A long week-end of holidays in the Loire Valley – Haut de Gamme

Europe boasts a plethora of cities where cycling isn’t just a mode of transportation but a way of life. From the charming canals of Amsterdam to the rolling hills of Tuscany, each destination offers unique experiences for cyclists of all levels. Le Vélo voyageur specializes in crafting unforgettable cycling adventures, guiding enthusiasts through some of Europe’s most picturesque landscapes. Let’s embark on a journey to discover the top cycling cities in Europe where Le Vélo voyageur leads the way. 1.    The Netherlands The Hague, Almere, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rijswijk, Groningen, Zwolle, Rotterdam, Enschede… On the list of peopleforbikes.org, 10 of the 50 best cycling cities worldwide are Dutch. The Dutch have a long history of cycling. By the 1940’s, about 50% of the Dutch owned a bicycle. After WWII, cycling became less and less important. The outskirts of Amsterdam started to modernize with big access roads. Thousands died in traffic. The population started to protest and that had a huge impact on legislation. Today cycling is considered a top priority in the Netherlands with strict rules and regulations for everything bicycle-related. Our recommendation: Amsterdam and around the IJssel lake on a bicycle. 2.    Flanders Brussels, Leuven, Ghent, Bruges, Kortrijk and Antwerp are all considered great cycling cities. Belgium has the fiercest and most bonkers cycling enthusiasts in the world. Watch the Tour of Flanders and you’ll see an estimate of one million spectators along the parcours, for a population of 6 million… Cycling is a religion in Flanders and Eddy Merckx is a god. Our recommendation: The Tour of Flanders on a bicycle in 7 dayh 3.    Alsace (France) With Strasbourg as the undisputed number 1 bicycle city in France, rising star Colmar and no less than 2500 km of bicycle paths in the region, Alsace is among the top of the world when it comes to cycling destinations. The region is magnificent and the food delicious. Our recommendation: A cycling week in Alsace from Strasbourg to Colmar 4.    Southwest France Another French top city is Bordeaux. The town center is largely designed for cyclists. The city is the starting point of many of our holidays. With Bordeaux, Toulouse and Montpellierhigh up many rankings, the Canal of two seas (Canal latéral de la Garonne and Canal du Midi) seems the obvious choice. Don’t rule out Nouvelle Aquitaine and Les Landes however. This region has always been a great destination for cyclists with hundreds of kilometers of bicycle paths through forests and along the coast. Our recommendation: 4 days from Bordeaux to Arcachon along the Atlantic coast 5.    Opal coast (France) The Opal coast is wonderful. Boulogne, Calais, Dunkirk and the Vélomaritime cycling route connecting them in all safety. The roads are well paved and usually quite flat. The cities have a well laid out bicycle infrastructure. Moreover, the region is full of history and the coast is glorious. Admittedly, it can rain sometimes, but to use a quip : there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Our recommendation: Cycling the Opal Coast from Le Touquet to Dunkirk Rising star : Slovenia It just didn’t make our top 5, but we had to add Ljubljana to the list. The city wriggled itself up many lists by investing massively in cycling infrastructure. They did everything according to the rules and Ljubljana/Slovenia is ready to become a grand cycling region. Our recommendation: 8 days in Slovenia : cycle around lake Bled Cities that are missing from our catalog, but might be added in the future : Copenhagen, Malmö, Berlin, Oslo, Helsinki, Barcelona, and many many others. The future of cities lies within their cycling infrastructure. The better the infrastructure, the happier the people living there are!

Tired of the crowd and looking for wild long stretches of immaculate sandy beaches? Unless you’d rather hide in a secluded rocky cove? Jump on your bike and head North of France. The Velomaritime route will take you on a seaside cycling trip from the easternmost point of Britain to the Belgian border. France is full of gems, and the north even more so! Let’s go cycling France’s best northern beaches ! Cycle in Britany and see la vie en rose! Watching the turquoise lights of the sea, you might mistake it for a tropical beach. A cycling trip in Britany will amaze you with its large spectrum of colours, rocky cliffs, winding costal paths and wildflowers. Nicknamed la côte de granite rose (pink granite coast) for obvious reasons, the area is a wonder for nature-lovers and cyclists in search of diversity. Start your journey in Lannion’s hilly streets before heading to the seaside town of Perros-Guirrec. From here, you might chose to get off your bike for a costal walk or a cruise to the Seven Islands archipelago. You can take a 8-day bike trip from Morlaix to Saint-Brieuc to fully enjoy the coast. Beach of Tregastel, Pink Granite Coast Of course, don’t forget to take a break and refuel with Britany’s famous crepes. The Velomaritime route then leads you through countryside towns up to Paimpol. You are now only a few pedal strokes away from secret beaches and spectacular lookouts. You may decide to end your trip in Saint-Brieuc and catch the train home with your bike or extend the journey towards Saint-Malo. Even if it will be difficult to hide from the crowd, cycling across la Cité Corsaire (Privateer city) is an experience not to be missed! Do you have some energy left? How about completing the journey up to the Norman border where the silouette of le Mont-Saint- Michel’s abbay awaits you. Cycling France has never been so exciting! Ride your bike through History in Normandy It would be impossible to talk about France’s Northern beaches without mentioning the most famous ones. Best known under their English names, the D-Day landing beaches of Omaha, Gold, Juno or Sword are easily accessible on a bike. Using the medieval town of Bayeux as a starting point (where you will admire the famous Bayeux tapestry telling the story of William the Conqueror), you will cycle straight north to the fishermen’s town of Port-en-Bessin. From here, follow the cliffs to Arromanche’s harbour and reach Courseulles-sur-Mer’s long sandy beaches. Arromanches, Normandy Take a detour to cycle past Pegasus Bridge and admire Caen’s cathedral. Unless you’d rather go straight accross the canal, along the « floral coast » and head to the resort town of Cabourg. Next you will enjoy the relaxing vibes of the elegant Deauville. Park your bike a moment to take a stroll on its « planches », the famous Art Deco beach boardwalk where American stars come each year for the international film festival. Keep cycling to the charming Honfleur’s harbour, on the Seine estuary. Riding along the « vieux bassin », it’s no wonder the medieval town inspired the most prestigious Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet and Eugène Boudin. However, if the road starts becoming too crowded for you, put your helmet back on and head further north, right past Normandy. We recommand a nice cycling trip from Bayeux to Trouville. Make the most of Nature’s wonders on a bike, from the Somme bay to the Opal coast Let’s unveil some of France’s best kept secret : its northernmost beaches. Cycling exclusively on a very-well maintained velomaritime route, you will feel immediately caught by the beauty of the Somme bay. This huge estuary labeled « Grand site de France » (Great Site of France), is home to a National Nature Reserve, a Natural Sea Park and several protected areas. Cycle from the seaside town of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme to La Pointe du Hourdel to meet with seals, unless you’d rather wait for your next encounter further North, in la baie d’Authie. The region being home to France’s biggest seal colony, there will be several opportunities to watch them from your bike ! Beach of Sainte-Cecile, Opal Coast If the elevation is almost non existant along the beach and makes it for a perfect first cycling trip, be prepared for a change of scenery as you ride along the Opal Coast. Climbing the capes Blanc-Nez and Gris-Nez is no small task! But you will be rewarded by breathtaking views over the Channel, as far as the white shining cliffs of Great Britain. It’s (litterally) all downhill from here ! Slowly leisure along the coast up to Dunkirk. If you can still see at low tide the ruins of its unfamous war harbour, the city is home today to several History museums and Art galleries and is best enjoyed on a sunny Sunday afternoon when families gather along the beach in Malo-les-Bains. It’s now time to get off your bike, take a dip in the sea and maybe reward yourself with fresh beer as the sun goes down ! You can experience this itinerary with a bike trip from Saint-Valéry to Dunkirk. You now have all the information to fully enjoy France’s best northern beaches by bike!

Here we are! After the first two parts, discover the last part of our tour of Flanders by bike. Day 8 We leave Kortrijk on an old train track, converted into a cycling path. We continue along the canal and reach the river Scheldt towards Oudenaarde. The road is flatter than flat for those who start feeling a little tired after a few days on the bicycle. Oudenaarde is only 37 km away. However, some of us do feel the need to get the true “Flandrien” feel. We have reached the Flemish Ardennes. So called, because they are almost as hilly as the Walloon Ardennes. This is the country where Eddy Merckx, Louison Bobet, Mathieu and his father Adrie van der Poel, Jacky Durand, Tadej Pogacar and many others won the most beautiful road race in the world. At which point we decide to do part of the race trail… Paterberg We put the chain on the smallest gear, because when we leave the Scheldt we cycle towards Kwaremont, a household name among bicycle enthusiasts. As the Paterberg is nearby, we obviously include it in the ride. In Belgium it is legally forbidden to have two without three. So we also add the mythical Koppenberg to the route. This alternative route is only for hardcore crazy people. With slopes of up to 22% on cobblestones that feel as if they were thrown on the road from a distance, you can count on a tough challenge. Approach the Flemish hills with fear and respect, as they will crush your hopes and dreams if you don’t. Yet again, we reach a beautiful small city. If you have any interest in cycling, you can visit the Tour of Flanders museum. Day 9 There is only one thing that separates us from Brussels : the Flemish Ardennes region. Cobblestones, steep hills, wind, pouring rain, hail, and cyclists lying in a fetal position on the side of the road calling for their mother. The next three days consist of finding a way that is acceptable for normal people who don’t cycle 1000 km per week, and yet thrilling enough to show a hint of this truely amazing part of the world. We part ways and leave Oudenaarde along the river and beautiful country roads, with little to no traffic, to check the many possibilities. We reach the mythical town of Geraardsbergen almost at the same time. Geraardsbergen, Manneken pis Geraardsbergen is the lifelong competitor of Brussels. In Geraardsbergen, they also have a Manneken Pis, which is allegedly a lot older than his Brussels’ nephew. Two more things they are proud of are mattentaart (you will want to taste a few of those, it’s a cake made with buttermilk) and the world famous Wall of Geraardsbergen. Not a wall in the real sense of the word, but a steep cobblestoned hill right in the middle of town. We decide to climb the hill, because on the top there is a restaurant and we are hungry. I have climbed it many times before, but that was many kilos ago. Aurélie enjoys my little help and swiftly climbs to the chapel on the top. We are stunned by the magnificent view and an excellent dinner at the top. Day 10 An extra day to find some alternative ways in this region. We feel that the thousands of meters we have climbed in the past days have crept into our legs. We cycle to Zwalm and Ninove. Along the way, we discover a lot of steep hills, cobblestone roads and even a very busy road, unsuitable for cycling. This is clearly not the way we want to present to our customers. After another 65 km we have a meeting to pick one of the several ways we have cycled the past two days. Plus, we have a well deserved beer on a terrace overlooking the Wall of Geraardsbergen. It was yet again a hard but rewarding day. Wall of Geraardsbergen, chapel Day 11 Today is our last day of cycling : we are cycling back to Brussels again. The roads are excellent, but hilly. We have discovered, the past three days, that Jacques Brel has clearly never cycled in his “Flat land”. The countryside is beautiful and we notice more and more that we are reaching the capital. Traffic gets busier, roads are congested and suddenly we find ourselves in the Brussels traffic infarct. This is clearly not the way to go. Turning back to one of our last reference points at the outskirts of Brussels, we let fate decide which way to turn. A brilliant move as fate shows us the way through a park and over a wonderful boulevard where cyclists have gotten their own cycling lane in the middle. With hardly any interference from cars, we reach the canal and find our way back to the bicycle rental agency. And a beer, obviously ! Grand-Place, Brussels It was a wonderful tour of Flanders by bike ! Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t rain all the time in Belgium. During our 10 day bicycle tour, we had about 3 hours of rain. The Belgian art cities and the Flemish countryside are wonderful. The food is amazing and the people are genuinely welcoming. From our litlle adventure, we have created two new bike trips which, we hope, you will like! From our litlle adventure, we have created two new bike trips which, we hope, you will like! The Tour of Flanders on a bicycle in 7 days A long cycling weekend in and around Brussels Welkom in Vlaanderen ! (Welcome to Flanders!)