TdD - Tour de Dentelles

The chance to catch a stage of the TdF on Mont Ventoux came with an extra bonus - the chance to explore a beautiful region of Provence that is normally a bit too out of the way for travlers. Just to the west of the giant Mont Ventoux is a much more modest mountain range called the Dentelles. The distinguishable feature of the Dentelles are the rocks that jut above the trees along the ridge line.

They reminded us of teeth (or bad teeth!) and we linked teeth with the Dent in Dentelles. There were a number of small towns on all sides of the Dentelles that both the Rick Steves and Michelin Guide said were worth checking out, so we decided to stick around a day after the TdF to do our own Tour de Dentelles.

Our starting point was the tiny wine town of Gigondas. We had never really heard about the town or the wine before, but decided to give it a try. Driving up to Gigondas from the highway we were a bit worried how small the town was. This was supposed to be our hotel for the TdF and the following day so we were a little concered with our decision to stay outside of the crowds surrounding Mont Ventoux. Our hotel was actually up in the hills just past town so I was starting to think that we would be staying in the backyard of some Provencal rednecks. However, we were pleasantly suprised to find our beautiful hotel tucked into the mountainside underneath some shady trees. The restuarant at the hotel was excellent and singled out in the Michelin guide as well. We had a nice dinner there the first night sitting outside on the patio as the sun set on the vineyards. We had finally started our vacation. I tried a bottle of the local Gigondas AOC wine (mostly Grenache & Syrah grapes) and would highly recommend it - especially for the price of 13 euros in a store.

The hotel was in a perfect location for access to the TdF and a nice getaway from the crowds in the evening. The day after the tour, we set out to explore some of the area. We took a clockwise route around the Dentelles and made a detour to check out the top of Mont Ventoux in the process.

Agrandir le plan

Here are some of the highlights of our tour:

I'm a sucker anytime I see vineyards and hilltop towns in the same shot... As well for small local wine producers... And old stone churches high up in the towns... And finally the lavendar fields that colored the valleys...(click photo to see detail)

The area was beautiful and really peaceful and quiet. Somehow those 750k people had mostly left the area and were probably clogging up the country roads leading out of town with their oversized campers and hangovers. Meanwhile we got to spend a picture perfect day walking through these old towns, sitting at cafes and exploring the area. The TdD was just the opposite of the TdF and more of Jen's style and pace. Put together, it made for a great two days in the Cotes du Rhone.

Eventually that evening we made our way south to Avignon which would be our base for the next few days of day trips in Provence. We were sad to say goodbye to the Dentelles but would have to travel further than the 25 miles to Avignon to lose sight of Mont Ventoux.

Dentilles