Getaway between Provence and Camargue

It’s time to say hello to the region of Provence in the city on Nimes; depending on when you arrive enjoy some time in this wonderful city. Here you can find wonders from the Roman Empire and attractions such as the arenas of Nimes, the Maison Carrée and the Jardins de la Fontaine gardens.

As you set off on your first day of cycling the landscape is typical to the Mediterranean and is known as garrigues scrubland; enjoy the unique sights and smells this vegetation brings. Cycle through the banks of the Gardon River and the many gorges of the area, should you want to it’s also possible to take a dip or hire a canoe around here. Today’s route will also sweeten your taste buds with the Haribo museum! Your final stop for the night is Uzès; the town was built on a promontory and is surrounded by vineyards, scrubland, and olive trees and is a wonderful location to spend some time and walk around.

If you are in Uzes on a Wednesday or Saturday, we don’t recommend leaving until you have visited the Provençal market here. Once you are nearly at the half-way point of today’s journey, you will get to the Pont du Gard which overlooks the Gardon River, this has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 due to its great height of 48 metres built during the Roman Empire. As you press on with your journey, the route will be predominantly on a beautiful greenway in the Gard countryside before you reach the Rhone River, you can see the troglodyte abbey of Saint-Roman on way. Your stop for the night of Tarascon sits on the left side of the Rhone River.

Your exit from Tarascon will be over the Beaucaire bridge and small port and the journey to Arles will be on quiet roads sitting on plains and vineyards. On route you will also see a few small canals which connect to the Rhone River. You enter Arles by going under a tunnel under a motorway bridge, from where you will have plenty of time to enjoy this Roman city famous for art and heritage.

Once you leave Arles it’s time to enter a new region – the Camargue! Here the scenery becomes very different. You will cycle through the Camargue Regional Natural Park, full of ponds and lagoons, and an area for horse, bulls, and pink flamingos roam and breed, amongst other animals.  You can take a break in Domaine de Méjanes, where a train will take you around and show you the amazing surroundings. From here you will then enter a path running along the Vaccares pond taking you to Saintes-Maries de la Mer.

Start off the day’s cycling by crossing the Petit-Rhone on the Bac du Sauvage. From here the journey is made up of rice fields, ponds and meadows inhabited by bulls and horses. We recommend taking a break in the Scamandra nature reserve and ditch the bike for foot. The approach to Aigues Mortes becomes dominated by vineyards, rather than green meadows. This region is famous its “sand wine”, which is grown in the sandy soil here – of course you must try this while you are here. The Canal du Rhône à Sète will guide you into the fortified Aigues Mortes, the location of this city is close to salt flats and gives the most fascinating colours.

Just after leaving Aigues-Mortes, climb the Tour Carbonnière which has an amazing view of the surrounding ponds. This city was built in the 13^th century with the purpose of protecting Aigues Mortes. Go over the plain of Vaunage where you can see horses and bulls, as well as many vineyards. Nimes is your stop for the night and has plenty of ancient history for you to learn about.

Enjoy a last breakfast and then it’s time to head home