Why this ride
284 km from Avignon to Avignon, about 4 h 31 of riding. On the way it passes Arles, The Maison Carrée of Nîmes, back through Arles and back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace and The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 284 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 31
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace → Arles
The ride follows Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace → Arles for 39 km.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 39 km
Camargue Scenic Route
For about 33 km this is Camargue Scenic Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it. Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 33 km
- Named road
- Camargue Scenic Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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
Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace is where the day begins. Next is Arles.
2. Arles
Arles is where the Rhône splits in two and the Camargue begins, and for more than two thousand years it has been a city of power, art and sun. The Romans made it one of the great cities of Gaul, building an amphitheatre that still hosts events, a theatre, baths and an underground gallery, the cryptoportiques, and the Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Romanesque church of Saint-Trophime, with its carved portal and cloister, is one of the finest in Provence.
Read the complete Arles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Arles comes up about 39 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
3. The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Most Roman temples survive as a jumble of columns and a lot of imagination. The Maison Carrée in Nîmes is the exception: a complete temple, standing on its podium with its roof and columns intact, two thousand years after it was built for the grandsons of Augustus. It owes its survival to being constantly reused, as a meeting hall, a stable, a church and a museum. Thomas Jefferson admired it so much that he based the Virginia State Capitol on it, and in 2023 UNESCO finally listed it in its own right.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 72 km into the recorded legs you reach The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
4. Arles
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Arles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Arles, about halfway. Next is The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
5. The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes sits at 161 km, about halfway. Next is back through Arles.
6. back through Arles
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Arles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Arles comes up about 177 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
7. back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 210 km into the recorded legs you reach back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
8. back through Arles
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Arles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Arles, late in the day. Next is Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace.
9. Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
The route ends here after 284 km.
Leg by leg
Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace to Arles
Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace → Arles is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Arles to The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Arles → The Maison Carrée of Nîmes is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes to Arles
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes → Arles is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes to back through Arles
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes → back through Arles is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Arles to back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
back through Arles → back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes to back through Arles
back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes → back through Arles is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Arles to Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace
back through Arles → Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.