How to choose a cycle tour route in France

If the idea of a cycling holiday through glorious French landscapes, fuelled by delectable local gastronomy, with picnic pitstops, café au lait in the sunshine and wine tasting sounds utterly bewitching, but you don’t know which region of France to choose, let us guide you…

Best cycle tour routes in France

Our cycle tour routes have been meticulously put together by ardent francophiles with hundreds upon hundreds of miles’ experience on French country roads. From the best châteaux to the prettiest medieval hilltop villages, from the most welcoming hotel owners to the least arduous cobblestones, we have mapped out and trialled routes to showcase France at its finest.

Boy, it was a tough job…

But we know that with so many breath-taking landscapes, so much history and culture, and such a wealth of French foodie destinations, it is extremely challenging to pick just one area to explore.

So let us help! Here is our guide to choosing the best French bike tour for you and your friends or family:

Best routes for leisurely French cycling

Looking to cruise on predominantly flat terrain for between 3-5 hours per day? Our Loire Valley cycle tour is ideal for you. With a cycling level of 2/10, the routes are predominantly car-free, and many kilometres are covered on dedicated cycleways. What’s more, the scenery is utterly enchanting. Let your imagination fly as you cycle through pastoral landscapes and Royal hunting forests, past fairytale castles and alongside graceful, winding rivers.

You may also like: La Rochelle, Cognac and the Atlantic Coast, also rated 2/10 for cycle level. If you have a taste for the finer things in life, you’ll enjoy riding around brandy vineyards, tucking into seafood and admiring yachts in the marinas.

Chenonceau: one of the many Loire châteaux we pass on our cycle tour

Best French cycling holiday destination for stunning views

This is a tough question to answer because, a) France is literally swathed in stunning views, and b) we have deliberately added fabulous scenery into the itinerary for ALL our cycle tours – we know how to please!

For accessible and beautiful coastal scenery, our Provence tours (Roman Heritage and Villages of the Luberon) will reward you with Mediterranean magic – your photos will be as sparkling and sun-kissed as your skin.

For more bracing nautical coastline, look West: our Atlantic cycle tour takes us between picture-perfect Ile de Ré with its whitewashed houses and green shutters and the historically important port towns of Fouras and Rochefort.  

Looking for dreamy hilltop villages? They’re a dime a dozen in France!  Our Provence - Luberon tour is right up your street, as we’ll visit Gordes, one of the most famously beautiful spots in France. But that’s not all, we visit Minerbes, home of Peter Mayle's 'A Year in Provence', and you will have the opportunity to photograph the incredible pinks and reds of Rousillon, perched on its famous ochre cliffs. Turns out that actor John Malkovich also enjoys a spot of Provencal sunshine… He made his home in Bonnieux, one of the very oldest villages in the region, with a monastery dating back to the 6th century. We ride to Bonnieux for a restaurant lunch overlooking the Luberon.

All that and we haven’t even started on the mountains! If you enjoy admiring peaks and summits, then there’s a little extra effort involved (although don’t forget, we can also hire e-bikes!) because France’s legendary montagnes are best admired from a high point. Follow the in the wheeltracks of the world’s best riders and tick off bucket list cols such as the Cormet de Roselend (1967m), Col de la Madeleine (1993m) and the Col d'Iseran (2764m) on our Legendary Cols of the French Alps cycling tour. Your efforts will be rewarded with France’s most sublime mountain views.

You may also like: our guided Gorge du Verdon and Mont Ventoux cycling tour. This route showcases some of the most dramatic scenery of the South of France: the incredible Grand Canyon du Verdon, the fortified town of Sisteron, and the epic Mont Ventoux.

One of France's countless photogenic clifftop towns: Sisteron

 

Best cycle trips for wildlife in France

Cycling through the French landscape offers many opportunities for close encounters with the local inhabitants!

Birdwatchers will delight in the Brouage marshes on our La Rochelle, Cognac and the Atlantic Coast cycle tour, where you might see glossy ibis, purple heron, spotted redshanks, huge black kites or diminutive bluethroats.

However, the most colourful birds are surely to be found on our Mediterranean Coast and Canal du Midi cycle tour. Around Sete and the Étang de Thau, the scenery positively blushes with pink flamingos who claim their delicate rosy hue from the carotenoids in their wetland diet of brine shrimp.

Pretty flamingo: we often spot these amazing birds in the wild in the South of France

Whilst the birdlife in this beautiful Mediterranean region of France might be flamboyantly coloured, the four-legged residents see things a little more… black and white. As they mature, the majestic wild horses who populate the stunning Camargue area around Arles turn from grey to bright white, dazzling against the bright blue sky. In contrast, the iconic jet black bulls make a fearsome emblem, their history interwoven with bullfighting in the arenas of Arles and Nîmes, which we pass through on our Provence Roman Heritage bike tour.

Equally impressive is the wildlife on our Alpine cycle trip. Winding slowly up the hairpins, our riders are regularly cheered on by marmots whose cheeky whistles are sure to give you a boost around the next bend! Swooping overhead you may see lammergeier, Alpine choughs, even golden eagles. Gaze long enough at the rocky cliffs and you will probably glimpse a curious chamois or even an ibex (bouquetin), no doubt wondering why you are puffing and panting, when climbing mountains is so very natural.

Climbing the iconic Col de la Loze route between Meribel and Courchevel in the French Alps

Best cycle route for wine tasting in France

This, dear friends, is rather dependent on your preferred style of wine...

If it’s classy claret you’re after, we will revel in viticultural heaven in St-Emilion, Pomerol, Fronsac, Cadillac and Graves during our Bordeaux & Bergerac Wine cycling tour.

Should your tipple tend towards Pinot Noir over Cabernet Sauvignon, then the vineyards of Burgundy would be a great cycle tour destination for you. Our guides will endeavour to lure you away from the cycle paths and into the cellars of the Côte d’Or to taste the famous names of Bourgogne: Nuits-St-George, Pommard, Montrachet, Aloxe-Corton…

You might also like: Don’t ever think that we’d leave you thirsty on our other tours! In Provence we will try Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, in the Loire you could sample AOC Cheverny and Cour Cheverny next to our hotel, or Puilly Fuissé and Sancerre in any restaurant, and on the Atlantic coast we head to a Cognac tasting.

Best biking holiday destination for historical visits

France’s colourful history echoes around fortress walls, down château corridors, through mediaeval churches, across vine-clad fields and deep into long-forgotten caverns… By the end of your French cycling holiday you will have experienced an unforgettable ride through time!

Returning home, your tales will be entwined with mighty Roman accomplishments, absinthe-soaked landscape paintings, inspired architectural wonders and breath-taking prehistoric cave art.

Visit the famous paintings of the Lascaux Cave on our Dorgdogne trip, rub your hands across walls laid by Romans on our Provence cycle tour, immerse yourself in a fairytale world of knights and royalty among the châteaux of the Loire. If you are looking to meander into the mists of time, then we'll hold your hand all the way!

Built in the first century AD: the Roman aqueduct 'Pont du Gard'

Best challenging cycling routes in France

Your legs are ready, you’ve tested your kit, you’re in the zone… Let’s tick off some of France’s most challenging rides together!

Our two toughest rides are in the northern Alps, in which we climb some of the impressive cols on the Tour de France circuit, and Mont Ventoux – which we climb from all three angles! These legendary routes are bucket list destinations for keen cyclists, with the staggeringly beautiful panoramas well worth the uphill.

For any regular and active rider who wants to truly appreciate the skill and determination of the Kings of the Mountain, these two tours will help you bag these famous rides.

Mountain riders: earning the views!

Best French cycle tours for foodies

Stick a finger (or a fork?) in a map of France, and chances are you’ll have hit a famous foodie destination. Coastal or riverside, pastoral or mountainous, each French region has not just one, but many delicious reasons to stop you in your tracks.

Here are just a few gourmet highlights of our cycle tours:

• The Cormery macarons on our Loire Valley trip, and the white wines, eg. Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, as well as goat’s cheeses and ‘rillettes’ pork spread – delicious with baguette on a picnic!
• Our Provence tours are absolute foodie heaven: olives, fresh fish, Camargue rice, seafood, tomatoes, melons, figs – and ‘calissons’ from Aix-en-Provence. Our riders definitely do not go hungry on these tours. And let’s not forget that there’s nothing quite like rosé in the sunshine after a beautiful day’s pedalling…
• On the Mediterranean and Canal du Midi, seaside and earthy flavours vie for your attention. Menus feature classic seafood dishes such as bouillabaisse and for those who prefer a meaty meal, you cannot leave the area without sampling cassoulet. The Spanish have left their mark with pimentos spicing things up, and Camargue rice also a favourite ingredient in local dishes.
• How about a hearty, slow-cooked beef stew? Try an authentic Boeuf Bourgignonne on our Burgundy wine tour. There are also snails for the brave, and delicious Epoisses cheese. On this tour we sample the Burgundy wines, naturally, as well as trying the region’s other fruity liqueur: cassis.
• Snuffle a truffle in the Dordogne: you’ll see them on restaurant menus frequently on our Castles and Caves tour. Not to everyone’s taste, of course, but foie gras is a local product here. The Perigord region is also famed for walnuts, Rocamadour cheese, lamb, duck, and finally strawberries, which is perfect timing for our early June tour in this area. We also visit this region on the Bordeaux and Bergerac wine tour.
• On the Atlantic coast, we are in oyster land but if they aren’t your thing, there are many other fish dishes to be enjoyed here. Carnivores are in for a treat with lamb from the salt marshes and beef from the creamy Charentais cattle that graze the inland pastures. The Charentais melons with their striped skin and perfumed orange flesh are utterly divine, warmed in the sun, just like the cherries and plums which grow in abundance here.
• Cycling in the mountains requires serious energy. During our Alpine cols bike trip, we indulge in fondue or raclette – melting cheese which oozes over your bread or potatoes without a care for your cholesterol! Such tempting treats nestle on menus alongside hearty steak and chips, creamy tartiflette or hearty salads, and are best washed down with a craft IPA or a glass of rich Rhone red or a white Chignin Bergeron.

A Provence delicatessen: always difficult to choose when faced with such delicious looking produce! 

Choosing your next cycle tour destination

We hope this gives you some ideas on which French Cycling Holiday tour to choose, but if not, all you need to do is ask! We are very happy to help you decide, based upon your fitness level, your budget, your interests and even your appetite and wine preferences!

When you travel with an independent company, you know you will receive expert advice from beginning to end. 

•  fch@frenchcyclingholidays.com
•  +44(0) 1923 894305 or +44(0)20 8357 8934