Best of Southern France

Eleven days through the mountains and gorges of southeastern France, which has a better claim to the best roads in Europe than anywhere except the Alps proper, and considerably less traffic on them.

Vence starts it, then Forcalquier and Avignon, before a rest day at Mostuejouls reached through the Gorges du Tarn and the Gorges de l’Ardeche. The Tarn gorge road runs for fifty kilometres beneath limestone cliffs and is the single best stretch of the first half.

Chabrillan follows through the Cevennes and along the Corniche des Cevennes, then the Vercors range by way of the Col de la Machine, a road blasted into an overhanging cliff face in the nineteenth century. The final days move into the Alps for the Col de la Bonette at 2,715 metres, which is among the highest paved passes in Europe, plus Mont Ventoux, the Route Napoleon, the Route des Grandes Alpes and the Gorges du Verdon before the return to Provence. Ventoux is worth singling out: it stands alone above the Provencal plain with a bare white limestone summit, and the climb is long, fully exposed and often windy enough to be hard work on a motorcycle as well as a bicycle.

Edelweiss include a choice of BMW motorcycle, ten nights of hotels with some in historic buildings, a guide and a tour book. Flights are separate and the inclusions are not itemised in full on the operator’s page. Prices are per person for 2026. The variety is the argument for this one over a straight Alpine tour: limestone gorges, volcanic uplands, lavender plateaux and high passes in a single trip, with the food improving steadily as the route moves south.