Cycling through La Douce France! Villages Fleuri, rugged coasts, old castles and a nice glass of wine on the municipale. We cycled more than 800 km through Brittany and this is our story.
Would you like to read more about our cycling holidays? We also pedaled some miles in Norway, Scotland and southern England.
Cycling routes
The idea that the French are not so focused on cycling is very outdated. If you consult the website France Vélo Tourisme: the most beautiful cycling routes in France , you will see at a glance that several long-distance routes have been developed.
These routes run along quiet roads through lovely villages in the countryside, where the gradient can suddenly be surprisingly high. But they are also old railway lines that run through a lot of greenery. So there is an incredible amount of variation.
Cycle paths have also often been constructed in cities and villages. Which sometimes suddenly stop again, go through the bushes and are often shared with pedestrians. But they are usually there. And are also widely used. As a holiday cyclist in France, you are certainly not alone. You can also easily find places to stay via the website, you can select campsites, b and b or hotels.
How do you get to France?
You can go to France from the Netherlands by train, but that will take at least two days. You use TER trains. You must reserve this, also for the bicycle. That doesn’t cost much, 1 euro per bike per ride, but this does limit your options. It is useful to use the SNCF app.
We drove to France by car and parked our car at the Ibis Hotel in Le Mans, a one park location where you can park your car for 17 days for less than three euros. There are also other possibilities. We have seen quite a few campsites where you can leave your car for a longer period of time for a small fee.
From Le Mans we took the train to Alecon. From Nantes we also traveled back to Le Mans by tra
The cyclingroutes that we followed
Véloscénie
The Véloscenie starts in Paris and ends at Mont Saint-Michel. 450 km of gravel along an old railway. We picked up this route in Alecon.
It is a pleasant route. Nice and clear, good signage, little ascent/descent, lots of greenery. Villages, campsites, etc. are never far away. Along the way you will come across many old stations.
Highlights on this route:
Domfront and Poiraire, where you will find many old half-timbered houses, an impressive castle ruin and beautiful views of the surroundings.
Mont Saint Michel is the end point, but also a highlight of the route. You approach this special place via the dam and despite the crowds, we still really enjoyed being here. Especially at low tide it is worth going to the beach.
Vélo Maritime/Eurovelo 4
The Vélo Maritime/Eurovelo 4 runs from Kiev, Ukraine, to Roscoff in Brittany. The part along the Channel is 1400 km long from Dunkirk to Roscoff.
We picked up this route in Mont Saint-Michel and did a few stages. So we cannot give a good rating.
We drove to Cancale and from there to Saint-Malo. We deviated from the route there. This route follows quiet roads, but certainly does not avoid the steeply rising or falling hills.
Highlights on this route
The part that runs via the Dyke Saint Anne is very beautiful. The area looks suspiciously like the Netherlands. The polders you cycle along were constructed with the help of the Dutch. The chapel of Saint Anne is beautifully situated on the bay.
The coast at Pointe du Grouin is beautiful!
Saint-Malo is very touristy but also has a lot of charm. If you are in the area, I definitely wouldn’t miss this city. Many beautiful old houses, cozy restaurants and impressive city walls.
Vélodyssée/V7
The Vélodyssée starts in Roscoff, is 1200 km long and ends in Hendaye on the Spanish border. This route largely follows the coast, but in Brittany the route goes straight through the interior. The route runs from Morlaix to Carhaix, where the Vélodyssee branches off. But the first part from Morlaix the route runs together with the V7 (from Roscoff to Concarneau, 147 km).
There is a small climb, but overall this is an easy route, via an old railway line. It is a bit muddy in places but passable. Lots of greenery and shade. Good signage.
Highlights on this route
Morlaix is one of the most beautiful towns in Brittany. Many old half-timbered houses, beautiful squares, a harbor and an impressive railway viaduct that towers above the city. There is a pleasant atmosphere in this city.
The railway museum of Scrignac-Berrien is definitely recommended to stop. Here you see the old station, a presidential carriage, the waiting area and you get a lot of information about what the railway meant for this region. For example, there was a special day on which farmers were allowed to use the line, the population used passing the train to know what time it was and there were urinals at the station – Vespasienne – named after a Roman emperor who raised the tax on urine. implemented.
The end point of this route is Concarneau, with a beautiful fortress in the harbour. If you want to visit a city in this area, definitely choose Quimper. So much atmosphere and sights! The Breton museum in particular was definitely worth it!
De V5 Bretagne of La Littorale à vélo
This cycle route is still under development. In the future, the route will run from Roscoff to Saint-Nazaire, about 600 km along the coast. Just like the Sentier de Douaniers. We started at Concarneau and cycled a number of parts up to Saint-Naizaire. The V45 and other short Voie Vertes also run here.
Highlights on this route
Pont Aven is a beautiful town. Gaugin, Monet and other impressionist painters created their masterpieces here.
The dunes and beaches at Erdeven. Beautiful vast area that you can cycle straight through. Some paths are a bit loose, but the experience is great.
Ile de Quiberon with the Cote Sauvage, these rugged rocks are a must see! The cycle paths to it are partly along the busy road, but run well.
The free shuttle in Saint Naizaire to Saint Brevin, via the bridge, is worth a special mention!
La Loire a Vélo
From Sain Brevin to Tours, 900 km along the Loire River. We only cycled the first part up to Nantes.
Nice, easy route. Little seen of the river on this part. Well signposted.
Highlight on this route
Nantes is a very beautiful city with many sights. We found the Machines de l’Iles especially worthwhile. We have not often seen such attractive and funny art expressions. There are also many beautiful buildings and other sights.
Campsites
We have stayed at various campsites. Most campsites are well suited to walkers and cyclists and are usually very cheap.
Our top 3!
- Camping a la Ferme La Touche/Sous Les Poiriers – Small farm campsite with a yurt and huts, but also with enough space to store your pegs. The added bonus is the tranquility, the covered kitchen area and the nice showers. And for all this the nice owners only charge 12 euros per night! This campsite is located close to the Véloscénie, near Domfront.
- Camping Des Bruyeres – Marc, a friendly Utrecht resident, has set up a green paradise here with very spacious pitches and a covered area with charging options and a refrigerator. This nature campsite is located near the hamlet of La Cloitre-Saint-Thégonnec, a few kilometers from the Vélodysée and costs 17.50 euros per night.
- Municipal Vallée de l’Hyere, is located near Carhaix (also on the Vélodyssée). A large campsite with very spacious pitches under beautiful trees on the river. And this campsite only costs 11 euros per night.
Conclusion:
Cycling in Brittany is highly recommended. We enjoyed all the lovely villages, the many churches and other sights, the flowery roadsides and the variety. We would have liked to cycle more on the coast. The fact that this did not happen is partly our fault, because we shortened the original route of almost 1000 km and took the train here and there, but the routes are sometimes quite far from the coast.
The Vélodyssée and Véloscénie are pleasant routes, the other routes require a little more perseverance. The French cycle paths are almost never flat, but the climbs are usually not as intense as in England, for example.
Cyclists are taken into account more in France (certainly compared to England). In fact, here and there we were kindly encouraged by the French! We found that the northern part and the interior was the most pleasant, the south is a bit busier and less relaxed.
