PROVENCE - France 2014 - page 1019

Wine-Tasting
Cave la Romaine, a five-minute walk up Avenue Général de Gaulle from the TI, offers a
big variety of good-value wines from nearby villages in a pleasant, well-organized tasting
room (free tastes, Mon-Sat 8:30-18:30, Sun 9:00-12:00, Avenue St. Quenin, tel. 04 90 36
55 90, www.cave-la-romaine.com ) .
▲ Hiking
The TI has good information on relatively easy hikes into the hills above Vaison la Ro-
maine. It's about 1.25 hours to the quiet hill town of Le Crestet, though views begin im-
mediately. To find this trail, drive or walk on the road past the upper town (with the rock
base and castle just on your left), continue on Chemin des Fontaines (blue signs), and stay
the course as far as you like (follow yellow Crestet signs). Cars are not allowed on the
road after about a mile. To find the 8.5-mile walk to Séguret (allow 2.5 hours), take the
same road above Vaison la Romaine and look for a yellow sign. For either hike, consider
the value of hiking one way and taking a taxi back (see “Helpful Hints,” earlier, for taxi
contact info).
Biking
Thisareaisnotparticularlyflat,andifit'shotandwindy,bike-ridingisadiceyoption.But
if the air's calm and cool, the five-mile ride to cute little Villedieu (with the recommen-
ded La Maison Bleue restaurant, listed on here ) is a delight. Electric bike rental options
make this a more appealing option for many (see “Helpful Hints,” earlier). The bike route
is signed along small roads; you'll find signs from Vaison la Romaine to Villedieu at the
roundabout past Cave La Romaine toward Orange (see map on here ) . With a bit more en-
ergy,youcanpedalbeyondVilledieuonthelovelyroadtoMirabel(fromVilledieu,follow
signs to Nyons ) and make a loop back on a busier road to Vaison (figure about 18 miles
total). Orget a goodmap and connect the following villages foran enjoyable 11-mile loop
ride: Vaison la Romaine, St. Romain-en-Viennois, Puyméras (with the recommended La
Girocedre restaurant—see here ) , Faucon, and St. Marcellin-lès-Vaison. The TI and bike
shops have good information on mountain-biking trails.
Near Vaison la Romaine
▲ Ardèche Gorges (Gorges de l'Ardèche)
These gorges, which wow visitors with abrupt chalky-white cliffs, follow the Ardèche
river through immense canyons and thick forests. To reach the gorges from Vaison la Ro-
maine, drive west 1.5 hours, passing through Bollène and Pont Saint-Esprit to Vallon Pont
d'Arc (the tourist hub of the Ardèche Gorges). From Vallon Pont d'Arc, you can canoe