• Meals: Dinner

Today you will arrive into Avignon where you’ll board your barge (from 18.00), close to the famous Pont St Bénézet.

Dinner on board is the perfect opportunity to get to know the other members of the group and chat about the week to come.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today we’ll cycle to the opposite bank of the Rhone river, crossing the Ile de la Bathelasse and riding between vineyards and orchards.

We’ll follow the course of the river, and spend some time in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (once known as the town of the cardinals), before returning to our barge in Avignon.

This afternoon can be spent exploring the historic centre of Avignon, known as the heart of Provence. For 70 or so years of the early 1300s, Avignon was the centre of the Roman Catholic world, and although it’s position as the seat of papal power only lasted a few decades, it’s been left with an impressive range of architecture, the most famous being the World Heritage–listed fortress/palace, known as the Palais des Papes.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

In the morning we’ll set sail and will travel by barge to the town of Aramon, from where we’ll start today’s ride.

The route today will bring us to the spectacular Pont du Gard. The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct that crosses the Gardon River near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard. The impressive aqueduct, with 3 sets of archways, was designed to bring water to the city of Nîmes, and is the highest, and one of the best preserved, of all elevated Roman aqueducts.

We’ll stay overnight in Aramon; with beautiful views of Mont Ventoux.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Riding along country roads, we’ll make our way to Barbentane and its castle, situated at the confluence of the Rhone and Durance rivers. We’ll then cycle to the magnificent Abbey of Saint Michel de Frigulet. The abbey takes its name from the Provençal word for thyme, the “ferigoule” which grows in the surrounding hills.

Afterwards we’ll make our way down to the medieval village of Boulbon, and on to Vallabrègues, a pretty Provençal village on the banks of the Rhône, where we’ll spend the night.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today’s stage brings us to Saint Remy de Provence, the birthplace of Nostradamus. Van Gogh also spent a year in an asylum here where he painted many of his most famous works. In the afternoon we’ll move onto the Alpilles, an enchanting natural site in the northwest of the Bouches du Rhône department. A highlight will be Les-Baux-de-Provence, a medieval village lodged in the rock itself. A landscape of limestone cliffs and olive trees will accompany us throughout the day.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

This morning is dedicated to exploring Arles, the ancient capital of Gaul with beautiful Roman ruins. You will also have the opportunity to be shown around by a professional tour guide, who will accompany you and show you the jewels of the town.

After lunch we’ll be back on our bikes and heading towards the lock of Saint Gilles and from there we’ll sail to Aigues-Mortes for our overnight stay.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today’s circular ride will take us along the small country lanes of the Camargue; we’ll be cycling along canals, past lagoons and through small villages to the charming fisherman’s village of Le Grau-du-Roi. With 12 miles of beach, it’s the perfect place to have a sunbathe and relax in the sunshine!

Alternatively, you‘re welcome to spend some time exploring the lovely Aigues-Mortes. Rising from the marshes of the Camargue, Aigues-Mortes’ walled town is the perfect place to escape to for a cold drink after a hot day spent lazing on the beach.

• Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast it’s time to disembark and start your journey home. The itinerary has been planned to feature navigation along the Rhone River and Rhone-Sète Canal. Occasionally, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during the tour. Issues with high and low water, as well as logistical obstacles such as those officially ordered – and previously not announced (e.g. repair work on locks or bridges) can modify some of the daily stretches or overnight stays and may even request a transfer by bus. These decisions will be taken by the boat’s captain.