Bike tours Normandy region

What part of Normandie would be the first question. The road network in coastal Normandie can be chock full of cyclists. I know the tours range from simple to full up service where you ride at your leisure then are taken to a chateau for each night.

The choices are endless as is pricing. Try googling bicycle tours of Normandie and you’ll see numerous ideas. What is the best is a highly subjective question. The countryside is also at least moderately challenging when you throw in tourist traffic by by car and bus. Deeper into the back country the up and down might be a challenge to the unprepared or inexperienced.

Thank you very much! Useful thoughts and information. I’ll do more exploration.

You can look here: https://www.laseineavelo.com/

Thank you! Great lead, I’ll look into it.

For general information, go to https://www.freewheelingfrance.com This seems to be a labour of love from an English woman with a wealth of information about regions and operators and more throughout France. That is a great place to start your research.

We recently took two one-week bike trips through Le Velo Voyageur, https://www.levelovoyageur.com/en/ - an operator that is among the operators who are listed on the freewheeling website (May-June 2023). I felt their pricing was reasonable and fair, the 3 star hotels they booked were consistently good to great (you can choose 2 to 3 star, or 3 star to 4 star), and their maps and "app" were quite good. The e-bikes we used in the Loire were fine. The e-bikes that were provided in the hillier Dordogne region were both overweight and under-powered, plus the rear derailleur gears were not as low as we would have liked (only 7 gears, not 9 or 10). THAT was a matter of the contractor they had in the Dordogne, as opposed to the contractor they had in the Loire.

Still, the two trips were both just phenomenal. Good to great, quiet roads and paths, 20+ to 30 or 35 mile trips (one day was over 40 miles; 60+km). Good mid-day stop points. PLUS, the operator was great about modifying their trips to suit our needs, e.g. a second night in Montignac (home to Lascaux) in the Dordogne, e.g. booking a 7-day slice out of their 15-day Orleans to the Atlantic trip down the Loire, with gave us exactly the trip I wanted from Blois to Saumur, rather than some of their other 7 or 8 day packages.

A year ago, someone responded to my request to this forum (https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/bike-touring-in-france-operator-suggestions) for help with a recommendation of Discover France. https://www.discoverfrance.com/european-tours-destinations?gclid=CjwKCAjwkeqkBhAnEiwA5U-uM2iGVpCSk3lB3YFyE0so620_40qCpRPGmSA1ll46ABelAgnkh4P4bBoCFCUQAvD_BwE#france

Since we didn't use them, I cannot evaluate, but what they had their website looked interesting. I chose Velo Voyaguer since they were based in France and appeared to be a small, women run business.

Thank you so much for taking the time! This is super information, and I will certainly look into your suggestions. It’s very helpful, I’m sure you know, to have a first hand account of a tour and tour operator.

OP -

I neglected to say that we did self-guided, rather than guided. Roughly half the cost, really quite easy, and the luggage transfers worked perfectly.

We have done 7 guided bike tours with Trek Travel and the 8th will be Normandy/Brittany in August. They are top notch and supply you with a high-end Trek bike (either road or e-bike, your choice). Accommodations, luggage transfers, and most meals are included. You are given various route options each day as well as some side excursions (like a guided D-Day sites tour). Routes are loaded into the provided Garmins so you basically can't get lost. One guide will also ride along checking on everyone while the other guide drives the support van. Snacks are provided and you can always hop in the van if you need a break. I would say the trips are aimed at reasonably fit adults but the e-bikes are a great equalizer. There are other good operators but I really like having a nice bike to ride (typically an $8,000-10,000 Domane model) and the group sizes are not too large. I don't think you would go wrong with this option but it may not be your cheapest option. Check out their website.

I’m so grateful. Thank you very much for this information! I hope you enjoy your August ride!

We just spent 3 days in the Suisse Normande region of Normandie. Though we were hiking there, the biking would be terrific in this beautiful area.

Thank you! That’s a great reinforcement.