Three Great Bike Touring Routes In Europe
Every February, thousands of cyclists come to Amsterdam for the Fietsenwandelbeurs. It’s a gigantic fair centred on everything of interest for bike tourists, hikers, campers and anyone who enjoys the outdoors.
As part of the event, 3 bike routes are nominated for ‘best bike route of the year’. Here are the 2013 selections.
1. Velodyssey – The Atlantic Cycling Route
The top choice of this year’s judges is Velodyssey: a 1,200km bike route that starts in Britain and runs all the way down the western coast of France to the Spanish border. It’s France’s longest waymarked bike path and connects up neatly with the Eurovelo 6 and Eurovelo 4 routes.
2. Burgundy By Bike (Tour De Bourgogne)
The Tour De Bourgogne sounds like a food-loving cyclists’ dream. It’s a 580km bike route (soon to be expanded to 800km) that passes through the gastronomic capital of Dijon and famous wine regions around Mâcon. The route is set partly along voie vertes, canals and disused railway lines, where no motorised traffic is allowed. Detailed route descriptions and a GPS track are available from the website.
#3. The Vennbahn
At just 125km in length, the Vennbahn is the shortest of the three nominated routes. Unless you live nearby, it’s not likely to be a destination in its own right but could make a nice addition to a longer tour. It traces the path of an old railway line through Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. The website has some good information about the route and the area, including intriguing stories about the coffee smugglers that roamed the border areas of Germany and Belgium after World War II.
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Wow,thanks for info on the Velodyssey. I’d never heard of it before but looks like it would make a great trip.
Cheers
Jeff
We have cycled a part of the velodyssey, from La Rochelle to the border of Spain. It was amazing. You cycle most of the time near the coast and in the pine tree forest. We did it in september and beside having wonderful weather, we where most of the time alone on the path. And, wild camping is very easy. Check out our blog for more details.
on-roule-la-boule.blogspot.com/
I found some of those woods to be questionable, North of Lacanau. Not the best route through the forest, if you ask me. From your tiny map, it seems you followed the river into Bordeaux from Royan. I’d love to get your routes from you.
Cheers
Good morning Rich,
If you click on the ”ou sommes-nous?” map, it will enlarge the map. Let me download the route we took on Wikiloc so you can go and get them.
So what was your favourite route? I’m running out of ideas.
Do these routes really only satisfy a europeans needs. I’m going to France next year from Australia and it is going to be a once in a lifetime chance for me to cycle in France. I’m wondering if these routes are still the best in my circumstances. My route as i figured to day is from paris to normandy, down across the loire, into the dordogne and then into the pyranees. (If i’ve got enough time for all that in 8 weeks) Is the coastal route of france more interesting than the inland option i’ve chosen or is it just nicer in that you can get away from it all? What advice?
Andrea, just wondering what will be your final route, my wife and i are planning to go to Europe next year as a first time o/s tour, we will be spending about 6-8 weeks, but were thinking a North – South route out of Netherlands. I am interested to find out your plans to get your bikes to your start point. We live in South Australia and plan to pack our touring luggage into bike cartons and carry our panniers. Finally, i am also interested in what type / brand of bike you have. Regards, Anthony McLean
Hi folks. With regards to French cycling routes, there are national routes. Check out http://www.eurovelo.org/routes/ as it’s a beginning for a lot of routes.