Cycle the full section of the Via Podiensis, one of the French Ways of Saint James, from the Haute-Loire to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The pilgrimage route to Santiago has been travelled for over 1000 years by foot, donkey and more recently by bike. Offering an incredible diversity of scenery and passing through some of the prettiest villages in France, this is an epic cycling route with a spiritual theme. This journey takes pilgrims from Le Puy en Velay to the pretty town of Saint-Jean-pied-de-Port, passing a multitude of churches and monasteries, resembling a travelling museum of Romanesque art. With some steep climbs, followed by fast descents, this trip is ideally suited to fit cyclists keen to extend their experience to an iconic route. At night your hosts in the guesthouses and small hotels will ensure that you are well fed and immersed in their particular region with its culinary specialties.
Highlights :
Arrival in Le Puy-en-Velay, capital of Haute-Loire, the town is located in the South-East of the Massif Central, surrounded by a volcanic landscape which is dominated by rocky peaks rising from the valley floor. As the starting point of the famous Via Podiensis, one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela, since the Middle Ages, the Auvergne town is a major pilgrimage site, with its Romanesque Cathedral of Notre Dame and Hôtel-Dieu listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Make sure you purchase your pilgrim passport to have it stamped throughout the journey to your final destination.
For your first cycling day, you start from the cathedral, the route climb out to leave the town of Le Puy. It goes through the Monts du Velay, where green lentils are grown, before going down into the Haut-Allier gorges. Then the itinerary takes you through a variety of landscapes and terrain before reaching the Plateau de la Margeride and its ascent just before Saugues, the last difficulty of this stage. Overnight in Saugues which is famous for mysterious Beast of Gévaudan and its mushrooms!
Challenge: 46km, 1050m ascent, 625m descent
Saugues is a small town famous for its English Tower, its Mushroom Fair and the legendary Beast of Gévaudan. Starting there, the route continues into the Margeride plateau and through the Truyère valley before reaching the charming village of Aumont-Aubrac. On your way, pass front of St Roch Chapel, hightest point of your stage with an altitude of around 1300m and cross pretty hamlets of Le Rouget, St Alban sur Limagnole and Les Estrets. Arrival in the town of Aumont-Aubrac, located in the heart of Lozère, an important point on the pilgrimage route.
Challenge: 44km, 800m ascent, 730m descent
Leaving Aumont-Aubrac, the route goes through pine groves before reaching the Aubrac plateau, you cycle above an altitude of 1000m, covered with pastures as far as the eye can see. Just after Nasbinals, famous village for the "transhumance" (end of May), you pass the hightest point of the Way of St James (col d'Aubrac - altitude 1340m). Continue to the nice village of Aubrac where starts the long steep descent of almost 30 km!! Further down, in Saint Côme d’Olt (labeled one of the most beautiful villages in France), route becomes "flat" and you will discover the Lot Valley and the lovely village of Estaing.
Challenge: 78km, 655m ascent, 1375m descent
Get ready today, one of the shorter stage but probably the most difficult (but what a beautiful!). Leaving Estaing and the Lot valley with a very steep ascent to Campuac. Continue direction Espeyrac, nice village with its ruined castle of the Middle Ages. Few kilometers later, you reach Sénergues also very interesting with its castle and the Tour Carrée. Then, a spectacular route takes you downhill towards Conques, jewel of Romanesque art and a must on the Via Podiensis!
Challenge: 36km, 680m ascent, 440m descent
Start today along the river Dourdou de Conques which brings you back along the Lot river. Follow it to Livinhac-le-Haut and from there the road becomes uphill and goes on the next valley, the Célé valley. Last section on a steep ascent before reaching Figeac, pretty town of Art & History, by the Célé river. This is the home town of Champollion (the ‘Father of Egyptology’ who first deciphered hieroglyphics) and a very important pilgrimage connecting point.
Challenge: 43km, 430m ascent, 740m descent
Welcome to the secret Célé valley! Follow the road that winds the river through typical Quercy villages like: Espagnac and its lovely 13th century church, Saint Sulpice and its troglodyte houses, Marcilhac and the ruins of its Benedictine abbey church, then Sauliac and Cabrerets with its prehistoric cave of Peche Merle. Few kilometers later, in Conduché, you will find the Lot river again and you will just have to cross the bridge for the overnight in Bouziès.
Challenge: 54km, 80m ascent, 150m descent
What a day for your last cycling day... First, join the common track with the hikers before starting a breathtaking route, cut in the rock on the edge of the Lot to reach Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. Take the time to discover this gorgeous village perched on a rocky, labeled one of the most beautiful villages in France. Leave Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and the valley on a steep ascent with panoramic views. Take a break in the village of Aujols! Then, continue towards Flaujac-Poujols ang go for a beautiful 5 km descent, which will then take you to the medieval town of Cahors, your final destination.
Challenge: 35km, 540m ascent, 550m descent
You start today by leaving Cahors on the Valentré bridge. After an ascent for to leave the suburbs, you reach the village of Labastide-Marnhac and meet the hikers. Continue on small tracks & roads to Lascabannes. After few kilometers, you leave the Lot department and enter in the Tarn et Garonne on a road up to Lauzerte. The town of Lauzerte is spectacularly located on a hill overlooking a landscape of vineyards, limestone plateau and green valleys. Spend some time wandering the upper village with its medieval architecture, ramparts and picturesque town square.
Challenge: 39km, 285m ascent, 185m descent
The day begins with a great descent to Moissac, a former major stage of The Way of St James, before continuing into the Lomagne or "hunchback Gascogne", an area of natural beauty. Straddling the Tarn et Garonne and the Gers, this former dependency of the duchy of Gascony is the land of white garlic, interesting houses and churches. Later you reach Auvillar, built on a promontory and classified as one of the "most beautiful villages in France". With its circular market built in 1824, clock tower and old stone houses, there is much to see around the town.
Challenge: 47km, 245m ascent, 370m descent
This morning, you leave the département of “Tarn et Garonne" and enter the “Gers” départment. On the way you will cycle through quaint villages as Flamarens, Miradoux, Lectoure, Marsolan, and La Romieu. Leaving La Romieu, the expansive views of the open countryside of the Gers are inspiring. The area represents the transition between the 'haute' Armagnac around Lectoure and the 'bas' Armagnac around Eauze where thick black oak woods are found and 57% of the wine crops of Armagnac are located. Condom is one of the principal Armagnac towns and is located on a spur of the rivers Gèle and Baise. The key attraction is the Gothic styled cathedral of St Peter's, the last built in the Languedoc style.
Challenge: 59km, 555m ascent, 590m descent
The cycle route this morning takes you to Montréal-du-Gers, one of the most ancient walled towns of Gascogne (1289). On the way, we recommend a little detour through Larresingle, another of the 'Most Beautiful Villages in France". Continue to Eauze, the capital of the current Gascogne. Take time to admire the slender steeple of St Luperce and the half-timbered house of Jeanne d’Albret. At the end of the day, you will come out on the Adour plain, a very open and intensively cultivated landscape. Aire sur l'Adour is separated into two parts; the lower section which is by the river and dominated by the cathedral of St Jean Baptiste, and the high town or Mas d'Aire, which is dominated by the Eglise de Sainte Quitterie where a Benedictine monastery once stood. Accommodation this evening will be in Aire or Barcelonne du Gers
Challenge: 79km, 220m ascent, 240m descent
After the rough stage yesterday, you start the day on a small departmental road between farms and cornfields until Troussin, Latrille then Miramont-Sensacq after finding again the Way of St James, still marked with shells. Further on, you enter the Béarn area, the relief gradually changes to make way for chestnut and ferns, announcing your entry into the Pyrénées-Atlantiques before arriving at Arzacq-de-Béarn before reaching the small village of Maslacq.
Challenge: 67km, 660m ascent, 655m descent
Today you will transition between the Béarn area and the Basque country, in the very heart of the Pyrenean. After the ancient fortified village of Navarrenx, you will cross the Gave d’Oloron. Along the way discover the Montgaston and Joantho castles before reaching St Palais, a cultural town which plays host to colourful festivals and markets. Here the street signs are in the Basque language which is typical of the region. This is also the entry point into the Lower Navarre, formerly the Kingdom of Navarre. There are a number of sights to visit including a museum containing historic pilgrim relics and a statue of St James the pilgrim.
Challenge: 48km, 380m ascent, 415m descent
It's your last cycling day, and you don't have many kilometers left. You are in the beautiful Basque country, with its white houses and their typical red tinted half-timbering. You still have to cross the Col des Palombières. After enjoying an exceptional view, the descent is very beautiful and will lead you to Jaxu, before descending a valley to reach Bustince-Iriberry, then Saint-Jean-le-Vieux. The last kilometers will lead you to "the gate of Saint-Jacques", at the entrance of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, where you will not fail to visit this very picturesque fortified citadel.
Challenge: 34km, 385m ascent, 255m descent
End of your trip after breakfast. We advise you to extend your stay in order to take the time to visit the pretty town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
All accommodations are carefully selected because of their location, atmosphere and/or unique services.
We choose comfortable 2*/3* hotels or B&Bs where all rooms have private en-suite bathroom and every morning breakfast are included.
For more comfort, when it's possible we can upgrade the hotels with 3*/4 * category (supplement applied).
If you don’t bring your own, you can rent a bicycle from us. Our touring bikes are at least 21-speed gear. You can find all the information regarding our rental bikes below.
You will find your rental bikes waiting for you at your first hotel. The hotel reception staff will give you the keys for your bikes and direct you to the bicycle shed. All bikes are provided with chain locks.
The frame and saddle height are set to your length, although you might want to adjust your saddle to be in the most comfortable position. We also recommend doing a first small test drive of couple of hundred meters to be comfortable with gears, breaks etc. If you have an issue with your bike, you can contact the service provider (name of bike rental in your reservation) directly. And you can always call us on our emergency phone number.
Please note: depending the trip, different models apply.
Our hybrid bikes have at least 21-gears with hand brakes.
The hybrid bikes are very good quality. Depending the trip, different model apply: Scott, Giant, Trek, Koga, ...
Whenever there is a big difference in level of ability, experience the many benefits of an electric bike on your cycling holiday. An e-bike will help you keep up with your fellow cyclists and give you a gentle boost up hills. An e-bike makes a bike trip more achievable. The e-bikes have a small electric engine and battery, which can be charged at the hotels. You still have to pedal: it just makes pedaling much easier. Some experience with e-bikes is recommended, as the bikes accelerate faster and are heavier than regular bikes because of the electric engine.
The E-bikes are very good quality. Depending the trip, different model apply: Scott, Giant, Trek, Koga, ...
For some trips, we can give you the possibility to rent a Racing bike, more details on request.
For some trips, we can give you the possibility to rent a Tandem bike, suitable for two adults only. More details on request.
For children who are at least 125 cm, we can also arrange bikes (these are 24”or 26” for children that are bigger than 140 cm). The child bikes come with at least 7-gears and hand brakes. The maximum body height for a child’s bike is 155 cm.
Please note: for some tours, different models apply.
A tag-along bike is a good option for children between approx. 100 cm and 125 cm, as they can pedal themselves and on their own pace but don’t have to worry about other traffic.
The tag-along bikes cannot be rented for all our tours
Please note: depending the trip, different models apply.
Child trailers can be rented for a maximum of two children who are up to 100 cm (max. 35 KG in total).
Please note: for some tours, different models apply.
All our rental bikes come with a bell.
All our adult bikes come with hand brakes.
For children older than 30 months (max. 22 kg) it is possible to rent a rear child seat. This is also possible with e-bikes.
For some tours, it is possible to rent a GPS device, more details on request.
Helmets are not mandatory in France (if the cyclist is over 12 years old) but strongly recommended. The helmet is mandatory for children under 12 years. If you rent a bike with us, helmets are included. Please advise us, if you bring along your own.
All our rental bikes come with lights.
All our rental bikes come with a lock.
All our rental bikes come with at least a rear pannier and a front card holder to put the roadbook/maps.
The rental bikes come with regular pedals, so no click-in/SPD pedals. On request we are able to supply these pedals on certain trips.
If you wish to bring your own click-in/SPD pedals, please let us knowprior to booking too.
All our bikes come with a quick release system, which makes it very easy to adjust the height of the saddle and the handle bars.
There is one small puncture kit included, which can be found in the pannier. In case a rental bike has another problem, we always advise you to go to a bike repair shop.
Saddles can be adjusted in height.
Our saddles don’t come with a gel cover. If you usually cycle with this, we recommend you carry them with you.
French Bike Tours does not provide water bottles. We can also not guarantee that there are bottle holders on the bikes. You will always receive at least 1x pannier, so you can always store your water bottle in your pannier.
Article 1 Bike Rental Price
The bike rental price is determined by the rates mentioned on the French Bike Tours website at the time of the booking; or as subsequently agreed.
Article 2 Payment
a. The rental price and any other due sums regarding the rental agreement must be paid before the bike is handed over to you.
b. If, for whatever reason, you cannot make use of the bike(s) you have rented, French Bike Tours will not be held responsible for any resulting expenses or damage.
c. In the case of the article 2b, the client remains obliged to pay the full rental price and any other amounts mentioned in the invoice, in accordance with our General Terms and Conditions of Booking, unless the client can prove that his not being able to use the bike was the consequence of a defect that was already present at the beginning of the rental period.
Article 3 Rental Period
a. The rental period runs from the morning of the first cycling day (day 2) to the end of the holiday (last cycling day), as stated in the booking confirmation.
b. Extension of the rental period is possible only after approval by us and according to the (extension) rates as mentioned in article 1.
c. No refunds are possible after the rental period begins. If you return the bike(s) to us before the end of your holiday, the rental agreement will automatically be terminated and you will not get any of your money back.
d. At the end of the last cycling day of your holiday, the bike(s) must be returned to the hotel from where it was/they were issued, no later than the time stated in the booking confirmation.
If you book a one way tour tour you can leave the bike at the last hotel of the trip.
e. If the bike(s) is /are not returned by the return time stated in the booking confirmation, we will continue to charge you rent until such time as the bike(s) is/are returned to us or is/are received by us. In the event of late return, the rates as mentioned in article 1 will continue to apply, plus a fine of €25 per day. We also reserve the right to demand payment for any costs and/or damages suffered by us due to late return of our rental bike(s).
f. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, in the event of late return of our rental bikes, we reserve the right to dissolve the rental agreement without judicial intervention and immediately claim back our bicycles where ever they may be and from whomever has them. French Bike Tours also holds this right in the event that the client does not comply with any of the other conditions stated in this rental agreement.
Article 4 Improper Use
a. The bicycle(s) may only be used for its/their intended purpose and only by the cyclists listed in the rental agreement.
b. The bike(s) must be returned to us in the same (clean!) state in which you received it/them.
c. You must take excellent care of the bicycle(s), as if it/they were your own. You must take every precaution against damage, loss or theft.
d. The bicycle may not be used on the beach; or on sandy paths in the dunes unless a paved path is unavailable.
Article 5 Damage, Loss and Theft
The renter will be held responsible for damages to or loss of the bicycle(s) or parts of it, as well as bicycle keys and chains and locks, for such an amount as is determined by us according to standard market prices. You must understand that you are not insured for damage to the bicycle(s) or for any damages to third parties.
Article 6 Costs During the Rental Period
Any charges and taxes regarding the rental bicycle(s), such as fines and ferry tickets, are to be paid by you. You will also be required to pay all costs ensuing from the use of the bicycle(s) such as parking fees, maintenance and repairs.
15 Nights included
2/3* hotels and B&B's
Tourist tax included
Breakfasts and 11 Dinners included (not included in Le Puy, Figeac, Cahors and Saint-Jean-Pied-de Port)
Maps and tourist information on all the places of interest
24/7 Bilingual Emergency hotline
Luggage transport to your next accommodations. Luggage accepted per person: 1 suitcase or travel bag (13 kg maximum)
For time tables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).
We strongly advise you to download the sncf mobile app prior to departure.
If you want to travel on a train with your bike, you can find more information via this link.
Parking informations on request
GPS tracks are available on request
The closest airport is Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport.
Also possibility of arrival in Paris airports Charles de Gaulle in the North and Orly in the South are served by a large number of scheduled and low cost airlines. They are connected with Paris by metro and bus services. From Paris you can take a train to Le Puy-en-Velay (via Saint-Etienne), see below.
You can get to Le Puy-en-Velay by train. On the end of your trip you can take a train from Saint-Jean-pied-de-Port to reach Bayonne and on to various points in France (Pau, Bordeaux, …) or Spain (San Sebastian, …).
For timetables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).
From Paris to Le Puy-en-Velay (approx. 6h - 540 km/336 mi). Acces to driving routes see the website ViaMichelin.
You can also take a regular shuttle bus "Compostela" at the end of your trip to reach a train station or to travel back to the starting point (more information on request).
55, rue Saint Jacques
24540 Monpazier
France
info@french-biketours.com
+33 (0) 5 53 73 08 61
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