary. Since then we have relaunched the trip with improvements to accommodations and pedalled the route to make this trip even better! 

Equipment

Our pre-departure information pack has detailed advice and a kit list on what to bring with you to Provence. You’ll need to wear a helmet, bringing your own is always more comfortable than hiring one. We also recommend a rechargeable battery pack and a light weight handlebar mount for navigation. 

On this tour hire of an e-bike (9 speed Scott E-Sub) is included from the evening of day 1, or from the morning of day 2, until the evening of day 6 when the bike will be collected from your accommodation. Our local partner will drop your bike off at the first accommodation and provide a fitting service to make sure you are happy with everything before your trip begins.

We recommend that you have some prior experience riding e-bikes before beginning the trip—with the motor and battery they are likely to be heavier than your bike at home and will handle differently. However, you’ll soon be motoring along enjoying a little extra help on the hills allowing you to relax and enjoy the scenery. You can control the level of assistance depending on the steepness of the terrain and your energy levels. Please let us know your height, and the frame size you currently ride. We’re happy to answer any questions you have about the hire bike. 

Please note that numbers of e-bikes are limited so to confirm your trip we must first confirm availability of the correct size e-bike.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.