France by Bicycle

A city or touring bike is called "un vélo" in French. A mountain bike is a "vélo tout terrain (VTT)," or "vélo tout chemin (VTC)." If you want to rent a mountain bike, you must ask for a VTT. If you ask for a vélo, you will get a city or touring bike.

A bicycle tour of France can be very satisfying, especially for the experienced cyclist. Specific maps will show which roads are suggested for bicycle travel. Departmental roads are usually the best choice, scenic, well maintained and little traveled by cars and trucks. However, if you like off-road cycling, France offers close to 30,000 km of marked trails through flat lands, rugged terrains and mountains.

Local tourist offices can educate you as to the best bicycle routes in the area you wish to visit. The touring departments of any French Government Office in your home country can also help you plan your bicycle travel to France.

France is a favourite destination for a number of tour organizers. One such organizer, Travel Source, selects cycling operators and packages a number of excellent tours throughout France. Breaking Away, a cycling vacation specialist, also offers to follow the Tour de France as a well as a number of other escapades. Butterfield and Robinson, a well established biking and cycling tour operator, proposes a number of randonnées for the traveler who wishes to visit sites, dine well and stay in picturesque and top notch accomodations. Cyclevents proposes a ride across France from the Bordeaux region to the Alps while GORPTravel offers many packages, including biking tours in the Burgundy Region, with wine tasting, fine dining and luxurious accomodation. Du Vine specializes in cycling tours of the French vineyards. Euro-bike organizes both cycling and walking tours and offers numerous themes and destinations throughout France, in particular wine producing regions. Europeds specializes in cycling, walking and hiking and offer and impressive catalogue of tours in the French countryside. Discover France Biking has shown great expertise in organizing self-guided or guided tours, cycling or hiking for groups or individuals and France is the only country this organization specializes in. "Better tours for better riders" is La Corsa's rallying cry, for cyclists who are in good physical condition.

If off-road biking is the main purpose of your trip you will serious maps, perhaps topographical or aerial, like the ones prepared by the Institut géographique national. You should also inquire about the 32 major regional parks that grace the French countryside. Some of them offer exceptional trails for the dedicated cyclist.

For teenage riders, the Student Hosteling Program offers bicycle rides in France, as well in other European countries. There, the participants travel from Youth Hostels to B&Bs and get a chance to practice French with friends encountered on the road.