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Last summer we took a three week cycling vacation to Provence — cycling paradise. I’m using memories of the trip to get myself on the bike these days.  Can’t wait to go back!

We’ve been on a couple of organized bike tours in France but decided we wanted to be more freestyle this time around and made all of our own arrangements. We knew the general areas we wanted to explore and then used Home Away to find vacation rentals.  It worked like a charm.

We flew into Nice and stayed a couple of days in Vence, which is just north of Nice and offers a good base for riding.  We stayed at the Hotel Le Floreal which has a pool and an area where you can safely store your bike. They’re used to cyclists staying there — which is nice.

We then headed to the Gorge du Verdon and stayed a week in St. Laurent du Verdon at the Chateau Saint Laurent.  It was kind of a stab in the dark but it worked out perfectly and we had a very enjoyable week of cycling around the St. Croix  and the Gorge du Verdon — stunning.  The chateau has its own pool (cold!) and the town of St. Laurent, although tiny, has an excellent restaurant where we happily loaded up on pasta, pizza, and frites.

Our next stop took us to the base of Mt. Ventoux, just on the outskirts of Maulecene.  We stayed in an awesome little apartment which is part of a converted farm house.  It has a beautiful view of vineyards and its own private pool – perfect for a post-ride cooldown.

We wrapped things up by returning to Vence for a couple of final days of riding and and crepe eating before headed back to Portland.  If you’re thinking of planning your own cycling vacation in Provence and want a few tips, drop me a line.  I’m happy to pass along helpful things we learned on our adventure.