Daily program Avignon to Aigues Mortes 2013

Cycletours Holidays Buiksloterweg 7a, 1031 CC Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Your Bike & Barge Tour

Provence - Camargue

(from Avignon to Aigues Mortes)

Tour code: FVP 2013



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Avignon – Aigues Mortes

A beautiful trip from the famous ‘pont d’Avignon’ to the Mediterranean. You will visit Avignon and

Arles with their cultural and architectural highlights and cycle through the landscapes that

inspired Van Gogh. Along the way you will discover picturesque Provencal villages, vineyards

and fields of lavender. You will end your tour in the stunning nature of the Camargue. Cane

fields, salt lakes, horses and flamingos will be the background of the second part of your week.

Sunday: Villeneuve les Avignon; boarding at 6 pm

When you arrive on board the ship you can put away your luggage in your cabin and then enjoy

a cup of coffee or tea. This is also a good moment to become acquainted with the guide, skipper

and crew and of course your fellow passengers.

Avignon:

Often referred to as the "City of Popes" because of the presence of popes and antipopes from

1309 to 1423 during the Catholic schism, it is currently the largest city and capital of the

département of Vaucluse. This is one of the few French cities to have preserved its ramparts, its

historic city centre, the palace of the popes, Rocher des Doms, and the bridge of Avignon. It was

classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Monday: Villeneuve les Avignon

Today you will cycle a nice route north of Avignon, following roads with low traffic through

vineyards. At Roquemaure you will cross the Rhone and along the Thone you will return to

Villeneuve.

Tuesday: Villeneuve les Avignon – Vallabrègues, 53 km.

Today you will visit the Pont du Gard, the best preserved Roman aqueduct of Europe. The

aqueduct was constructed by the Romans in the 1st century AD and formerly carried an

estimated 200 million liters (44 million gallons) of water a day to the fountains, baths and homes

of the citizens of Nîmes. The Pont du Gard was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites

in 1985. The description on the list states: "The hydraulic engineers and ... architects who

conceived this bridge created a technical as well as artistic masterpiece." You will find the Soleo

in Vallabrègues, a nice Provencal village.

Wednesday: Vallabrègues – Arles, 50 km.

Today’s route brings you to St. Remy de Provence, the village where Van Gogh lived during his

mental illness. From here you will cycle to Les Baux de Provence in the Alpilles, with its arid

limestone peaks separated by dry valleys with lavender and olive trees. Les Baux de Provence

has a spectacular position in the Alpilles, set atop a rocky outcrop, crowned with a ruined castle.

The Soleo is moored in Arles.



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Thursday: Arles – Gallician, 15 km.

Only a short tour is planned for today, so you will have enough time to visit Arles, where Van

Gogh produced over 300 paintings and drawings. The town still has some beautiful Roman ruins

which you can visit. In the afternoon you will sail to Gallician.

Friday: Gallician – Aigues Mortes, 60 km.

From Gallician you will get your first introduction with the Camargue, western Europe’s largest

river delta. It is a vast plain comprising large lagoons (or étangs), cut off from the sea by

sandbars and encircled by reed-covered marshes. You will cycle through cane fields and salt

lakes and you might see wild horses, flamingos and bulls. Through the picturesque sea-side

village of Saintes Maries de la Mer you will cycle to Aigues Mortes.

Saturday: Aigues Mortes, round tour, 45 km.

Aigues Mortes is ideally located for a nice roundtrip through the Camargue.

Sunday: Aigues Mortes

End of trip after breakfast.

Daily program Avignon to Aigues Mortes 2013

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Transcript of Daily program Avignon to Aigues Mortes 2013