Veloscenic : Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel cycle route

Once you have found the wind rose marking the kilometer zero, you can head for Montparnasse and the place de la Catalogne, which is the start of a 15 km-long greenway for an easy and safe exit from the heart of the capital! This famous Coulée verte is a continuous linear park that takes you without a car to Massy. Do not hesitate to make a stop in the remarkable park of Sceaux along the route!

Take a deep breathe, you arrive in the Yvelines county, the wooded area of Ile-de-France. Next step: Versailles and its amazing Palace. Discover the Hall of Mirrors and the stunning gardens designed by Le Nôtre as well as many other surprises. To reach Versailles, follow the Bièvre valley and enjoy the UNESCO world heritage of this royal city!

After a royal stop in Versailles, head for the Natural Park of the Chevreuse Valley, a regional park with such a rich natural, cultural and architectural heritage. This stage is rather difficult and is suited to seasoned cyclists. You cycle through authentic villages, but the most surprising awaits you on the next stage.

Here you discover the Chevreuse Valley, full of many treasures: châteaux, museums, old wash houses… This stage, before arriving in Rambouillet, is packed with things to see, but is more geared to intermediate cyclists, as there are a steep slope in Choisel and traffic is very heavy on two sections. Those who tackle this stage will be rewarded by some beautiful landscapes.

Watch out! This stage is a provisional route, not signposted and can be discontinuous. This stage first takes you along a series of streets and roads leading to the newly laid-out greenway that follows the former route of the Aérotrain near Gometz-la-Ville. We advise to download roadbooks and GPS tracks in order to guide you.

Watch out! This stage is a provisional route, not signposted. This stage follows quiet little roads leading you into the clean air of the Chevreuse Valley Natural Park. As you enter the Yvelines county, there are some challenging slopes, but then you get to the nice cycle tracks through Rambouillet Forest that rewards all your previous efforts. We advise to download roadbooks and GPS tracks in order to guide you.

The first part of this stage is not signposted (see route in red colour). However, the route is very pleasant, taking you along quiet roads as soon as you leave Saint-Arnoult. You quickly plunge into the magnificent Rambouillet Forest, criss-crossed by cycle tracks. Make the most of detours to the Villeneuve mill in Saint-Arnoult, much loved by the poet Aragon, and, on a different note, visit the Rambouillet's animal park.

The route is provisional for this last stage before you leave the Ile-de-France Region, but it is very charming. After exploring the Jardin Anglais at Rambouillet, join the Guéville Valley, with pleasant little roads leading to the pretty town of Epernon, perched above the confluence of three rivers.

Epernon, on the edge of Rambouillet Forest, stands in a very green setting. As you head on along roads, the pretty local architecture adds to the pleasure of the trip. You arrive at the town of Maintenon, where Eure and Voise Rivers meet. The Château de Maintenon and the Vauban aqueduct close by will impress you.

Heading out from Maintenon, the aquaduct's arches form a grand backdrop to the first part of this stage. Following the Eure Valley, the countryside has a rustic charm. Then Chartres Cathedral beckons, an unmissable goal as you cycle along the roads on this stage of La Véloscénie.

After a last look back at luminous Chartres Cathedral, this stage leads you on towards the Loir (without an 'e') Valley and Illiers-Combray. This place is devoted to memory of the great novelist Marcel Proust. Around Illiers, the countryside begins to change from the Beauce Plain to the more undulating landscapes that typify the Perche area.

You mainly follow ordinary roads along this stage of La Véloscénie, taking you from the Beauce Plain to the edge of the Perche. Little Thiron-Gardais is a gateway into this beautiful rustic area and provides a surprise with its remarkable abbey and grounds.

La Véloscénie continues to follow small country roads across the Perche's hills; these do require some effort to climb. As a reward, enjoy the splendid views from their heights. Finally, you pass the Château St-Jean arriving at Nogent-le-Rotrou.

At the start of this stage of La Véloscénie you follow undulating little forest roads. Then you join the greenway from Condé-sur-Huisne to Alençon, cycling beside the Huisne River. Enjoy the total peace and quiet of this long country section up to Rémalard.

Continue along the greenway hugging the Huisne River and cross through the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche. In many places, perhaps half-hidden by trees, you'll spot a typical old manor or restored mill. All told, this is one of the most enchanting stages along La Véloscénie.

La Véloscénie continues along the greenway from Condé-sur-Huisne to Alençon. You just swap the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche for the adjoining Parc Naturel Régional Normandie-Maine, just before Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe. The lake here provides a refreshing halt, one that children greatly appreciate.

You're on a greenway for this stage of La Véloscénie, with just a short stretch on roads to take you through hamlets around the A 28 motorway and another to reach Alençon town centre. A delightful trail leads through the Bourse Forest, beside the Vésone River.

La Véloscénie meanders along quiet roads through the Pays d'Alençon area up to the Château de Carrouges, headquarters of the Normandie-Maine Park. Enjoy delightful views onto Ecouves Forest before the challenging stretch to reach Carrouges, only suitable for the fit!

Between Alençon and Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, the Véloscénie route offers two alternatives. This one is the more family friendly of the two. From Damigny up to Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson, you ride along a former railway line converted into an easy, safe greenway. You’ll cross extensive unspoilt spaces, such as the Sarthon Valley and the Regional Nature Reserve around the Mont des Avaloirs. This Mount, at 416m, is the highest point of the Armorican Massif, a major geological feature of France’s northwest quarter. You can ride to this summit, the detour challenging but worth the effort for superb views from the belvedere over the bocage, the hedge-divided fields below.

You alternate between quiet country roads and portions taking you through forests before arriving at Bagnoles-de-l'Orne. This pretty Norman thermal spa resort sits in a very green setting and will happily cater to exhausted cyclists ! Follow a treatment and you may head off reinvigorated !

Continue your cycling journey on the greenway leading to Bagnoles-de-l'Orne Normandie. This stretch serves as a link between the French counties of Orne and Mayenne, meandering through landscapes marked by rivers, forests and hedge-divided fields typical of the Parc Naturel Régional Normandie-Maine. Safe and well signposted, this stage presents no particular physical challenges. Before reaching Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, stop at the Chapelle de Notre-Dame de Lignou, with its supposedly miracle-working statue and its pilgrims’ tales and legends. Do make a detour to see the 16th- and 18th-century grounds of the Château de Couterne.

This stage takes you through beautiful, quintessential Normandy countryside, with traditional hedgerows, apple orchards and woods. You cycle along quiet roads, one like a balcony overlooking Les Andaines Forest.

The exit from Domfront isn't easy, with a steep slope and a lot of traffic. However, La Véloscénie then joins a greenway, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful, typical Bocage Normand countryside, particularly beside the Sélune River.

The village of Mortain stands out on its hillside at the heart of the green Bocage Normand area. It also stands at the crossroads of La Véloscénie and Le Tour de Manche cycle routes. This stage of La Véloscénie is almost entirely on greenways, except for the unavoidable link to Mortain.

The enchanting Cance waterfalls are a focal point of the powerful local terrain, carving between steep hills, an untamed heart of ‘Armorican Normandy’. The greenway then heads towards St-Hilaire which precedes your arrival in the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel.

Stronghold between Brittany, Cotentin and the Loire country, St Hilaire du Harcouët offers many activities during the summer around the Prieuré lakes. This stage of la Véloscénie and the Petit Tour de Manche, travelling along a greenway, is full of life.

The final stage of la Véloscénie and a spectacular resting point on the Tour de Manche, where the greenway rolls all the way to the mouth of the Sélune. From there on, as you travel on shared roads, you can indulge in a feast for the eyes: Mont-Saint-Michel rises up, a colourful panorama, set like a jewel in the circle of the bay.