2 min summary Best time to go Map & highlights Burgundy Loire Valley Normandy Provence Raid Pyrenean Chateau to chateau Training & climbing Types

Cycling holidays in Normandy

Our cycling holidays in Normandy explore the region’s natural and cultural delights, including Mont Saint-Michel, the scenic port town of Honfleur, the resorts of the ‘Parisian Riviera’ and the lovely natural landscapes, from the long beaches to the secretive inland forests. Find out why cycling is a great way to get around this region.

Home\Europe\France

Cycling holidays in Normandy

Come cycling in Normandy on one of our cycling holidays and discover trips created by Norman natives that are designed to get the most out of the region.

You might go plumbing Normandy’s cellars for calvados, raiding its larders for cheese, or making the most of the coast. Wherever you go, on our trips you’ll be supported by experts who know the area – or have even grown up here – and will be given insider information into the best local restaurants and producers along the way.

France wants to be the best place in the world for cycling, and has invested huge amounts of money into new routes and bike lanes in both city and countryside.

This is an exceptionally velo-friendly area, where you’re spoilt for choice for routes and sights. By bike you can leave the crowds in the dust and seek out the quiet spots, too.

See all our France cycling Holidays

Give us a call

Championing cycling

The moment you touch tarmac on French soil, you’ll feel a gearshift: the roads are smooth, and the drivers exceptionally considerate to cyclists. Off the roads, the countryside flashes past the kilometres of traffic-free greenways, which make use of disused railway lines and flat riverside paths.

French rail companies have made it easy to transport bikes on its trains (though booking is required on some), and rural tourism is set up for cyclists with eye-catching signposting. E-bikes make things even whizzier. It’s inspiring stuff and ensures no cyclist will be left behind.

Covering ground

It’s possible to cover lots of ground, and fast, in Normandy, catapulting over the plains towards Paris. Indeed, the 470km Avenue Verte takes you all the way to the capital with ease. Then there’s Eurovelo Route 4 – the Maritime Route – featuring 1,400km of Normandy coast. Here, the graceful curves of the long beaches of the so-called Norman Riviera prove easier to tour than neighbouring Brittany’s wiggly ones.

The way of the bocage

Alongside these easy, whizzy ways is the route through the bocage – the intimate, human-scale patchwork of sunken country lanes and thick hedgerows, best seen on Normandy’s Cotentin Peninsula.

This very specific landscape is what gives Normandy its texture. It’s inspired artists from Impressionists – and Monet’s famous garden is at Giverny – to contemporaries – including David Hockney, the British painter who made the Normandy countryside his home in the 2020s. The landscape is intricate and interesting enough to warrant taking your time.

Cycle, fast and slow, then, to cover the department’s many delights.

Contact Us

Call us for a chat about our holidays. We are happy to discuss your holiday and help in any way we can. No bots, queues or awful hold music.

01273 823 700 01273 823 700

Call us tomorrow after 9am

Calling from outside the UK

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Our experts on Normandy cycling

I grew up on a farm in Normandy, and I'm still amazed by the beauty of "my" region

“I grew up on a farm in Normandy, and I'm still amazed by the beauty of "my" region,” says Bruno Toutain, founder of our partner Cyclomundo. This France-based specialist runs some of our cycling holidays in the area.

Bruno designs the routes. “Planning a tour is easy for me! It's so much easier now thanks to all the fantastic new bike routes that have been built in the last few years. It is now possible to go for many kilometres without any motor traffic.”

Bruno grew up cycling. “It was, not only my way to get around, but also my sport. I raced for a number of years with a local team, and no small village fair, no ‘comice’, [rural village fair] would take place without a cycling race. Between the training and the racing, I got to discover every crevice of Normandy.”

The region’s forests are crossed by the 442km-long Veloscenic Route, a long-distance cycle path that links Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy with Notre Dame in Paris . “Although it's just a few kilometres from the farm I grew up, I still love the beautiful, wooded areas of Foret d'Ecouves and Foret d'Andaine” says Bruno. Riders can choose whether they stick to the sights, or detour into the woods.

“The region has so much to offer!” agrees specialist Steven Purdham, Head of Cycling at our partner Cycling for Softies. They run our more relaxed cycling tours in France. “For cyclists, coastal Normandy is perfect as it’s relatively flat and you can enjoy leisurely cycling through quintessential French countryside.”

“The apple and pear trees that are used to make the famous calvados dot the route and typify the beautiful region. On top of that, the seafood is world-class, and the region is home to arguably some of the most significant world history, including the World War II sites and Bayeux, home of the famous tapestry.” Our trips see these sights and more, as the highlights show below.

Highlights of cycling in Normandy

War history on wheels

Normandy is stuffed to the gills with sights, all easily accessible by bike. Wartime history provides useful bookends to the story: World War II history is well-commemorated by monuments in the region, whilst the 70m-long Bayeaux Tapestry documents the 1066 Battle of Hastings in fascinating detail. Roving history buffs and those looking to pay their respects can reach the war cemeteries of German and American soldiers and the D-Day beaches, as well as the D-Day Museum at Arromanches-les-Bains and the Canadian Museum – all on two wheels.

Mont Saint-Michel

The historic Mont Saint-Michel is even older than the region’s famous tapestry. The 8^th-century monastery is set on a prominent tidal island and has so many visitors in its narrow streets (up to three million tourists a year) that France is trying to discourage tourists at peak times. Cyclists can beat the crowds by approaching by bike across the bay from Cherrueix, Brittany. Here, reclaimed land (known as polder) presents an intriguing puzzle of waterways and salt meadows, and unobstructed views of the island.

Seaside towns

There are seaside towns and ports a-plenty here, where half-timbered houses sport colourful awnings and sailing boats sit tight in small ports alongside the promenades. Deauville and Trouville-sur-Mer are known as the Paris Riviera because of their popularity in the summer with holidaying Parisians, whilst Honfleur is so attractive that it featured frequently in Impressionist paintings. Even today, you’ll want to cycle slow to look over the shoulder of artists setting up their easels en plein air.

Gastronomic flair

Whilst the dangers of Calvados are well-documented, you might also do well to be wary of Normandy’s cheeses. There’s even a cheese route – between the four close-set cheese towns of Camembert, Livarot, Pont-l'Évêque and Neufchatel-en-Bray. The Musée du Poiré in Barenton celebrates the region’s perry-making tradition, whilst if you head inland on the Veloscenic, you’ll reach Mortagne-au-Perche, home to boudin noir – France’s answer to black pudding.

Practicalities

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the number of sights and points of interest in Normandy, and there are many cycling routes, too. Riding near Mont Saint-Michel is one of the highlights. You could either cross between Brittany and Normandy to see it, or stay in Normandy, cycling from Bayeaux. You could ride a portion of the Veloscenic. In a week you could do a section from l’Aigle towards the coast via the lace town of Alencon and the spa town of Bagnoles de l’Orne, finishing at Mont-Saint-Michel. Electric bikes are becoming increasingly common, and can usually be hired for an extra fee. If you’re travelling from the UK this is an easy flight-free holiday, thanks to the ferries.