Bike Tour Reviews Atlantic Coast Of France
Self guided from EUR € 1520
Self-guided:
Daily: Mar 1 - Oct 31, 2024.
Description:
Ride from the resplendent La Rochelle harbor into the beating heart of beautiful Bordeaux via the Vélodyssée and Canal des 2 Mers (Canal of the 2 Seas) cycle paths. Along the way, pedal through fragrant pinewood forests, past the blissful Belle Epoque…
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★★★★★ Richard Olson 5 months ago
Enjoyable journey
Once you have seen the major tourist attractions in France, this is a great way to see and experience smaller towns and the Atlantic coastline. Many uncrowded beaches- this area is popular for French tourists but without the crush of international tourists. You will interact with many that speak relatively little English- for us, this made the trip more interesting.
Our bikes were reliable, well-fitted, and well-tuned. We encountered no mechanical difficulties. (If you do get a flat tire, you are expected to know how to deal with it, which was fine with us.)
The routing was excellent, with mostly car-free paths or single lane roads that had only farming-related (slow) vehicles. Mostly asphalt surfaces, occasional crushed limestone, and rarely dirt paths. Many options for stopping at excellent cafes or restaurants, including one place we found out (upon leaving) has a Michelin star. The north to south routing is desirable, as the scenery gets better each day. The routing app worked extremely well, but it was nice to also have the printed maps as a backup.
Not crowded- there were a moderate number of other bikers, including some long distance riders (Norway to Spain).
We enjoyed having our hotels chosen for us- this added an element of surprise and anticipation to each day. Accommodations were varied in style, but they were all outstanding- with excellent breakfasts, and located in nice towns with many restaurant options. Hotels all welcomed bike-tour customers (generally treated us like VIPs.)
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Keith Veenstra 5 months ago
Good bike ride
Enjoyed the bike experience not new to France so the it wasn’t wow. The accommodation was good and varied enjoyed the châteaux very much . App was very good, bikes excellent. Have done numerous similar bike tours and this rates well.
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★★★★★ Ronan Gardiner July 6, 2023Incredible Trip
From spectacular coastline to fields of sunflowers to rolling vineyards, this tour offers a "nature bath" that ignites all the senses. Add to that, beautiful overnight towns, historic hotels and incredible food and wine - what's not to love!
This was our second bicycle trip in France (the first was in the equally incredible Loire Valley) and it will certainly not be our last. The distances were just right (the shorter but hillier day was actually the toughest), the bikes were terrific, as was the Roadbook for Discovery AP that served as our guide. Our bags were waiting for us at every overnight town and the entire trip was seamless.
We traveled in late June / early July and there were surprisingly few tourists in the towns we visited. Restaurants and sight seeing activities were therefore easily accessible, requiring no advance reservations. We added a couple of nights in La Rochelle pre-trip and in Bordeaux post, which we would highly recommend, we actually wished we'd had more time in Bordeaux - a spectacular city with lot's to see and do .... and eat and drink. Bon voyage!- What was the date of your tour?
- June/July 23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
