Hiking in Provence - Uzès, Pont du Gard & Alpilles
The Romans' aqueduct, Van Gogh's olive groves and Provençal villages
6 dagar
Vandring Self-Guided trip
01/01/2027 - 05/11/2027
Level 2
6 Breakfasts
Six days, five nights and three landscapes, each of which could have been a trip of its own. You begin in the ducal town of Uzès, where cobblestone streets are lined with stone houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, and the arcades around Place aux Herbes frame one of Provence's finest squares. Along the river Gardon, you then walk literally straight up to the Pont du Gard, the Romans' 50-metre-high aqueduct that has stood for 2,000 years. The rest of the week belongs to the Alpilles – a small but jagged mountain range rising from the Rhône valley, clad in olive groves, cypresses and fragrant garrigue. Here Van Gogh painted during his final year of life, and the light is just as captivating today. Along the way, you climb up to the striking cliffside village of Les Baux-de-Provence. The walks are a comfortable length, leaving your afternoons free – for a pastis in the shade of the plane trees or a stroll around the market.
Tour Highlights
The ducal town of Uzès and the arcades around Place aux Herbes
The Romans' Pont du Gard, well preserved after 2000 years
Sweeping views from the Alpilles ridge over the Rhône valley
Van Gogh's Saint-Rémy and the monastery of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole
The medieval cliff village of Les Baux-de-Provence
Program
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6 Breakfasts included
10.5 km, 220 m up and down
Breakfast
The trip begins in Uzès, the town where France's first dukes once ruled. You can easily get here by bus from Avignon in just under an hour. Just a few minutes from the centre, the asphalt gives way to forest trails among fragrant laurel trees. A lightly shaded climb leads up to the garrigue – the low scrubland of aromatic herbs so typical of Provence. Along the way, you pass capitelles, centuries-old stone huts built entirely without mortar that have nonetheless withstood the test of time. From the top of a grassy hill, you can see the Cévennes to the west and Uzès below you. After the hike, the ducal castle awaits, along with shaded cafés and Place aux Herbes, one of Provence's finest squares with stone arcades sheltering shops and restaurants. The cobbled streets are lined with stately stone houses from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Level and standard
Hiking days averaging 11 km and 250 metres of elevation gain, with 3–4 hours of actual walking time. You walk on mostly well-marked trails, gravel roads and small country roads through garrigue and olive groves. Suitable for those with normal fitness. Between June and September, trails in the Alpilles and Gard may be closed or restricted to morning hours when fire risk is high.
The trip is offered in two accommodation standards. Standard means simple but pleasant two- and three-star hotels, all with private bathrooms. Comfort offers three-star hotels with more character: a Provençal hostellerie in Uzès, a hotel with a spa in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, and a three-star hotel in Maussane-les-Alpilles. Breakfast is always included and luggage is transported between hotels.
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