Cycling from Nice to Lyon: A Bikepacking Route through the Côte d’Azur, Provence and Mont Ventoux

Description

From Nice to Lyon: this six-day cycling route links the Côte d’Azur, Provence, Mont Ventoux, Drôme Provençale and the Rhône Valley into one varied bikepacking journey across south-eastern France. The route leads from the Promenade des Anglais through Antibes, Cannes and the Estérel mountains into Provence’s inland country, then continues through lavender fields, wine villages and quiet plateaus to Chalet Reynard on Mont Ventoux. After that come calm roads through the Drôme and the final approach

Tour Details

This tour includes detailed day-by-day descriptions, accommodation recommendations, points of interest, difficulty ratings, and expert tips for completing this amazing cycling adventure...

Route

This tour suits riders who want a lot of variety in a compact time frame: sea, mountains, small roads, long climbs and quieter sections away from major traffic corridors. The surfaces are mostly travelling and touring-friendly, but the elevation makes the route better suited to riders with solid endurance. The middle part is the most demanding, with sustained climbing, exposed stretches and quick changes between open plateaus, woodland, villages and vineyard country. Logistics are straightforwar...

Start Point

Nice

End Point

Lyon

Country

France

Regions

Alps, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Côte d'Azur, Departemental constituency of Rhône, Drôme-Alpes, Liguria, Occitania, Provence, Provenzialische Alpen

Insights

Total Distance

552 km

Difficulty

Medium

Road Type

—

Avg. time

6 days (5-8)

Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Nice - Draguignan

100 km879 m

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Day 2

Draguignan - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

125 km1,741 m

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Day 3

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - Bollène

106 km1,211 m

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Day 4

Bollène - Valence

87 km676 m

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Day 5

Valence - La Côte-Saint-André

71 km808 m

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Day 6

La Côte-Saint-André - Lyon

63 km506 m

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Cultural & scenic highlights

Travel access

Travel to start

Requires planning

The tour start is not close to a major rail hub, airport or coach hub. Plan extra time for the final transfer, a taxi, an overnight stay or an additional ride to the route.

Travel from finish

Requires planning

The tour finish is not close to a major rail hub, airport or coach hub. Plan extra time for the transfer, a taxi, an overnight stay or an additional ride after the final stage.

The Curated List

Packing List

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