Teachers' Travel       
Guided Barge and Cycle

Avignon to Aigues Mortes      Provence, France   
 
Itinerary Two:  Starting in Avignon
Day 1. Avignon
Individual arrival and boarding after 5 p.m. in Avignon. The mooring place is in Quai de la Ligne next to the famous Pont St. Bénezet.
 
Day 2. Avignon, circle tour (30 km)
Today we’ll cross to the other side of the river Rhone by crossing the Îsle de la Barthelasse and we then ride through the typical "garrigue" landscape between vineyards and orchards. Before returning to Avignon we visit Villeneuve Les Avignon, once known to be the "town of the cardinals" when popes resided in Avignon in the 1300's. In the afternoon there is free time to discover Avignon with its Papal Palace and medieval walls. If you like history be sure to do the audioguide tour of the "Pont d'Avignon". You might also like to visit the Avignon market or stop at one of the many
 
Day 3. Avignon – Aramon (40 km)
In the morning our barge cruises to the town of Aramon where we start cycling. The stage today will bring us to the best preserved Roman aqueduct in Europe, the Pont du Gard, a spectacular ancient work of Roman engineers. Overnight in Aramon with a beautiful view over Mont Ventoux.
 
Day 4. Aramon – Vallabrègues (35 km)
We start our day sailing to Vallabrègues, a pretty Provençal village on the banks of the Rhône. From here, along country roads, we cycle to Barbentane with its castle at the confluence of the Rhone and Durance rivers.  We continue to the magnificent Abbey of Saint Michel de Frigulet and afterwards down to the medieval village of Boulbon. Overnight in Vallabrègues.
 
5. Vallabrègues – Arles (55 km)
This stage brings us to Saint Remy de Provence, birthplace of Nostradamus. This village is also famous for having hosted Van Gogh in the days of his mental illness and where he painted some of his most famous works.. We move on to the Alpilles, with Les-Baux-de-Provence, a village lodged in the rock itself. The sun-drenched Provence landscape is filled with limestone cliffs and olive trees.
 
6. Arles – Aigues-Mortes (35 km)
Today the whole morning is dedicated to visiting Arles, the ancient capital of Gaul with beautiful Roman ruins. A professional tour guide accompanies the group around the jewels of the town. After lunch we reach the lock of Saint Gilles and from there we sail to Aigues Mortes for an overnight stay.
 
7. Aigues Mortes, circle tour (55 km)
This is flat easy cycling through small country lanes of the Camargue between canals, lagoons and small villages.   The Camargue is a nature reserve known for its wildlife. At the charming fishermen’s village Le Grau-du-Roi there is a possibility of a swim at the beach before returning to Aigues-Mortes.  The town of Aigues-Mortes was originally built by St Louis in the 1200's as his launching place for his crusades to the Middle East and his medieval walls still stand. One can walk atop these ramparts to have views over the town and over the surrounding Camargue.
 
8. Aigues Mortes
Tour ends after breakfast.

On this tour a minivan is available for emergencies. The same van offers alternative excursions for those customers who don’t want to cycle on some days or can organize transfers to shorten the longest stages. These extra services are not included and must be paid on site.

The programme has been planned to feature navigation along the Rhone River and Rhone-Sète Canal. Due to organisational reasons, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during the holiday. Issues with high and low water, as well as logistic obstacles such as officially ordered - previously not announced - repair work on locks or bridges can modify some of the daily stretches or overnight stays and may even require a transfer by bus. These decisions are only taken by the boat’s captain.

Bike and Barge Provence
Dates and Prices
Itinerary 1 Contact us and Booking
Itinerary 2 About the Barges
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