Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc and Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace starting at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc

   In December 1994, three cavers felt a draught coming from a pile of rocks above the Ardèche gorge, dug their way in and found themselves in a cave that nobody had entered for thousands of years. On the walls were lions, rhinoceroses, mammoths, horses and bears, drawn with a mastery that changed what we thought we knew about early art. The paintings of the Chauvet cave, named after one of the trio, Jean-Marie Chauvet, are around thirty-six thousand years old, roughly twice the age of Lascaux. The original cave is sealed to protect it, but a full-scale replica, the Grotte Chauvet 2, opened nearby in 2015.

   Read the complete Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc is where the day begins. Next is Arc de triomphe.

2. 2. Arc de triomphe

   Orange is a Provençal town of thirty thousand on the edge of the Rhône plain, and it has two of the finest Roman monuments in Europe. The first is the triumphal arch, standing on the old Via Agrippa at the northern entrance to the town, built in the time of Augustus and later dedicated to Tiberius. It is covered in carved reliefs of battles, naval trophies and captured Gauls, celebrating the victories of the legions, and despite two thousand years of wind and traffic, the carvings remain impressive. The second is the Roman theatre, with its stage wall still standing intact, more than a hundred metres long and over thirty high. Louis XIV is said to have called it the finest wall in his kingdom. In summer, the theatre hosts the Chorégies, an opera festival with performances under the stars. Both monuments were listed by UNESCO in 1981.

   Read the complete Arc de triomphe write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Arc de triomphe comes up 42 km in. Next is Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace.

3. 3. Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace

   For most of the fourteenth century, the popes lived in Avignon rather than Rome. In 1309, Pope Clement V, a Frenchman, settled here to escape the turmoil of Italian politics, and his successors built a vast palace, the Palais des Papes, the largest Gothic palace in Europe, with massive walls, towers and halls, more fortress than residence. Seven popes reigned here until 1377, when the papacy returned to Rome, and then rival popes continued to rule from Avignon during the Great Schism. The palace, the cathedral, the ramparts and the famous bridge, the Pont Saint-Bénézet, were listed by UNESCO in 1995.

   Read the complete Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   84 km in you reach Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace. Next is back through Arc de triomphe.

4. 4. back through Arc de triomphe

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Arc de triomphe write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Arc de triomphe, late in the day. Next is Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc.

5. 5. Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc. That is the ride.