Bicycling Provence to the Pyrenees

Highlights: Roman buildings including the amphitheater or “Arena” and the Maison Carrée, a Roman temple in the Center of Nîmes

Our tour begins today in Nîmes, one of several cities founded along or near the Rhone River by the Romans in the first and second centuries B.C. Take time to visit the best-preserved Roman amphitheater in France, the “Arena” which is still used for Provençal style bull fights and the Maison Carrée, a perfectly preserved Roman temple dating to 16 BC. We’ll fit bicycles this afternoon and suggest a warm up ride of 5-15 km (3-9 miles) for those who wish. We have a welcome dinner together this evening.

Highlights: Mediterranean villages, lavender, sage, rosemary, Costières de Nîmes wines

We ride west into Languedoc through small wine villages of the Costières de Nîmes today. Aromatic drought-resistant scrub bushes and plants, including lavender, sage and rosemary, dot the landscape. Our hotel is in the foothills of the Costières de Nîmes a few kilometers outside of Anduze. If you are interested in plants, take time to visit the Bamboo Forest that you’ll pass by just before our hotel. Started in 1856, the gardens hosts a fascinating collection of exotic, tropical plants including 150 species of bamboo, Sequoia and banana trees.

Highlights: Tiny mountain roads, Al&eacutes

We pedal in the foothills of the Cévennes Mountains where you’ll have spectacular views and a gentle pace as we explore medieval villages that seem frozen in time. It was in the high Cévennes that Robert Louis Stevenson walked with his donkey, Modestine, and wrote his classic Travels with a Donkey. Plan to enjoy lunch in Alés, an important town in the Protestant fight for religious freedom, and home to Alphonse Daudet, and Louis Pasteur.

Highlights: One of our favorite bicycle rides anywhere, Market day in St Jean du Gard

People who have ridden today’s route tell us it is one of the prettiest rides on any of our tours. Enjoy traffic-free roads not much wider than a bike path, and get picnic supplies at one of the most charming local outdoor markets we know. We leave the Cévennes mountains behind as we glide downhill through the gorge of the Herault River to St-Guilhem-le-Désert (“desert” because it is the only village for as far as the eye can see).

Highlights: St-Guilhem-le-Désert, oyster beds, the Mediterranean Sea

It’s an easy ride to the Mediterranean coast today, so take some time to explore more of St. Guilhem’s medieval atmosphere. Here, in 904 AD William of Gellone established a monastery. The village still retains an ancient Medieval atmosphere. Part of the cloister from the monastery was moved to Manhattan in the 1930s and is now “The Cloisters” portion of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Stop in St. Guilhem for coffee and a stroll before heading on to the Mediterranean Sea. Our approach to the delightful seaside town of Sète will be via ferry and you’ll visit the famous oyster and mussel beds of the Etang de Thau.

Highlights: Roman Narbonne, Narbonne’s 13th century cathedral, Canal du Midi

We’re on the road again today among vineyards and farmland as we head to the ancient Roman city of Narbonne. Narbonne was built along the Via Domitia, the Roman road that connected Italy with Spain during the second century B.C. when Rome expanded beyond the Alps. We’ll bypass the busy city of Beziers and ride along the famous Canal du Midi. The canal connects Atlantic France with the Rhone River and Mediterranean France. Narbonne was and continues to be a major transportation corridor on the great coastal plain of Languedoc.

Highlights: Small country roads, Corbières vineyards, Canal du Midi, Carcassonne

Our leisurely ride today takes us across the flat plains of Languedoc to the perfectly preserved late Medieval town of Carcassonne. This corridor between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, bounded on the south by the Pyrenees Mountains, has been an important transportation route since pre-Roman times. Completed in the 13th century, the famous walls of Carcassonne were restored in the late 19th century. Before dinner, we’ll explore Carcassonne’s narrow ancient alleyways with a local guide.

Highlights: Carcassonne

Our tour ends today in Carcassonne. You might choose to stay another day here to take in all of the sights or head over the “pink” city of Toulouse to continue exploring. Whatever you choose, “bon voyage,” or, as they say in Catalan “bon viatge!”