France (local)

L'incanto dei borghi arroccati su dirupi vertiginosi, il fascino ed il misticismo delle abazie benedettine rendono la Provenza una méta sempre desiderata. Un viaggio che, per quanto lo si ripeta, non delude mai.

Fa un caldo torrido in questo mese di luglio, in Provenza....

In September 2011, I spent a leisurely, though sometimes challenging, three weeks riding solo across France, from Bayonne/Biarritz, on the Atlantic, to Narbonne/Gruissan-Plage, on the Mediterranean.

In between, there were three fabulous Tour de France climbs in the high Pyrenees; gorgeous valleys in their foothills; prehistoric and Roman ruins; medieval walled cities; romanesque cathedrals and abbeys.

I certainly won't forget the many wonderful, friendly, helpful, delightful people I met ... and the superb food I enjoyed along the way. The Pyrenees are for me a cycling paradise.

Climbing is essential to the good cycling tours. You've got the motivation to climb the pass, you celebrate the victory at the top, you have the sense of achievement and you are rewarded with the thrill of descent. All of this while riding through beautiful and diverse scenery. In this tour I was reviving these feelings tens of times per day. Frequently I was overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment, a kind of hyper-consciousness, as if I was on adrenalin drug. This was not an isolated event, an exceptionally good moment when you say ''Wow, that WAS the day!'' - on this tour all of the days were like that. I never enjoyed cycling so much for so long.

An incredible journey, from Aosta in Italy we climb: Petit Saint Bernard, Iseran, Telegraphe and Galibier, Izoard, Col de Vars, Col de la Bonette, Couillole and Valberg, Toutes Aures and then into the Gorges du Verdon to reach the Mediterranean Sea in the last stage!!!

10 stages, 716 km, 16200 meter of elevation, the amazing landscapes of the Alps, a perfect wheater all the days and great fellow travelers are the ingredients for an unbelievable bike trip!!!

Corsica bike tour. 300 km 4 days

A superb eleven day, 1040 km route from the Channel port of Caen in Normandy to the Mediterranean near Montpellier - passing through many of the classic landscapes of France including the Loire Valley; Dordogne, Lot and Tarn gorges; and the Cervennes.

Summary route details and distances, hotel addresses, equipment list and photos all included in the report.

I had long dreamed of visiting France, of seeing the southern countryside, eating what I imagined to be totally delicious food, and experiencing ancient and medieval art and architecture. I had longed to know something of an older culture than ours in Massachusetts. New England is old in the United States, but very young in the world. When I turned 60 I decided to do it, to finally visit France, and when there to travel on a cycle. I had ridden in the 1970s, but gave my Fuji ten-speed away long ago. I hadn't been on a bike since about 1980, but in August 2007, on a whim, bought a new bike and a year later rode it solo around Lake Champlain in Vermont. My husband wanted to go with me to France, so in May 2009 we rode from Avignon, France, in a looping tour of about 500 miles, mostly very flat, visiting Roman ruins and ancient cities. It was his first cycle tour ever, and so I planned an easy trip, staying in bed and breakfasts or hotels, saving time for visiting museums and historic sites. This trip went from major city to major city, with some very beautiful riding in between. It included a ride the length of the famous Canal du Midi, running from Agde to Toulouse. We traveled from Avignon to Orange, then into the Luberon, west to Arles, south to the Camargue, west again along the Mediterranean to Sète and back inland toToulouse. The journal was written after my 2010 visit to the Cévennes in France.

Impressions from our cycling trip on the beautiful isle of Corsica in May/June 2010. We cycled around 800 kilometers from Bastia along the coast to Calvi and Porto and then through the inner highlands to Corte and back to Bastia. You can watch our video-report!

For more information you can visit our website: fietsenineuropa.nl.

An all-day train ride takes us from Munich to Morlaix in Brittany via Paris. The train from Paris to Morlaix doesn't take bicycles and we are again happy to have folders. Our tour starts with an abundance of rain and hills as we follow Brittany's spectacular southern coast to the Loire. From here we cycle the popular - and flat - Loire Valley Bike Path into Burgundy where the scenery gets more interesting as we ride along the Canal du Centre and Saone River. After having covered approximately 1,500 km we take the train from Dijon back to Munich.

We are Anna & Maurizio and We cycled Corse above the sea following some narrow road carved on the rock as ''Route Departementale'' 81, 81a, 80 that represent some of the most scenic paths a cyclist may hope to find.

Spectacular views of the West Coast and Cape Corse.

And at the end of the holiday We went in Provence and We summited Mont Ventoux.

This is a description of my nine-day solo trip, in May 2010, in the Cévennes mountains of France. The trip was mostly camping, but no cooking. My goal was to see the Cévennes, mountains full of history and culture, their geography older than the Alps or Pyrenees. There was a good mix of climbing, mountains, medieval towns, villages, rivers ... always gorgeous and fun riding, but not a very high mileage. I wanted to learn something of the area, its culture and history, without being totally exhausted. In all it was about 300 miles, about 14,000 feet of climbing. I rode from Montpellier to Albi, with a loop up the Gorge du Tarn and down the Gorge du Jonte.

Der Süden von Frankreich ist wunderbares Fahrrad Touren Territorium. Der attraktiven Mittelmeer Küstenstrasse der Côte d'Azur entlang, die Route Napoleon in den französischen Alpen, der mächtige Canyon du Verdon oder auch die traumhafte Insel Korsika.

We were sitting around our dining room table sipping a glass of wine (can't remember if it was from a box or bottle) thinking about where to take our next bike tour, when I said, ``We should try for more diversity.'' Beth immediately replied, ``You're not going to go off about our immigration policy again? I thought we were going to discuss our next tour.'' I responded, ``No, no, not that type of diversity!'' Beth replied, ``Oh, you mean terrain, like cycling along rivers, canals, rolling terrain, forests, maybe a mountain or two, that kind of diversity?'' ``No'' I said, ``I was thinking more about red grapes, white grapes and grapes with bubbles.'' The solution was to combine both: red, the canals and forests of Burgundy; white, the mountains of the Alsace; bubbly, the rolling hills of Champagne.

So sit back, open a bottle of your favorite, and we hope you enjoy our journal.

The last weekend of September and the weather forecast is good for Brighton and northern France. We really don't want the start of winter to arrive too soon, so it's off to Dieppe for a short 4 day cycle tour of the Normandy region, taking in Rouen and the coast on the way.

En la mayor parte de este viaje seguimos el trazado de la ruta ''Eurovelo 6``, que aunque con tramos todavia en proyecto, es una via ciclista que une la desembocadura del Loira en el Atlantico con el delta del Danubio en el Mar Negro recorriendo toda Europa de Oeste a Este.

Pero como las vacaciones no son eternas, este año nos tuvimos que conformar con el tramo que cruza Francia. Empezamos en Nantes remontando el Loira hasta Digoin, luego por el Canal du Centre y el Saone, y despues por el canal del Rin y el Doubs hasta llegar a la frontera con Alemania. Alli abandonamos el trazado de la EuroVelo-6 para girar al Norte y siguiendo la cuenca del Rin visitar Colmar y Estrasburgo. En total fueron 1250 km de pedaleo con algun corto trayecto en tren que nos llevaron 16 dias, 13 de ellos viajando en bicicleta.

My memoir of riding the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200 km Randonnee in 1995 - a day-to-day dairy, plus a bit of history and an equipment list.

At the end of August in 2008, Mike Samuel, Roberto Peon and I toured across France, starting in Hendaye on the Spanish border, and then riding across the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean coast. There, we took a train transfer to Montpellier, and then rode North through Languedoc, Provence, and the Rhone Alps to Bourg-en-Bresse and then Geneva. The journey totaled 1047 miles with 92949 feet of elevation gain.

This was a five-day bicycle trip to various Chateaus in the Loire Valley, using Tours as a base. Following that, a few days sightseeing in Paris, sans bicycle.

La buona riuscita del viaggio dello scorso anno ci ha spinti anche quest'anno a pedalare per un po' di giorni in un paese sempre ospitale e ricco di storia, cultura e gastronomia come la Francia.

La Francia dunque : liberté, égalité e vin rosé -

L'idea che ha dato vita al viaggio è stata quella di bagnare le ruote delle bici nell'Oceano Atlantico e di bagnarle a fine percorso nell'acqua del Mediterraneo. Se vi lasciate prendere dalla lettura di questo breve racconto, vedrete che ci siamo riusciti

Three fledgling cyclists, Liz, Nix and Mal, pimp their £400 bikes and invest in wooly jumpers to cycle across France coast to coast from St Malo on the English Channel to Sete on the Med. 3 bods, 3 bikes, 14 days cycling, 2 days resting, 1100 km, 700 miles and 0 punctures!

What follows is the journal of the ride seen from our saddles. It hopes to be informative to those who dare, and reflective for those who like the highs and lows of the human story. Each day has a detailed google map of the route we took, pics, contact details of the place we stayed, and of course the journals of Liz, Mal and Nix. Oh and when we calculate our daily speed we're basing it on the length of the complete day with our breaks - this was a challenge with no time for long lunches or relaxing strolls on cycling days.

It's amazing how time flies. It seems like just the other day that our fathers were taking the training wheels off our first bikes and now we've been informed that our subscription to AARP needs renewing. On top of that we get more advertisements for Medicare drug plans than we get catalogs from the Colorado Cyclist. Maybe it's time to do a Bucket List. And if it is time, the first thing on it is to cycle the Pyrenees before we're eligible for Medicare.

And that led to this tour ...

We decided to give ourselves an easy start by cycling down the West Coast of France from Bordeaux to St. Jean-de-Luz, a scenic ride through pine and fern forests, alongside sand dunes and the Atlantic Ocean.

At St. Jean-de-Luz we would take a left turn and head into the Pyrenees toward the Col de Tourmalet. After conquering or being conquered by the Pyrenees, we'd go on to Carcassone where we would make one more left turn to follow the Midi-Canal for a leisurely, and flat, ride back to Bordeaux.

This is a photo diary of a bike trip in September, 2008 from Paris, France to Blois and Chenonceau in the Loire Region of France. It also includes a description of cycling out of Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Our 2008 cycling trip gave us a taste of France. We cycled in Paris, Burgundy, Alsace and Provence. We loved French bakeries and cake shops. This has had some not so good side effects - we came back with extra weight! And that's in spite of cycling over 1000km.
If you are planning a similar cycling tour you will find a lot of useful information in our trip Itinerary and day-by-day Trip Report. If you would like to see the beauty of cycling in France do not miss the Best Photos & Videos. You may also be interested in our recommendations for the best places to see, stay and eat in Top 5. If you have any questions or comments please write to us. Enjoy and have a great time on your virtual bicycle tour!
Glen and Margaret

This eight day trip around the volcanic region of Auvergne in the centre of France took us through some surprising ladscapes, nice valleys and some challenging passes (at least challenging for us). On our site you will find the description of our itinerary and brief notes on what we saw with some potentially useful tips for housing.

Burgundy is a great place for cycling: whether your tour is to be short or long, flat or hilly, with emphasis on nature or architecture - in Burgundy you have your choice. For part of our short visit we followed bike paths following the Canal de Bourgogne and Canal du Nirvenais, otherwise we cycled on small roads with almost no traffic through pleasant, but hilly, countryside. We visited Auxerre, Tonnerre, Avallon, Pontigny, Semur-en-Auxois ...

Wir haben uns in diesem wunderbaren Landstrich fünfzehn Tage lang von dem hier herrschenden Wind voran treiben lassen. Schöne Landschaft, guter Wein und die romanische Kunst geben einen guten Rahmen für eine vergnügliche Fahrt.

A complete blog describing a ride across the Pyrenees from Hendaye on the Atlantic coast to Cerbere on the Mediterranean coast. 4 and a bit days diarised for 11 cyclists and 1 support car. The pain, suffering, cols and route are all described.

Im Herbst kamen Robert und Conrad auf die spontane Idee eine Radtour zu starten. Aufgrund der fortgeschrittenen Jahreszeit kamen nur noch mediterane Gebiete für die Tour in Frage. Nach einer Nachtschicht vor dem Rechner und über den Atlanten entschieden wir uns für Korsika. Die Insel galt als gebirgig jedoch schreckte uns das nicht ab, denn umso schöne Aussichten erhofften wir uns von den Gipfeln. Auf der Insel angekommen erwartete uns zuerst bedeckter Himmel. Die Wolken verzogen sich jedoch bereits am zweiten Tag und so hatten wir traumhafte Aussichten am Cape Corse.

For our two-week tour we choose the little corner of France tucked in between the Pyrenées Orientales and the Mediterranean: wine growing country, rich in history, near the Spanish border. Having just recovered from a knee injury in early summer, I can now put my knee to the test with hills and a loaded bike.

Cycling along Canal du Midi and Canal de Garonne from Mediterranean sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Nice pics and travelogue.

For people living in the South of England this is an easy tour to get to and makes a perfect first cyclecamping tour. No days over 40 miles, easy terrain and lots of history and beautiful countryside. Though done in 1997 nothing has changed. Especially for those terrified by some of the tours posted here:-)

La Francia è un paese solcato da canali navigabili e ogni canale possiede almeno un'alzaia o un sentiero di alaggio. Da queste considerazioni è nato il progetto di un viaggio lungo un canale di navigazione.

Abbiamo scelto una via d'acqua breve e facilmente raggiungibile dall'Italia, il canale dal Rodano a Sète, prolungamento del più famoso e lungo Canal du Midi che da Toulouse conduce sino al Mediterraneo. L'alzaia del canale dal Rodano a Sète è completamente sterrata, con fondo a tratti mal tenuto. A volte corre su una sponda, a volte sull'altra della via d'acqua: occorrono un po' di esperienza, di intuito e di fortuna per non imboccare sentieri che si perdano nella campagna.

In cambio si ha il privilegio di vedere la Provenza e la Camargue da un punto di vista privilegiato e sconosciuto ai più.

journal + a lot pictures

Eine abwechslungsreiche Radtour durch das zentrale Südfrankreich über insgesamt 630 km, 7 Tagesetappen zwischen 64 und 120 Kilometer.

Eine reizvolle Radtour in 7 Etappen über insgesamt 829 km durch hügeliges Gelände, Tagesetappen zwischen 90 und 145 km. Die Etappenziele wurden nach Sehenswürdigkeiten und dem Angebot der örtlichen Gastronomie ausgewählt.

Eine Radtour durch die französischen Pyrenäen in 8 Tagesetappen über 760 km. Das Gebirge, wo Majestix der Himmel auf den Kopf gefallen wäre. Die Wolkendecke hängt vor allem im westlichen Teil der Pyrenäen so tief, daß man Mühe hat die Straße zu sehen. Obwohl nicht so hoch wie die bekannten Alpenpässe, haben es die hiesigen ``Giftzwerge'' in sich.

A bike circle within 8 stages over 760 km through the French Pyrenees. The mountain range where the sky would have been fallen on Majestix' head. Expecially in the western part of the Pyrenees, the cloud cover is so low that it is difficult to see the road. Although not as high as the well known passes in the Alpes, the local ``spiteful little devils'' are tough ones.

We had just finished cycling the South Island of New Zealand and instead of sitting back and relaxing on the flight home, we began planning our next trip, a month long self-supported cycling trip in France.

What better place to begin a trip to France then in Paris. From the 'City of Lights' we would dabble in a little art history by visiting Monet's gardens and then it would be off to the D-day beaches and a WWII history lesson. From 20th century history we would go back in time to the 11th century and visit Bayeaux and its famous tapestry. We would then check out life in a monastery, cycling across Normandy to Mt. St. Michel.

From Mt. St. Michel we would travel along the Brittany coast. At St. Malo we would leave the coast for the medieval city of Dinan and continue to the mouth of the Loire. We would then cycle through the land of chateaux and wineries ending our trip at Fontainebleau.

Our site includes lots of photos along with a daily log and an equipment list.

This is a description with lots of pictures of our August 2006 trip on tandem recumbent around Alsace with a few days in Bourgogne. We also did some traveling on the train, even with out very long bike. I also describe some of our planning work and how we built a box to take our 104-inch long bike on the airplanes from New York state to Mulhouse France. We camped part of the time and stayed in a great chambre d'hote (bed and breakfast) for several days.