The Vaucluse is a dream destination for cyclists. Here, you’ll ride through fantastic landscapes and ancient villages; you can conquer the mythical Mont Ventoux and if you’d like to have a break from the bike, charming Avignon is nearby. Trot Op! put on his tightest pair of cycling pants and went exploring.
Looking to grind some miles on a cycling holiday? Then you’d best pick a place as photogenic as possible. After all, spending six hours a day on a bike is a lot more pleasant if there’s actually some stuff to see along the way. In that respect, you can’t choose a better destination than the Vaucluse – right in the heart of French Provence. This green department is right next to the Côte d’Azur and offers cycling routes through endless vineyards, purple lavender fields and picturesque old villages worthy of being on a postcard. The landscapes are stunning and go from rolling hills and fields to rugged mountain peaks and deep ravines. Ideal for cycling, as long as you know how to stay upright.
The Vaucluse & Avignon: cycling in the shadow of Mont Ventoux
It’s not only the landscape that makes the Vaucluse one of Europe’s cycling meccas par excellence. The mythical Mont Ventoux can also be found here. Reaching the top of this imposing climb is a great achievement for any self-respecting cyclist, who can then mentally add himself to an impressive list of winners like Poulidor, Merckx, Pantani, Virenque, Froome and Van Aert. Murderous slopes of the Ventoux a bit too much for you? Don’t despair just yet. Rent yourself a decent electric bike, turn on the turbo mode and you’ll get to the top in no time. Enjoy the looks you’ll get from the “real” cyclists toiling and scrambling their way up, while you whistle past them like it’s nothing. Great sportsmanship it isn’t, but at least you get to enjoy the view without breaking a sweat.
“It doesn’t get any better than the Vaucluse for cycling fanatics. You’ll ride through vineyards and purple lavender fields, pass picturesque villages worthy of being on a postcard and the mythical Mont Ventoux is waiting for you here as well.”
Looking for a touch of culture after all that mileage? Make a small detour to Avignon. This cozy provincial town punches far above its weight in terms of history, and is home to several museums, a monstrous palace and a whole maze of colourful streets and squares to enjoy. Go on, have a big French brunch: you earned it. After you’ve finished the rides below, that is.
1. Ride down les Gorges de Nesque
One of the most beautiful routes you can cycle in the Vaucluse is undoubtedly the one along the jagged gorges of the river Nesque. If you start your ride in the town of Sault, you’ll almost exclusively be going downhill for dozens of miles, on brand new asphalt nonetheless (the Tour passed through recently, so everything got a makeover). You’ll rush down at breakneck speed next to deep gorges and past views you’d instantly get off your bike for if you weren’t descending so smoothly. On the route towards Pernes les Fontaines there are beautiful villages to discover, such as Venasque and Saint-Didier. Ideal for a well-deserved stop. You do have to learn to judge your turns before soaring downhill like Savoldelli though (look him up, kids). A steering error can easily be corrected; your face after it exploded against the pavement like an overripe tomato: not so much.
PS: In Sault, you’ll find Le Nesk Hotel: this is a new venue in a renovated monastery, fully focused on cycling tourism. You can safely charge or store your bike here, and the bar showcases several historic frames used by ex-Tour winners like Merckx. The view from the balcony is phenomenal.
2. Brantes: drink micro beers in a picture-perfect village
Brantes is a tiny but beautiful village stuck to a mountainside close to the Ventoux. You’ll pass it on the cycling route through La Vallée du Toulourenc, and upon arrival you’ll get one of the most beautiful views of your entire trip. You can also stop here right away, because Brantes is home to La Géante de Provence: a great microbrewery. Yes, the French had to import a Scotsman for it to work, but in the end they managed to finally get some decent beers – congratulations! In La Géante you can taste everything from stouts and IPAs to strawberry beers and even one with a hint of red pepper. Both spicy and refreshing! Also on the same route: Le Jardin Singulier. This is a beautiful patch of forest full of interactive works of art, where you can have lunch and browse through a hippie bookshop.
3. Vignoble des Templiers: wine tasting in an old templar chapel
The Vaucluse is an excellent place for wine lovers and you’ll often ride past one vineyard after another. Domaine Laurens near Roaix is one of the youngest. They only started growing grapes here in 2016, but now offer a varied selection of wines. The vineyard’s main building is a historic templar chapel dating back to the blessed year 1138 – which is also the name of one of their bottles. The beautiful garden can be used for lunches and dinners, but if you want your wine tasting to be a bit more active, you can explore the entire vineyard on a treasure hunt full of riddles and tests. By the way, the owner’s dog is sweet and affectionate in such a way, I almost took him home on my luggage carrier. Don’t forget to pet him ok? He’s the best of boys.
4. Ride a Segway through Vaison la Romaine
Tired of cycling? Get off your bike in Vaison la Romaine. This is a pretty medieval town with a Roman past: there are two major archaeological sites to visit. You can explore the old town on a Segway, which they call “gyropode” here because the brand name is protected and also because the French insist on giving everything a French name. If it’s your first time using one of these, it’ll be quite the adventure. When you test it out in the parking lot, you think you’ll never survive the ordeal, but after a minute or two of practice, the handling feels surprisingly natural. Before you know it, you’ll be whizzing through the narrow cobblestone streets of the town centre like some Cosco version of Emperor Nero, stately greeting the plebs. You’ll look like a complete jackass in your safety jacket and knee pads, but I guess you’ll have to live with that.
5. Rasteaux: do some offroad gravel cycling
As a cycling tourist in the Vaucluse, you don’t have to obediently follow the road. There are many gravel routes going through the area. From the Centre d’Hébergement et de Loisirs in Rasteau, three different routes depart through the countryside, leading you over gravel roads past places you would never have reached otherwise. You can simply rent the bicycles you need for this adventure here. They have bigger tires and are a bit more stable. If you want to take half your belongings with you while you’re at it, you can try your hand at so-called bikepacking. You’ll get a bike with lots of extra storage space, so it can serve as an on the road suitcase. A tiny two wheel mobile home so to speak.
6. Enjoy la belle vie in Avignon
Avignon is a medium-sized provincial town with an amazingly rich history – more on that later – and it still has a medieval wall around it. The old town is a maze of pedestrian streets full of cosy boutiques and cafés; on the many tree-shaded squares posh ladies drink their coffees, and those who want to soak up some culture will find it here as well. Avignon has a couple of beautiful green spots to enjoy. Many locals spend their weekends on the 700-hectare Île de la Barthelasse on the Rhône: one of the largest river islands in Europe. Hardly anyone lives there, it’s full of fruity orchards and it’s a nice place for some leisurely cycling. If you prefer to have your picnic a little closer to the main attractions, head to Parc Rocher des Doms, located above Palais des Papes. This is a pleasant park on a high rock, offering a view over the whole city. There’s even a little vineyard hidden on one of the slopes.
7. Visit Avignon’s Palais des Papes in VR
The reason for Avignon’s cultural richness is not hard to discover. During the 14th century, the Pope lived here and not in Rome. That was because the newly elected holy father turned out to be a Frenchman who – because of the political turmoil in Rome (or because of good old chauvinism, who knows) – refused to pack his things for Italy and stayed put. The next six French popes also stood their ground, so the entire circus moved to the Provence for seventy years. The Palais des Papes where they lived is – just as Jesus would have wanted it – a structure of monstrous proportions and the largest Gothic building ever built. It’s a testament to the power and wealth of the Catholic church, with metre-thick walls and vaulted halls you could play a football game in.
“The Palais des Papes of Avignon is – just as Jesus would have wanted it – a structure of monstrous proportions and the largest Gothic building ever built.”
Due to its immense size, the palace sometimes feels a bit empty on the inside. That’s why the tourist office came up with a creative solution to show the interior in its original state. With the histopad – a handy tablet you can get at the ticket office – you’ll see how everything used to look in VR. In reality, you’re walking through almost empty halls, but on your screen you’ll see richly decorated rooms, full of vibrant colours from a bygone era. It provides a lot of extra immersion, and you don’t even have to fire up your lazy imagination to get it. Do look away from your screen every now and then. Some of the stairs are pretty scary
8. Have lunch in Avignon les Halles
Fancy something tasty in Avignon without having to cross half city for it? Then head to Avignon Les Halles. This is an indoor food market with a green moss wall on the outside. From Tuesday to Sunday – until about two o’clock – more than forty vendors come and sell their wares here. You’ll find everything from meat and fresh fish to vegetables, fruit and a whole bunch of local delicacies. If you want, you can sit down in one of the little restaurants, but a better idea might be to gather all the ingredients for a first-class picnic at your leisure, and then feast on them outside in an idyllic spot of your choice.
9. Museums in Avignon
For a city with less than 100,000 inhabitants, there are a surprising number of excellent museums to visit in Avignon. There is Musée du Petit Palais opposite the palace proper, where paintings by Botticelli and Carpaccio – what’s in a name – can be marvelled at. Musée Angladon has Impressionists such as Manet and Cézanne on offer, supplemented by works by Picasso and Van Gogh. Collection Lambert, on the other hand, mainly offers modern art. Wallet kind of empty? Head to Musée Lapidaire. It’s completely free, located in an old Jesuit church and displays a lot of Greek, Roman and Etruscan artifacts. The choice is yours.
Fancy some other European trips? Read my articles on Duisburg, Noordwijk, Amsterdam, Porto, Crete, Croatia and Scotland.
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