Best cycling routes in France

The French will never look at you strangely if you turn up on a bike. It’s their much loved national sport and, consequently, they have cycling trails through forests or fine winelands, along canals, coasts and between châteaux. As well as some serious road cycling of course. Our most popular cycling holidays in France include the hilltop villages of Provence, the flats of the Normandy coast, and the peaks of the Pyrenees. And our most recent vélo-vacay is the superb Via Rhôna, which takes you along the Rhône between Geneva and Sête for 815km. Here are our best cycling routes in France, whether you’re a Tour de France wannabee or more of a mellow on a vélo type.

Via Rhôna

Keen river riders will love the Via Rhôna cycle path. It covers 815km of the Rhône River and Valley in total, between Geneva in Switzerland and Sête in France, the majority of the route being in France. This river has a glorious USP in that it flows from the mountains to the Med, its icy source being the Rhône Glacier in the Swiss Alps. It gives sustenance to an array of vineyards en route, and it’s the birthplace of one of France’s most underrated and classic cities, Lyon.

You can do the whole thing over 17 days, break it up into sections, or take on two at a time. Apart from when you take on the complete trail, the longest section, over 13 days, starts in Geneva and takes you all the way to the ancient town of Orange in France, stopping at Lyon en route. You can also opt to just go as far as Lyon, although you still spend a whole week rocking the Rhône. You can then come back another time and spend eight days cycling from Lyon to Orange. Last but not least, we’ve got a chilled, six day adventure cycling from Orange to Sête which is the perfectly Provençal part.

The Via Rhôna follows the eponymous river and valley for an exquisite 815km.

The Grand Crossing, French Alps

Starting on the French shores of Lake Geneva in Thonon-les-Bains, your first day of cycling on the Grand Crossing of the French Alps is through the famous Portes du Soleil area, one of the finest windows onto the alpine terrain that lies ahead. You spend eight days, in fact, cycling through mountain magnificence, spending nights in renowned resorts Bourg-Saint-Maurice or Aussois and the medieval fortress town of Briançon. Think of this as a journey from Mont Blanc to the Med, with other cycling highlights along the way including Mercantour National Park or the Tarentaise and Maurienne Valleys, with views across Vanoise National Park. You don’t need a yellow jersey for this trip. You just need plenty of juice in the tank, or in the battery, if you’re opting for an e-bike. This trip is also reachable by rail, with train stations at Thonon-les-Bains and Nice, the start and end point respectively.

“Eight amazing days. Seven amazing rides. 750 amazing kilometres and 16,000m of humbling ascent. The best experience on the bike of my life. Beautiful, quaint towns with stunning scenery and simple uncomplicated accommodation at the end of each day, serving copious quantities of excellent food. Our guide, Guillaume, was omnipresent, kind, supportive, good fun, a great host and lunch chef and a true gent.” – Martin from Ireland, on our Grand Crossing holiday.

You don’t need to aspire to a yellow jersey to cycle across the French Alps. You can just go slowly and take in the yellow flowers instead.

Loire Valley

For cycling holidays in France that have a focus both on viticulture and vélo culture, the Loire Valley Cycling Trail is a must. This 800km route is both epic and epicurean, given that it covers many different terroirs, and cycling terrain. From inland Sancerres to the rolling hills of Saumur further west and, last but not least, the Muscadet wine appellation on the western edges of the Loire Valley, where Atlantic influences creep in as the river approaches its mouth. You can cycle the whole route in 15 days, or choose a week-long section between Nevers and Orleans, Orleans and Saumur or Saumur to the Atlantic. All of these tours are easily accessible by train.

“It was our first trip of this nature and we found it very straightforward. We upgraded our hotels and very much appreciated the beautiful settings and swimming pools. The instructions were mostly easy to follow and the transfer of baggage went very smoothly indeed.” – Victoria from St Albans on our Loire Valley cycling holiday between Orleans and Saumur.

Alsace Wine Route

This is another wine region cycling holiday that is accessible by train, so you’ll be popping a few bottles in your pannier after your journey between Strasbourg and Colmar. The Alsace Wine Route heads from north to south for 170km, give or take a few detours to wineries in the foothills of the Vosges. There are more than 1,200 winemakers along the way, and most of them are families who have carried on the tradition for generations. For example, you cycle to and spend a night in Riquewihr, which is not only one of France’s official Plus Beaux Villages de France, it’s also home to some of the most aromatic white wines. These include Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat and Gewurztraminer as well as the cheaper Sylvaner, Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc wines.

French Pyrenees

Follow in the slipstream of cycling greats on the mammoth journey across the French Pyrenees from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Spend eight days on this colossal route, powering up in the medieval port town of Collioure, and down again in surfy Saint-Jean-de-Luz. This is a popular trip not only with traditional cyclists but also with e-bikers. You do need to power up in between, of course, but you can go for 90km without charging on our e-bikes, and there is an option to carry a spare battery as well. This depends on how much boost you opt for when climbing to the likes of Col de Portet d’Aspet (1,069 m) or Col de Menté (1,369m), two of the Tour de France high spots. Or the road between Soulor Pass (1,474m) and Col d’Aubisque (1,710 m), considered one of Pyrenees’ finest.

Provence

Bring your peloton to Provence, with two of our most popular tours being a six day journey and the other a cheeky little five day break of pure biking bliss. They both start in Avignon, which is also accessible by rail, and take you alongside vineyards and traditional villages, to an array of châteaux and chapels. One of the highlights of both trips is the ancient town and Roman ruins at Arles, and each has its own unique natural heritage treat too. The six day trip takes you through the wetland wonders of Camargue Regional Natural Park, and the five day trip includes a visit to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, which is built on a series of canals with Venice-like houses on the waterfront, and ancient cobblestone streets.

Provence also wins a prize for one of the prettiest of wine regions, although surprisingly one of the most underrated by wine experts. Perhaps because the majority of wines are rosé, with 88% of Provence wine production dedicated to all things pink. Our cycling holiday does take you to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, however, famous for its raunchy reds, and just 12km north of Avignon. In addition, you cycle through some of the most prestigious winemaking villages in the southern Rhône Valley – most notably Vacqueyras and Beaumes-de-Venise.

Cycling France’s canals

Cycling the Canal du Midi between Toulouse and Sète is France’s most famous trail of its kind, following this ingeniously constructed 240km artificial waterway over seven days. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and takes you through a mix of vineyard, tree-lined tracks and ancient villages. The tour ends in the charming town of Sète, known as Venice of the Languedoc for its canal network. Another French canal treat is the 193km Canal de la Garonne, which starts in Bordeaux and finishes in Toulouse, and also takes seven days. After taking time to soak in the beauty of Bordeaux, head off along the canal’s green lanes, mostly car-free trails and a relatively easy odyssey into Southern Occitanie.

You can also combine both of these adventurous arteries, following what the French call the Canal des Deux Mers, or Canal of the Two Seas, as they take you from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Although, just to be clear, the Canal de la Garonne doesn’t take you all the way to the sea. But the two adjoining canals do provide a navigable route to the sea, as the River Garonne, which goes through Bordeaux, flows into the Atlantic.

“We had been thinking about cycling the Canal des Deux Mers for a couple of years, and finally took the plunge…The luggage transfers worked like a dream, the route was a delight (flat cycling!) and the GPS downloads were spot on. We had a really amazing time and I would highly, highly recommend both the trip and The Natural Adventure. Thank you for a fantastic trip!” – JoJo from Birmingham, UK, on our Canal des Deux Mers cycling holiday.

The Côtes d’Armor, Brittany

The Côtes d’Armor name comes from the Breton, ar mor, meaning, quite simply, the sea. They have no need to glam it up in Brittany. They just live and breathe the sea here, celebrating its dramatic coastlines and influences on local culture at every turn. And you will explore some terrific turns on this week long cycling holiday, which includes the Pink Granite Coast stretching between Trebeurden and Perros Guirec. The pink boulders it’s most famous for can be seen at many of its naturally sculpted bays, but they are particularly outstanding at Ploumanac’h. This Breton cycling holiday is also accessible by ferry and train, and e-bikes are available.

We’re full of amour for the Côtes d’Armor.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed our Tour de France of cycling holidays and feel inspired to get the wheels in motion and book one that suits you. Don’t forget that our cycling holidays do come in a wide array of difficulty levels and, for a quick overview, click on the links of our easy, easy/moderate, moderate, moderate/strenuous and strenuous. We have plenty more blogs about cycling here, and for any more information, please don’t hesitate to contact our adventure specialists.