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La Vélo Francette: Normandy / Atlantic by bike

Canals & intimate rivers, Nature & small heritage
1 week or more
600 Km
I cycle often
Ouistreham
La Rochelle
Guiding you from the Channel to the Atlantic, the cycle route La Vélo Francette® allows you to savour sweet, gentle, traditional corners of western France as you cross the regions of Normandy, Pays de la Loire and Poitou-Charentes. Discover unsuspected gems along the way and fall for the charms of French country towns and villages as you get to know them by bike!

Elevation of the route

2415 m 2419 m

Waytypes of the cycle route

Cycle path: 315,35 km By road: 336,88 km Inconnu: 0,01 km

Surface of the cycle route

Lisse: 211,99 km Rugueux: 140,62 km Accidenté: 3,89 km Inconnu: 295,75 km

Signposting and state of the itinerary

"La Vélo Francette" is entirely signposted from Normandy to Charente Maritime. The logo of the itinerary is accompanied with its national ID V43 on signs .

From Ouistreham to Angers, the route is mainly developped on securised lanes, most of the time on greenways or designated lanes. Then, from Angers down to La Rochelle, there are few more roads shared with cars.

Services and accomodations "Accueil Vélo" ("Cyclists Welcome") on "La Vélo Francette"

Nearly 220 accomodations (campings, hotels, lodges, guest houses) "Accueil Vélo" ("Cyclists Welcome") are located at less than 5km away from the itinerary and they guarantee quality services for cyclists such as a closed garage for example. We strongly advise to book your accomodations in advance (including campings), especially in touristic areas.

Trains and public transports alongside La Vélo Francette

The main train stations of the itinerary :

  • Caen
  • Flers
  • Laval (TGV)
  • Angers (TGV)
  • Saumur (TGV)
  • Montreuil Bellay
  • Thouars, Niort (TGV)
  • La Rochelle (TGV)

Reach the itinerary by boat :

You can take a boat with Brittany Ferries between Portsmouth and Ouistreham. The crossing lasts approximatively 6 hours.

Long-time parkings on La Vélo Francette

The best cycling holiday breaks

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