Follow the Atlantic Ocean coast, between the towns Nantes and La Rochelle: an entertaining/amazing part of the ‘Vélodyssée’.
During this relaxed coastal road you can enjoy the woods, dunes, salt sea air and the sparkling light. Take a break now and then for a refreshing dive into the sea or a nice lunch in this Eldorado for ‘seafood’ lovers
Highlights :
Arrival in Nantes, the biggest and maybe the most attractive town on the Loire. Take a walk through the charming town centre: Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul’s cathedral, the castle of the Dukes of Brittany, the magnificent passage de la Pommeraye, …
Surprising works of art at unusual places enliven the start of this trip along the mouth of the Loire. After Le Pellerin, the Martinière canal is your guide. You cycle via small, quiet roads on the cycling route of “La Loire à Vélo” through landscapes belonging to the mouth of a big river: broad swampy areas and vast forelands. From Paimboeuf, your itinerary on the coastal route “Velodysée” starts and you more and more notice the strong influence of tides and currents on the Loire. The end of the day is in St-Brevin, a lively seaside resort on the Atlantic.
Challenge: 58km, flat
South of the Loire, “La Vélodyssée” has a maritime feel: sandy coves, jagged coastline and small seaside resorts. Here you find Pornic, the gem of La Côte de Jade, nestling in an inlet. The Marais Breton Marshlands bridge the Loire-Atlantique and Vendée.
Challenge: 57km, 110m ascent, 106m descent
Today, your ride focuses entirely on the sea, the beach, the forest and the dunes. There are 18 km of cycle paths winding through the national forest of Pays de Monts, after which you come to the very lively seaside resort of St-Jean-de-Monts. The highlight of the day will be crossing the famous Gois causeway to the Island of Noirmoutier, tides permitting!
Challenge: 42km, flat
Before reaching the Vendéenne Cove and its famous boulders at Sion-sur-l’Océan, “La Vélodyssée” heads towards an old fishing village in the commune of St-Hilaire-de-Riez, adjoining St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, working port, well-known seaside resort, significantly located on a river whose name means “life” (la vie)… all this and the Grande Plage… altogether an unmissable location! Take time to stroll around before continuing the route which gets closer to the coast towards Brétignolles-sur-Mer, Brem-sur-Mer and finally Les Sables-d’Olonne via the Port de Plaisance. A superb cycling day, this is an idyllic location for family seaside holidays.
Challenge: 55km, 112m ascent, 1113m descent
A dream ride for this part of “La Vélodyssée” - close to the sea, beaches and rocky coves. A beautiful trail and a real pleasure to cycle along whilst breathing in the fresh sea air before turning back inland. A little way after St-Vincent, the itinerary winds its way into the large national forest of Longeville, drawing close to the sea on two occasions from where beautiful beaches can easily be accessed, such as Les Conches. A quick dip is a must on this stage!
Challenge: 46km, 102m ascent, 115m descent
La Belle-Henriette Lagoon, separated from the sea by a narrow band of sand, and then your arrival into La Faute-sur-Mer which stretches endlessly towards the point of Arçay, mark this stage of “La Vélodyssée”. The route then heads into St-Michel-en-l’Herm through the dried marshes of Marais Poitevin, a great expanse of marshes and cultivated land dotted with farms and sheds. The crossing of the Pont du Brault takes us into Charente-Maritime in the ancient district of Aunis. Marans, the capital of the dried Marais marshes, was once a very important look-out point. Enjoy the end of the day to the vibrant town of La Rochelle with its old towers, remains from the old defensive walls.
Challenge: 73km, flat
This stage will be the longest, you can split this days and stay in Marans, then the route will be La Tranche-sur-Mer / Marans (47 km) and Marans / La Rochelle (26 km)
After breakfast, end of your cycling trip. Some time left? We advise you to extend your stay in order to take the time to visit the beautiful Île de Ré.
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.
7 Nights included
2/3 Star Hotels or 3/4 Star Hotels (supplement applied)
Tourist tax included
Breakfast included, Halfboard optional on request
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 (15 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 Nantes 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 Nantes, see below.
You can get to Nantes by train. On the end of your trip you can take a train from La Rochelle.
For timetables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).
From Paris to Nantes (approx. 3h50 - 385 km/240 mi). Acces to driving routes see the website ViaMichelin.
Hotel, breakfast and service was excellent at Le Jardin d"Homps - 21 Grand Rue, Homps.
Cycling across the tidal Passage du Gois across to the island of Noirmoutier was interesting and different to anything we have done previously on a bicycle.
Seeing an original Rembrandt painting 'Christ on the Cross', 1631, in the Église Saint-Vincent du Mas-d’Agenais, Mas-d’Agenais was amazing. All the artwork in that church was impressive.
Swimming in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea was nice in the hot weather.
Amazing engineering feats of the Canal du Midi.
Betty K.
The use of e-bikes for us was excellent at our age. The route was very interesting and distances between stops we’ll planned all hotels were central which is a must for us - nobody wants to walk a long way to a restaurant in the evening. Nantes and La Roche Elle were excellent- La Rochelle the best! La vendée with its fishing industry was interesting to see!
Russell E.
We had a great time. Nice ocean views. We loved having fresh seafood for lunch and/or dinner along the coast.
Knut Johan S.
This was a fantastic trip, from start to finish. The support from the office and administration was great; very responsive to our calls and inquiries. The acted on our requests very quickly and respectfully. The app was so helpful as were the signs posted on the trails.
We loved La Rochelle, and honestly every little community along the way. The adventure and discovery of entering into each place we rode into was such a thrill. Pornic was a great little community, and Les Sables d'Olonne, and Tranche sur Mer were also standouts for us. Hotels were great, unique and very personalized to the communities and proprietors.
Bob D. and Lorna S.
It was so nice to get away and have everything arranged for us, fantastic communication with the organisers too. The entire trip was stress free and the hotels were just amazing. We had the pleasure of riding through some of the most scenic areas of France. From start to finish it was simply beautiful!
55, rue Saint Jacques
24540 Monpazier
France
info@french-biketours.com
+33 (0) 5 53 73 08 61
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