Provence-and-Tuscany-Motorcycle-Tour-IMTBIKE

Skill Level: Advanced

Touring Roads: 30%

Challenging Roads: 70%

Scenery:

History / Culture:

Riding Time: 6 to 8 hours

Asphalt:

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8
10

Mountains:

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9
10

How our rating system works →

IMTBIKE ROUTE rating

It is essential to know the different skill levels needed to participate in the IMTBIKE TOURS that are offered to you. IMTBIKE makes sure that it offers different tours for all riding styles and levels. The IMTBIKE team always works diligently in designing our routes. This is a laborious process which entails reviewing all road choices before selecting the best option for an IMTBIKE tour.

The most experienced motorcyclists looks for roads that require technical skill; narrow twisty roads with little traffic and endless curves. But these same roads would be too difficult for a less experienced rider.

The local driving habits, the amount of traffic, the asphalt quality and the radius of the curves vary considerably from country to country and even in different regions of the same country. They will also vary depending on the season of the year. All of these factors have been studied by IMTBIKE and have been taken into consideration when rating our tours.

IMTBIKE thinks it is also important to know about the different types of roads you will be enjoying on your tour. To understand the road types easier, IMTBIKE has divided them into two categories, and we have calculated an approximate percentage of each on all of our tours.

  1. TOURING ROADS: These are wider roads comprised mainly of larger radius sweepers. They are still curvy roads but not tight mountainous twisty curves. Please remember that you will ride very few straight roads on IMTBIKE tours!
  2. CHALLENGING ROADS: These are roads that are tight twisty turns which require more technical skill. Many times they will be narrower roads without a shoulder and sometimes with steep inclines or descents. Normally they will be mountainous roads accompanied by spectacular sceneries.

If you have never ridden a motorcycle outside of your country, or if you have little experience riding on mountain roads with many curves, we recommend that you choose a tour rated moderate or intermediate. If you have any questions or doubts please do not hesitate to call or email us. We are always happy to answer your questions to make sure that you choose the best tour for your riding level.

Moderate

This route offers wider sweeping turns that are easy to maneuver. This route may have some tighter turns in a few places but this will be the exception. Regardless, even on moderate tours you must be able to ride a large cylinder motorcycle in any condition. Never plan to learn how to ride a motorcycle on an IMTBIKE tour. We recommend having a minimum of 8.000 km (5.000 miles) of experience riding a large cylinder motorcycle to participate on a MODERATE rated IMTBIKE Tour and you should ride a motorcycle on a regular basis at home.

Intermediate

This route rating can have sections of very twisty curves on narrow roads with no center line to divide the road. There will also wider radius curves on these routes. Traffic conditions can be intense at times in some urban environments and the local driving habits may seem aggressive and unpredictable to you. It is imperative that you are an experienced motorcyclist. We recommend that you have a minimum of 12.000 km (7500 miles) of large cylinder motorcycle experience to participate on a INTERMEDIATE rated IMTBIKE Tour and you should ride a motorcycle on a regular basis at home.

Advanced

This route rating has long sections of technical narrow twisty roads and sometimes single lane roads. These twisty roads will often be in mountains where steep inclines and descents will be commonplace. Some riding days can be long and challenging. Traffic conditions can be intense at times in some urban environments and the local driving habits may seem aggressive and unpredictable to you. It is imperative that you are a very experienced motorcyclist on a large cylinder motorcycle. We recommend that you have a minimum of 16.000 km (10.000 miles) of large cylinder motorcycle experience on an ADVANCE rated IMTBIKE Tour and of course you should ride a motorcycle on a regular basis at home.

IMTBIKE Average Daily Riding Hours

5 to 7 hours
6 to 8 hours
7 to 9 hours

How many hours a day you ride on a tour is important information in helping you decide on the right IMTBIKE tour for you. Some tour members want to ride as many hours as possible everyday, while others prefer to stop more frequently and dedicate more time to enjoying the scenery, visiting cultural sights and arrive at the hotel earlier to relax before dinner. The daily riding hours are calculated including the coffee breaks and photo stops but they do not include the time taken for lunch.

Normally we’ll start our riding day at 9:30am and we will take about a one hour lunch break sometime between 1pm and 2pm. So if the daily riding hours for a given tour are 5-7, then you will arrive at the hotel between 3:30pm- 5:30pm depending on the average speed of the group.

Provence & Tuscany Motorcycle Tour

Aromatic Provence & Bella Toscana

Spain | Andorra | France | Monaco | Italy

May. 10 — May. 26, 2024 3 Spots left

Sep. 09 — Sep. 25, 2024 6 Spots left

May. 09 — May. 25, 2025 14 Spots left

Sep. 08 — Sep. 24, 2025 14 Spots left

This unique motorcycle tour starts in Barcelona the cosmopolitan capital of Catalunya. Your first riding day will take you into the mighty Pyrenees Mountains towards Andorra and France. The walled medieval city of Carcassonne is just over the Pyrenees’s peaks and is the perfect introduction to Southern France! The motorcycling in Southern France is outstanding and the Tarn Gorge won’t disappoint anyone! Provence is famous in Southern France for its lavender fields and sunflowers and the scenery around Avignon promises to take your breath away! Two days in Avignon will give you time to explore beautiful Provence or take a ride to the close quaint town of Arles where Van Gogh spent his last days painting. From here mountains, canyons and the Verdon Gorge will lead us to Castellane located in the pre-Alps.

Time to ride from mountain to Mediterranean Sea as we head to Nice and the French Riviera. Two days in Nice will give you enough time to explore, Monaco, Cannes and St. Tropez. Italy here we come! Portovenere and Cinque Terre’s charming villages await you on the Italian Riviera. Time for Tuscany! You will enjoy three riding days out of our base in San Gimignano located in the heart of Tuscany. This will give you enough time to explore Florence, Siena, Pisa and enjoy delicious cuisine and fine Chianti wines before returning to Barcelona on an overnight cruise ship. On this one-way jaunt through Spain, Andorra, France and Italy you will have the best of Southern Europe in one fantastic motorcycle tour!

IMTBIKE ROUTE rating

It is essential to know the different skill levels needed to participate in the IMTBIKE TOURS that are offered to you. IMTBIKE makes sure that it offers different tours for all riding styles and levels. The IMTBIKE team always works diligently in designing our routes. This is a laborious process which entails reviewing all road choices before selecting the best option for an IMTBIKE tour.

The most experienced motorcyclists looks for roads that require technical skill; narrow twisty roads with little traffic and endless curves. But these same roads would be too difficult for a less experienced rider.

The local driving habits, the amount of traffic, the asphalt quality and the radius of the curves vary considerably from country to country and even in different regions of the same country. They will also vary depending on the season of the year. All of these factors have been studied by IMTBIKE and have been taken into consideration when rating our tours.

IMTBIKE thinks it is also important to know about the different types of roads you will be enjoying on your tour. To understand the road types easier, IMTBIKE has divided them into two categories, and we have calculated an approximate percentage of each on all of our tours.

  1. TOURING ROADS: These are wider roads comprised mainly of larger radius sweepers. They are still curvy roads but not tight mountainous twisty curves. Please remember that you will ride very few straight roads on IMTBIKE tours!
  2. CHALLENGING ROADS: These are roads that are tight twisty turns which require more technical skill. Many times they will be narrower roads without a shoulder and sometimes with steep inclines or descents. Normally they will be mountainous roads accompanied by spectacular sceneries.

If you have never ridden a motorcycle outside of your country, or if you have little experience riding on mountain roads with many curves, we recommend that you choose a tour rated moderate or intermediate. If you have any questions or doubts please do not hesitate to call or email us. We are always happy to answer your questions to make sure that you choose the best tour for your riding level.

Moderate

This route offers wider sweeping turns that are easy to maneuver. This route may have some tighter turns in a few places but this will be the exception. Regardless, even on moderate tours you must be able to ride a large cylinder motorcycle in any condition. Never plan to learn how to ride a motorcycle on an IMTBIKE tour. We recommend having a minimum of 8.000 km (5.000 miles) of experience riding a large cylinder motorcycle to participate on a MODERATE rated IMTBIKE Tour and you should ride a motorcycle on a regular basis at home.

Intermediate

This route rating can have sections of very twisty curves on narrow roads with no center line to divide the road. There will also wider radius curves on these routes. Traffic conditions can be intense at times in some urban environments and the local driving habits may seem aggressive and unpredictable to you. It is imperative that you are an experienced motorcyclist. We recommend that you have a minimum of 12.000 km (7500 miles) of large cylinder motorcycle experience to participate on a INTERMEDIATE rated IMTBIKE Tour and you should ride a motorcycle on a regular basis at home.

Advanced

This route rating has long sections of technical narrow twisty roads and sometimes single lane roads. These twisty roads will often be in mountains where steep inclines and descents will be commonplace. Some riding days can be long and challenging. Traffic conditions can be intense at times in some urban environments and the local driving habits may seem aggressive and unpredictable to you. It is imperative that you are a very experienced motorcyclist on a large cylinder motorcycle. We recommend that you have a minimum of 16.000 km (10.000 miles) of large cylinder motorcycle experience on an ADVANCE rated IMTBIKE Tour and of course you should ride a motorcycle on a regular basis at home.

IMTBIKE Average Daily Riding Hours

5 to 7 hours
6 to 8 hours
7 to 9 hours

How many hours a day you ride on a tour is important information in helping you decide on the right IMTBIKE tour for you. Some tour members want to ride as many hours as possible everyday, while others prefer to stop more frequently and dedicate more time to enjoying the scenery, visiting cultural sights and arrive at the hotel earlier to relax before dinner. The daily riding hours are calculated including the coffee breaks and photo stops but they do not include the time taken for lunch.

Normally we’ll start our riding day at 9:30am and we will take about a one hour lunch break sometime between 1pm and 2pm. So if the daily riding hours for a given tour are 5-7, then you will arrive at the hotel between 3:30pm- 5:30pm depending on the average speed of the group.

Tour Facts

  • Start / End Barcelona
    Total Distance 1,632 miles / 2,627 km
  • Total Time 17 Days
    Riding Days 15 Days
  • Rest Days 4 Avignon, French Riviera, Cinque Terre, Toscana
    Breakfast 16 Included Breakfasts
  • Dinners 12 Dinners
    Daily Mileage 160-220 miles / 250-350 km
  • Hotel Overnights 16 Nights
    Riding Season Spring, Autumn
  • Highlights:  Barcelona, Andorra, Carcassonne, Avignon, French Riviera, Piedmont, Cinque Terre, San Gimignano.
    Accommodations:  Comfortable, very nice hotels, often the best in the area, mostly 4****
    *All IMTBIKE lodgings are hand-picked for their quality of service, local charm and strategic locations.

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Testimonials

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  • This was truly a bike trip of a life time. The guides were great and the routes were unbelievable. This was our fourth tour, but the first one outside of North America. The food and wines as expected were wonderful. Pictures and words cannot adequately describe the adventure of being on a bike in these beautiful mountains.
    See you in Morocco in April.

    Jerry and Ann Larsen
    Texas, USA
    Provence & Tuscany Tour - Bike Trip of a Lifetime

  • What a terrific trip! Our guides, Martin and Chano were outstanding. The roads were something you only dream about: lots of variety to keep you alert, good asphalt, beautiful scenery, and great bikes to enjoy it all. Hotels were more than comfortable, dinners together were most enjoyable with lots of conversation, sharing stories and making new friends. Rest days we got to explore some of the history of the places we were visiting. Lucky for us the weather was excellent. We look forward to another IMTBIKE Tour and spending time with Martin and Chano again.

    Jerry Julian
    New York, USA
    Provence & Tuscany Tour - A Terrific Trip

  • My wife and I rode two up and we had some special needs that Scott and Chano accommodated very easily and graciously without any hint that we were imposing on them.
    We couldnt wait to ride in Tuscany because we knew it would be so beautiful and that part of the trip lived up to our very high expectations. What knocked our socks off, though, were the incredible twisties and spectacular scenery throughout the French mountains and the Pyrenees. Overall, this trip was one of the best trips of any kind we have taken. The roads, the scenery, the bikes, the sights and the people (the IMTBike people and the other riders) were all terrific.

    Dean Vegosen
    Utah & Florida, USA
    Provence & Tuscany Tour - Lived up to our very high expectations

  • This was my third tour with IMTBike (Morocco, Andalucia) and as usual, spectacular in all regards. Weather cooperated for the most part, and the roads and scenery were second to none.
    What continues to amaze me are not only the tours themselves, but the people who make up the group. Each time I think the group cannot be any better than the previous tour group, but lo and behold, they are! We had an excellent group, easy to get along with, just fantastic!
    I was the least experienced rider in the group, but everyone went out of the way to offer helpful suggestions and tips; Scott and Chano did make this trip extra special....thanks again, look forward to the next tour!

    Jim Nims
    Massachusetts, USA
    Provence & Tuscany Tour - Third Tour with IMTBike

  • What a Wild, Wild trip we had!! Fantastic. Pretty well sensory overload but what a rush. The roads, the food, the people, the history, the cities, the towns, the villages, the views, the Med, the wine...it goes on and on....did I mention the roads!!
    Your guys, Chano and Roger, did a fantastic job. I also want to thank you for your gifts, the T- shirt, pullover, memory stick and the wine for most of our dinners. I will wear the cloths with pride and spread the word of IMTBIKE.
    Once again, a great trip, a great IMTBike company, great memories and stories..an adventure!!

    Tom and Kathy
    Ontario, Canada
    Provence & Tuscany Tour - A wild, wild, trip

  • Fantastic! IMT did a superb job with bikes, routing, accommodations, food, and guide (Sergi). For anyone who enjoys riding twisties, this is incredible fun - and if you're a foodie as well, you'll be right at home!
    Questions below are mostly irrelevant...this was a motorcycle riding adventure - 2 weeks of twisty roads, very little time spent doing anything else. But you will see art, history, nature - just not a large part of the time.

  • We had a fantastic time on our Provence & Tuscany tour! It was everything we had hoped for and more. The riding was fantastic, the scenery beautiful, all of the hotels were excellent, it was a very nice group of people to tour with, and the cuisine was simply amazing. The weather was great. One highlight (of many on this tour) was our day trip to Cinque Terre and a delightful lunch at the restaurant you recommended in Monterosso, Ristorante Ciak. Visiting Cinque Terre was a “bucket list” item for us, and this tour made it easy to explore and enjoy.

    Roger and Guillermo did a great job guiding for our group- they were a very good team. We were prepared to do this tour self-guided, but after experiencing some of the challenges of traffic in the cities and language differences, we were very glad to have our guides. They took all of the stress out and we could simply enjoy the tour. Roger’s experience was obvious as he handled every little challenge the group encountered. And it was hard to believe this was Guillermo’s first tour- he did such a great job attending to everyone’s needs and interacting with the group. Both guides greatly enriched our experience with their knowledge of the areas and the history, as well as sharing what their lives are like in Spain and their interest in our lives. Likewise it was fun to have tour group members from India and Australia as well as a couple of Americans who had their roots in Israel and Greece.

    Thanks again for an outstanding bike tour experience. You have a terrific staff that gave us great support throughout the process and tour. No definite plans for our next international bike trip yet, but IMTBike will be at the top of our list when we are considering our next adventure.

    Roger & Jan McCambridge

    Provence & Tuscany Tour

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Meet our guides

Meet the IMTBike Guides

We are very proud of the reputation we’ve earned as one of the world’s leading motorcycle tour operators, and it starts with our guides.

Meet the team →

Daily Itinerary

  • Day 1: Arrival Barcelona
  • Day 2: Barcelona – Seu d’Urgell
  • Day 3: La Seu d’Urgell - Carcassonne
  • Day 4: Carcassonne - Gorges tu Tarn
  • Day 5: Gorges du Tarn - Avignon
  • Day 6: Avignon - rest day
  • Day 7: Avignon - Alpes-Maritims
  • Day 8: Alpes-Martims - French Riviera
  • Day 9: French Riviera - rest day
  • Day 10: French Riviera – Piedmont
  • Day 11: Piedmont – Cinque Terre
  • Day 12: Cinque Terre - rest day
  • Day 13: Cinque Terre - Toscana
  • Day 14: Tuscany – Rest Day
  • Day 15: Toscana - Civitavecchia (ferry)
  • Day 16: Civitavecchia - Barcelona
  • Day 17: Flight home
  • Day 1: Arrival Barcelona

    Arrival Barcelona

    Transfer included from the Airport to the hotel. You will have some free time to relax or do some sightseeing before the safety briefing. After the briefing we will enjoy a welcome dinner in a traditional Spanish restaurant. The first and last days mentioned in the itinerary are the arrival and departure days for your tour. Depending on the country you are flying from, you may have to leave a day early. Please book your flights accordingly!

  • Day 2: Barcelona – Seu d’Urgell

    Barcelona – Seu d’Urgell

    Today will be the perfect start to two weeks of motorcycle heaven in Southern Europe. Leaving Barcelona we will head north into the mighty Pyrenees Mountains for curve after curve of perfect asphalt and breathtaking scenery. We will spend our first night in the town of Seu d’Urgel located a stones from the tiny principality of Andorra.

  • Day 3: La Seu d’Urgell - Carcassonne

    La Seu d’Urgell - Carcassonne

    Today you will cross the border into France and enjoy the beauty of the French Pyrenees. The Pyrenees will lead you to Cathar Country, known for its numerous fortresses built high on the mountain tops. We will spend tonight in one of the best preserve medieval walled towns in Europe, Carcassonne.

  • Day 4: Carcassonne - Gorges tu Tarn

    Carcassonne - Gorges tu Tarn

    On this day we will leave the city following the navigable channel of the Aude River until we turn off towards the mountains. We will then pass by the town of Roquefort, famous for cheese making, and the Millau Viaduct, one of the most impressive works of engineering in Europe.

  • Day 5: Gorges du Tarn - Avignon

    Gorges du Tarn - Avignon

    You’ll start the day by heading into the Cevennes National Park for a beautiful morning ride filled with verdant forests before arriving at the Ardèche Canyon for some more superb motorcycle roads. From there you will cross the Rhone Valley to the most well-known city in Provence, Avignon! Avignon is famous for the Pope’s Palace and the Avignon Bridge.

  • Day 6: Avignon - rest day

    Avignon - rest day

    Today is a rest day and you can explore beautiful Provence and maybe visit the town of Arles where Van Gogh spent his final days painting or you can enjoy all the culture that Avignon has to offer. The choice is yours!

  • Day 7: Avignon - Alpes-Maritims

    Avignon - Alpes-Maritims

    Today we will continue east towards the Luberon National Park and more motorcycle friendly canyon riding. From here you will ride to the blue waters of the Sainte-Croix Lake before starting your ride along the edge of the deepest canyon in Europe, the spectacular Gorges du Verdon. At the end of this canyon the quaint town of Castellane awaits you!

  • Day 8: Alpes-Martims - French Riviera

    Alpes-Martims - French Riviera

    Leaving Castellane we will enjoy some impressive mountain riding with curves galore and numerous natural tunnels before heading south out of the mountains to the French Riviera and the bustling town of Nice.

  • Day 9: French Riviera - rest day

    French Riviera - rest day

    Today is a rest day and you can explore Nice, Monaco, Cannes and St. Tropez. You can also head to the town of Grasse to see where the perfume industry all began.

  • Day 10: French Riviera – Piedmont

    French Riviera – Piedmont

    Today we’ll discover one of Italy’s hidden gems, the Piedmont region. We’ll leave the blue waters of the Mediterranean and head inland. This charming region is full of quiet local roads and quaint villages perched on top of its vineyard covered hills. Nestled between the Alps and the Mediterranean, Piedmont is off the beaten track and still conserves the old world Italian charm.

  • Day 11: Piedmont – Cinque Terre

    Piedmont – Cinque Terre

    Today we’ll find our way back to the coast on quiet backroads. We’ll discover more hidden corners but also some roads famous amongst Italian motorcyclists. We’ll snake through forests on perfect asphalt bringing us to the waters of Liguria, the Italian Rivera, where we’ll stop for two nights in the Cinque Terre.

  • Day 12: Cinque Terre - rest day

    Cinque Terre - rest day

    Today is a rest day and you can spend it as you wish, but we highly recommend taking the boat tour to explore Cinque Terre. The vistas and charm of Cinque Terre are overwhelming. One of our favorite Italian restaurants is located in Monterosso, we’ll tell you about it during the briefing the night before!

  • Day 13: Cinque Terre - Toscana

    Cinque Terre - Toscana

    Today you will leave the coast and head into the heart of Tuscany. But first we have a little surprise as we motorcycle through the Alpi Apuane Mountains to San Gimignano. The mountains are great for motorcycling! San Gimignano is one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Tuscany!

  • Day 14: Tuscany – Rest Day

    Tuscany – Rest Day

    Today you can either relax in the gardens by the pool or stroll through the medieval walled city of San Gimignano, famous for it’s many high towers that symbolized power and wealth. There is also an option to ride if you would like to explore the wine region and visit Siena and Voltera.

  • Day 15: Toscana - Civitavecchia (ferry)

    Toscana - Civitavecchia (ferry)

    Today we will have an enjoyable ride through the rolling hills of Tuscany down to the port town of Civitavecchia where we will board our cruise ship back to Barcelona.

  • Day 16: Civitavecchia - Barcelona

    Civitavecchia - Barcelona

    Today we will relax on our Mediterranean Cruise Ship and arrive in Barcelona with time to do some last minute shopping or sightseeing before our farewell dinner! After dinner you will say your goodbyes to the guides and other tour members (now your new friends).

  • Day 17: Flight home

    Flight home

    It’s time to say goodbye to Spain and head to the airport to fly home. Until our next motorcycle adventure together! Hasta Pronto!

Provence & Tuscany Motorcycle Tour Pricing

The base price of every tour is calculated for a single rider on a BMW G310R and sharing a double room.

  • Add passenger

    + 5410

    Add

  • Single Room Supplement

    + 1600

    Add

  • BMW G310R

    + 0

    Add

  • BMW F700GS low

    + 350

    Add

  • BMW F750GS

    + 430

    Add

  • BMW F800GT

    + 640

    Add

  • BMW F800GS

    + 640

    Add

  • BMW F850GS

    + 640

    Add

  • BMW F900XR

    + 640

    Add

  • BMW F900GS ADV

    + 910

    Add

  • BMW R1250RS

    + 910

    Add

  • BMW R1250GS

    + 910

    Add

  • BMW R1300GS

    + 1090

    Add

  • BMW R1250GS ADV

    + 1090

    Add

  • BMW S1000XR

    + 1090

    Add

  • BMW R1250RT

    + 1090

    Add

  • BMW K1600GT

    + 1580

    Add

Included in Tour:

  • Airport pickup on the first day of the tour.
  • Overnight accommodations in carefully selected 4 & 5 star hotels and boutique hotels.
  • A delicious gourmet evening meal featuring French and Italian specialties every night (except on rest days).
  • Complete buffet breakfast every morning.
  • New model BMW motorcycle fully equipped with 3 BMW cases.
  • Tour handbook (normally about 70 pages-very comprehensive) and highlighted map.
  • Expert multilingual guide on a motorcycle.
  • Multilingual guide in support vehicle which will carry your luggage, any oversized purchases you make; or even a passenger or two.
  • Tour Souvenirs.

Not included in Tour:

  • Air ticket, lunches, gasoline, drinks, tolls, personal spending and tips
Included