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Rhone Valley

4-day cycling tour on ViaRhôna from Montélimar to Avignon

Discover biking along the ViaRhôna from Montélimar to Avignon, from the orchards in the Drôme to the vineyards in Provence. A trip rich of new tastes and culture!

Reviews (8) :
4.38 / 5
Reference VR0403
  • Itinerant trip
  • 4 days
  • Very easy
  • From April to October
  • Minimum age 8 years
GPSGPS-app available
410€ / pers.
  • Itinerary
  • Take the chance of a short 3-day biking trip to discover the ViaRhôna from Montélimar, city of the famous "nougats" to Avignon and its "Palais des Papes". This colorful part of the itinerary gently takes you to the heart of Provence. You follow the bike path along the ViaRhôna to Pont-Saint-Esprit, then keep on biking on small typical roads of Provence. Discover a wild Rhône river snaking through orchards and vineyards. Your trip ends in the gorgeous historical cities of Orange and Avignon, witnesses of a prestigious past.

    Day 1

     
     

    Arrival in Montélimar

    Wellknown stop on the road to the South, Montélimar has a flair of Provence! Walk the pedestrian streets in the old district, admire the colorful houses and enjoy a drink sitting in sidewalk cafes in the cool shade of trees. You can’t miss tasting the famous nougats which will rejoice kids and parents.

    Day 2

     
     

    Montélimar - Pont-Saint-Esprit

    Bike
    49km
    Leave Montélimar and ride through the medieval cities of Viviers and Donzère, witnesses of the flourishing past in the area. Your next stop will be Bourg-Saint-Andéol with its numerous historical buildings. There, you’ll see the most important bas relief in antique Gaule. Then, you will reach Pont-Saint-Esprit, crossroad of 3 departements : Vaucluse, Ardèche and Gard. Cross its 700 years old stone bridge and enjoy the beautiful view over the medieval city and its cathedral. It is a jump in History!

    Day 3

     
     

    Pont-Saint-Esprit - Orange

    Bike
    36km
    You keep on following the Rhône river to reach Caderousse. This Provence village is a beauty with its stone dam protecting the town since the 19th century against the regurlar floodings.

    You leave the Rhône river to cross the plains and discover the roman city of Orange.The typical ochre colors of the city will tell you you are in Provence. With an exceptional historical heritage, Orange will take you back to the heart of the Roman civilisation. Of course, you will visit the Antique Theatre, very well preserved and still used today during the summer festival and admire the impressive Triumph Arch.

    Day 4

     
     

    Orange - Avignon

    Bike
    42km
    You leave Orange to reach Châteauneuf-du-Pape and its 3000 hectares of vineyards. Of course, tasting its Grands Crus is a must!
    Take a stroll in the small streets of the village up to the ancient Chateau des Papes, resort place for the Popes from Avignon.

    Then your path takes you through the beautiful vineyards back to the Rhône banks. Following the river, you’ll get slowly to the impressive Cité des Papes. Admire the gorgeous treasure of Avignon : the Palais des Papes, the bridge Saint Bénezet named « Avignon’s bridge », the city walls, the numerous churches and chapels...
  • Accommodation
  • Category B

    You are accommodated in **/*** hotels selected for their ideal situation on the itinerary. You will be comfortable and warmly welcomed. Breakfast is included.
    * Example of the type of accommodation
  • Bikes, luggage and documents
  • Bikes

    On your arrival day, we provide you with:

    • a touring bike adjusted to your size or a tandem
    • equipped : front rack pack with an integrated file compartment, saddlebag, helmet (on demand), reflective vest, repairing toolkit with patches etc.

    We also provide you with the appropriate equipment for your children : baby seat, bike trailer or trailer bike depending on their age and size.

    Electric bikes are also available for adults (+1m55).

    You can of course also bring your own bikes, in this case a reduction will be applied (see the Tarif tab)


    Luggage


    For this trip, bikes are equipped with 2 waterproof saddle bags with a capacity of 10 to 20L each to transport your luggage. Do not forget to put your items in a soft travel bag to be able that you can roll it up in your saddle bags.

    For more comfort, you can choose to add luggage transport in your booking:
    (see rate in "Prices")

    • We transport your luggage from one accommodation to the next using a private vehicle.
    • Your luggage is directly delivered in your accommodation before you arrive.
    • We provide a saddlebag for the things you shall need during the day.(included in your bike rental).
    • We advise to take an extra set of clothes with you if you expect to arrive before 5p.m. at your accommodation.

    Our word of advice : as we know from experience, we strongly recommend you to avoid wearing a backpack during your cycling trip.


    Travel documents

    A cycling holiday is the best way to explore a region and discover its culture, landscapes and local traditions.

    Your tour is self-guided to give you the freedom to ride at your own pace. You will be provided all the information you need to enjoy the itinerary and its points of interests.

    Our documentation contains a very detailed description of the itinerary. No matter how you usually navigate, you will find your way thanks to our comprehensive guidance material including:
    • a roadbook with maps that we drew at the easiest scale to follow on a bike
    • a roadbook with step-by-step description giving the direction to follow at each intersection and highlighting the points of interest

    Example of a map and of a step-by-step description


    For this short trip your travel documents will be sent electronically.


    Our GPS App

    For this trip, you can also use our smartphone app featuring GPS guidance (without extra fee).

    You will find in the app all the information given in the map and step-by-step roadbooks. You will be located on the itinerary with the GPS device of your phone. The route and directions to follow will be both viewable on the screen of your phone and announced aloud. As you ride along the itinerary, you will be given information about visits, restaurants, services and useful alerts on the way.

    -> You need to have a smartphone and download Le Velo Voyageur app on your Apple or Android store before the trip. All details concerning the downloading and the use of the application will be given after we have confirmed the booking and the balance is paid. Once the trip is downloaded, the GPS guidance can be used off-line.
  • Practical information
  • To get to departure point:

    • By plane: flight to Lyon or Montpellier, then take a regional or TGV train to Montélimar.
    • By train: Direct TGV trains from Paris, Gare de Lyon. The duration of the trip is about 3h. Plan your trip on www.sncf-connect.com


    Parking

    You can park your car at the secure parking of your hotel in Montélimar. The parking price is 6€/day. Otherwise, you can park at the secure parking of the train station (21€/4 days).


    To get back to starting point:

    Trains take you back to your starting point if you wish. Regular regional trains are riding between Avignon and Montélimar. Bikes are accepted for free. The duration of the trip is about 56mn. Full rate 15€/pers. You will find the timetable of the day in your travel documents.

    If you have taken the baggage transfer option, you can pick up your luggage from 4pm at the drop off point.


    Meeting time:

    The first day is an arrival day without cycling. You arrive whenever you want depending on from where you come. Please note that rooms are usually available in the middle of the afternoon depending on your accommodation. We thank you to advise us if you plan to arrive late.

    .
  • Reviews
  •   Memory of the trip  

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    8 bike travelers reviews 4.38 / 5

    A quick ride down the Rhône

    On the 2023-05-10 by Mike from Perth
    An enjoyable well organised ride mostly along the Rhône or related canals and some lovely quiet country roads, especially from Orange to Avignon. It gives a sense of Provence with a couple of charming towns and leaves you wanting more! B level accommodations were wonderful, generally conveniently and centrally located, and staff were friendly and helpful. Luggage transfers had no problems. Bikes were in good working order. The navigation app is excellent once you master its quirks. I turned up the volume and just used the audio and that was fine. Despite a very last minute booking, the staff handled it wonderfully and communicated well (and promptly!) both by phone and email. Our second trip with them and third on the way (first was Loire a few years ago, next is more of Provence!). Value for money is also good compared with some other companies we checked. Many seem to have lower prices but then charge extra for bikes and luggage, for example. Highly recommended.

    Très bon itinéraire

    On the 2022-09-06 by Louise
    Cet itinéraire est très agréable: les paysages sont beaux et variés, tout comme les villes et villages visités, et les arrêts suggérés permettent de faire différentes activités culturelles intéressantes. L'équilibre vélo-voyage est parfait, je recommande fortement!

    Bike Trip Along the Rhone

    On the 2022-05-16 by denise
    This was our first biking trip ever. We are in our mid-60s and we had a great time. The route along the Rhone was quite beautiful especially on the first day. The app was helpful and included spots of note along the way. This was like a separate vacation within a vacation. So much fun to see these sights up close and not from a car window. There was so much to see, smell and hear. Le Mistral followed us the first day encouraging us to keep going and birds sang songs all along the way like a crowd cheering us on. What a lovely way to see France.

    Great bikes but poor app

    On the 2022-05-14 by Looseleaf
    All four of us liked the bikes (good quality and comfortable equipped with panniers) and this was important. Customer service is very good and responsive. But everything else was such a mixed bag of good and bad. The app needs a lot of work (and beware, it disappears before you can write a review so you have to rely on memory). Not easy to use or useful except for route finding but even then we got lost (and we are experienced.) (Other companies have little stickers on poles that you can follow we noticed.) The additional information on the app was useless as it wasn't by location. The hotels were not ones we would ever stay at again as they were all just okay, though all the proprietors were friendly and used to cyclists, and storing bikes and luggage. The hotels were generally weird in some way--some had awful bathrooms but okay beds, some pillows like bricks but lots of space. Breakfasts were mixed. Better off going out to find a cafe; it is France after all. It was a great to be cycling through vineyards on flat paths with friends in springtime, then enjoying an evening in a town in Southern France, eating excellent food for good prices, but the company could make a few improvements.

    construction-filled

    On the 2022-05-07 by Bean
    Most aspects (accommodations, bike rental, luggage transfer) were satisfactory, but the route was very frustrating - commonly taking me through construction requiring detours. The app was not intuitive but OK. Furthermore, the distances assigned the first day was not comfortable for a sometimes/rare bike rider despite the "easy" rating. It did not allow me to enjoy the sights, historical aspects, etc as much as I wished because my legs were so tired, my bottom bruised, and mind wanting to get to my accommodation for a soak in a tub. Also, for the route - not every unclear intersection has an instruction associated with it, necessitating me to get off my bike to look more closely at the app map. I don't think this was the best value for money either for a solo traveler. However, most packages are not good in this aspect. Overall, this was OK.

    Lovely bike trip along the Rhone

    On the 2021-09-29 by Happy travellers
    The trip from Montelimar to Avignon was organized to perfection. The rental bikes were of excellent quality, with good paniers and a repair kit with spare tube.The hotels were great, with nice hosts and excellent breakfast. The route is easy, only one or two hilly bits around Chateauneuf du Pape. All in all an experience we really hope to repeat next year.

    montelimar-avignon

    On the 2021-09-27 by vanessa
    Magnifique voyage! Rhône, soleil, jolis chemins et vélos de grande qualité... Que du bonheur! :-) Merci "le Vélo Voyageur" pour l'organisation, on refera certainement!

    Un voyage à la fois reposant et intéressant

    On the 2019-10-01 by Christoph
    Les trois étapes à vélo offrent de vues sur de très beaux paysages et des rencontres avec des villes et des villages très intéressants sans qu'on doive faire un grand effort.
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