Provence Hike

Meet your guides and the rest of our group of hikers at 9:00 this morning and depart for a 40-minute drive to the lovely stone village of Gigondas. You will have time for a mid-morning croissant and café au lait before departing on foot through vineyards, olive groves, and oak forest to the village of Vacqueyras, whose tiny streets are dappled with the shade of massive plane trees. Our trail then skirts beneath the cliffs of Montmirail to take us to the chapel of Notre-Dame d'Aubune. A jewel of Romanesque architecture, it was built in the 12th century as a tribute to the Franc's victory over the Saracens. It sits serenely overlooking verdant orchards and terraced vineyards. We soon arrive in the village of Beaumes de Venise, where we sit for the first of many delicious Provençal culinary experiences. After lunch, we will jump in the van and gain some height to start a spectacular hike to la Roque Alaric, a tiny village perched atop a rocky outcrop amongst the jagged peaks of Les Dentelles di Montmirail. A final twenty-minute van transfer brings you to Vaison La Romaine where you check into our centrally located hotel. Depending on the departure, we either stay at the 3-star Le Burrhus, whose large and luminous rooms overlooking the central market square are always appreciated, or at Le Beffroi, a charming Auberge composed of two mansions dating from 1554 and 1669 and situated up in the cobblestoned center of medieval Vaison. We dine tonight at a family-run restaurant (husband, wife, and daughters) serving traditional specialties with a sophisticated twist. The food here is simply excellent. The Morning Hike:  9.2 km/5.7 miles. Elevation gain 65m/210ft. Elevation loss 200m/640ft Duration: 2.5 hours The Afternoon Hike:  4.2 km/2.6 miles. Elevation gain 200m/640ft. Elevation loss 200m/640ft Duration: 1.45 hours Overnight: Hotel La Fete en Provence or similar in Vaison la Romaine. Hotel, breakfast, and dinner included.

A short transfer brings you to a 12th-century church dedicated to St. Cosmo for the start of your hike. The trail will take you amongst gnarled grenache vines, past twisted olive trees to an unlikely artisanal chocolate maker in an old stone building once dedicated to the production of raw silk. After this sinful stop, you will head towards the distant church steeple in the village of Sablet, where we stop at a very local brasserie where you can enjoy a delicious Salade de Chèvre Chaud, among the many local specialties on offer. After lunch, a scenic hike takes you to the perched village of Séguret, which sits like a cresting wave of ancient walls and stone houses on the side of a hill. We enter through a 12th-century gate to wander among its cobbled streets. The views from the ramparts extend across the Cotes du Rhone wine villages to the Cevennes hills, in the west. You can admire the view while sipping a cool glass of rose on a shaded terrace. Eventually, we will take you back to Vaison La Romaine, where you'll have free time to explore its extensive Roman ruins, do some shopping, or just relax on the terrace of our hotel. The Hike: option 9 km/5.6 miles. Elevation gain 190m/590ft. Elevation loss 210m/670ft Duration: 2.5 hours Overnight: Hotel La Fete en Provence or similar in Vaison la Romaine. Hotel, breakfast, and dinner included.

Today is Le Grand Marché in Vaison. This colorful and vibrant weekly market is full of stalls selling wonderful artisanal wares such as linens, ceramics, herbs, and scented soaps. You can also sample dozens of different types of cheese, sausages, and olives, as well as buy a screwdriver because the locals also frequent this market. After this quintessential Provençal shopping experience, you will depart on foot and follow your guides out of town through “old” Vaison’s alleyways and cobbled streets to the hilltop village of Le Crestet. Our vans will be in place to whisk you up to La Chêne Bleu (or you can continue to hike). In this absolutely beautiful winery, you will taste their award-winning wines while enjoying lunch beneath a luxuriant trellis of greenery. You have an easy afternoon walk back down to Le Crestet and then a short transfer back to Vaison. Tonight is a free night dinner so you you can choose between where you want to eat and when. You can even just enjoy a baguet, some cheese and a bottle of wine in the hotel courtyard. The choice is yours. The Hike: short option 6.9 kms/4.4 miles. Elevation gain 190m/590ft. Elevation loss 107m/330ft Duration: 2 hours or long options  10.3 kms/6 miles. Elevation gain 250m/800ft. Elevation loss 30m/100ft Duration: 3 hours. Overnight: Hotel La Fete en Provence or similar in Vaison la Romaine. Hotel, breakfast, lunch with wine tasting included. Dinner not included.

We transfer to Gigondas this morning to begin a hike through the Dentelles de Montmirail, the jagged limestone mountains overlooking the Rhône valley. Although not high in elevation, the peaks have a distinctly Alpine appearance and create a striking backdrop against the valley of terraced vineyards below. We offer you two options; you can do “The Billy Goat” trail which is a challenging hike for fit, experienced hikers with good balance or opt for the easier and lovely lower trail. Either way, you will have lunch at a colorful bistro in the village place next to the ubiquitous village fountain. After lunch, we drive to the 12th-century Cistercian Abbey of Senanque. If it is June, the beautiful abbey will be set amongst a purple haze of flowering lavender. You will then ascend the trail for incredible views of the abbey below. The trail takes you into the elegant perched village of Gordes, one of the gems of the Luberon. Take some time to explore the shops and alleyways or just relax with a pastry or a cool glass of something. We finish the day in Roussillon, whose bright red and orange ochre quarries have been mined for their precious pigments for centuries. You will have time for a swim and some downtime at our lovely hotel before walking into the village for a sunset terrace dinner. The Morning Hike: Billy goat: 5.8kms/4 miles. Elevation gain 314 m/1030 ft. Elevation loss the same. Duration: 2.5 hrs. Easy hike: 4.9kms/3 miles Elevation gain 214m/685ft, elevation loss the same. Duration: 2 hrs. The Afternoon Hike: 8.5 km/5.3 miles. Elevation gain 130m/416ft, elevation loss 283m/905 ft. Overnight Les Sables d'Ocre (or similar) in Roussillon. Hotel, breakfast, and dinner included. 

The hilltop villages of the Luberon await us this morning. This famed area of quaint hamlets and natural beauty is protected as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. We start our hike from the walled village of Bonnieux. You will descend through a labyrinth of cobbled lanes, through the medieval gates to the cafes and galleries that are huddled beneath the town walls in the 17th-century "new" village. Time for a café au lait and a croissant before continuing our hike to the village of Lacoste, which rises up from the opposite side of the valley. The ruined remains of the castle of the infamous Marquis de Sade serve as a beacon as we hike amongst vineyards, cherry orchards, and stone farm houses. You will enter Lacoste through an arched 12th-century gate to walk up its cobblestoned streets past ancient cottages and townhouses that have been lovingly restored. Lacoste has inspired numerous artists who live amongst its stone walls, and whose work is displayed in the many galleries that decorate the village. We have a scenic lunch at the Cafe de Paris, whose terrace overlooks the valley, back to Bonnieux. We return by van to Roussillon for a short walk through a surreal landscape of eroded cliffs and bizarre peaks, all colored in soft shades of red, yellow, and green. Dinner tonight in a local bistrot. The Hike: 5.2 km/3.2 ml. Elevation gain 131 m/430 ft. Elevation loss 121 m/397 ft. Overnight at Les Sables d'Ocre (or similar) in Roussillon. Hotel, breakfast, and dinner included. 

This morning, you have a beautiful loop walk that initially follows a stream through a lush forest. The trail gradually climbs out of the gorge to the tiny village of Sivergues whose honey-colored stone houses seem to grow out of the living rock. We then loop back staying on the high route. You will walk along the edge of the canyon to admire vast views of this rocky, canyon-riven wild side of Provence. We drop down to our lunch spot, a wonderfully welcoming old auberge that sits tucked in under a rocky overhang. Here you will have a sampling of delicious quiches, salads, charcuterie, and cheese. Afterward, we can return to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon or do another short but spectacular hike to the impressive ruins of the Fort de Buoux. Situated atop a craggy precipice, the site was first inhabited some 10,000 years ago. Latterly, it was a village and fort that commanded the area throughout the Middle Ages. One last fabulous dinner in the village. The morning Hike: 7 km/4.3 ml. Elevation gain 157 m/515 ft. Elevation loss 159m/521 ft. Duration: 2.5 hours The afternoon Hike: 2.5 km/1.6 ml. Elevation gain 130 m/415 ft. Elevation loss: same. Duration: 1 hour. Overnight Les Sables d'Ocre (or similar) in Roussillon. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.

Today we shuttle everyone back to Avignon for the 10:00 train to Paris or other destinations. We can also tailor our departure to the group's departure plans. Breakfast and transfer included.

Please note: Some details of the itinerary may change according to the departure date of your tour. Whenever we run a tour we make new discoveries. Sometimes they are good discoveries, like a wonderful new trattoria, and sometimes they are bad, like a trail has been washed away. The result is that we sometimes change our itinerary to improve it by adding new wonderful elements to the tour or by removing something that does not work anymore. Rest assured, our goal is to always provide you with the best possible experience. We will advise you of any changes to the original itinerary prior to departure.