Veloscenic Tour: On the new long-distance cycle path from the Eiffel Tower to the sea

Good morning, Paris! It's six o'clock in the morning, the steamy morning after a thundery night smells a little freshly washed and a little like the rubbish bins at the edge of the pavement. But it's not a clattering rubbish collection but the clattering heels of Parisian women on their way to Montparnasse station that replace the alarm clock. Somehow more charming, no doubt about it. But the fundamental doubt remains: Is it a good idea to start a cycle journey in the middle of a city of millions?

The creators behind the "La Véloscénie" cycle tour obviously had fewer doubts: in addition to the capital, which is already worth seeing, packing two of the country's most visited sights into one tour has great tourist appeal. Seven million visitors a year, or around 20,000 a day, stroll through the palace grounds of Versailles. There are only half as many at Mont Saint-Michel - but still far more than at top German spots such as Neuschwanstein Castle. And the sea is always an attractive destination. The long ride to the west also includes Chartres Cathedral, several castles - and the many, many other things that you can discover so wonderfully by chance on your bike.

As the shop window grilles rumble up in the alley below the hotel room, we roll up to the huge roundabout with the first signpost on the route to the sea. So that was actually the plan. But in reality, the Eiffel Tower looms so imperiously in the Parisian air that it seems essential to circumnavigate it before the actual start. And this extra loop answers the question of whether it makes sense to cycle from the centre of Paris: Go, go marvellously! In recent years, Paris has created so much space for cycling that it makes major German cities look old. And the Véloscénie signposting utilises a sequence of green spaces and residential streets to whisk us out of the metropolis with minimal stress.

Next stop: Versailles ...

Somehow you've seen it all before: endless lines of sight in a kilometre-long park, romantic limestone sculptures, magnificent suites with gleaming parquet floors and golden splendour right down to the last window handle. Versailles is the gigantic cliché of royal splendour. To create a symmetrical palace park with geometric flowerbeds and ponds modelled on Versailles is almost inevitably just a quotation. Bam! Versailles sets standards and almost overwhelms the visitor. A park in which an idealised village with a real peasant family was built for the Queen's amusement, an area whose distant borders are only reached by tourists in electric golf carts. Shortly after the capital, point two on the list of highlights is reached and ticked off under a blazing sun. And gradually it's time to pedal the loaded bike a few kilometres at a time through the real province.

Its charm is concentrated almost exemplarily around the small town of Nogent-le-Rotrou with its 10,000 inhabitants. Small shops, a market square surrounded by stylishly weathered old buildings, hills and forests all around. Our family-run bed & breakfast with just three guest rooms is located at the top of the old castle. The host prepares the breakfast coffee for his guests and bridges the warm-up phase of the coffee machine with a little small talk. In Germany, this would be the time to talk about the weather or football, but here it's all about food, the best time to pick apples and the best varieties of cider - a topic that carries particular weight here in the west of France.

From an enchanted former railway line outside Nogent, we follow an inconspicuous sign on a tractor track to the cider production site of "Maison Ferré". The panniers bounce on the pannier rack through an orchard. Overripe apples lie in the grass, a large dog wags its tail at us, an inconspicuous but large barn comes into view.

Grégoire Ferré, the landlord, wipes his oil-stained hands with a cloth. "What a mess," he grumbles, "the harvesting machine is broken and the apples are about to start!" But he takes the time for a short tour of the farm and a test sip of the national drink cider and its distilled version, calvados. It's not the prettiest fruit that Ferré pours into the press. But anyone who fears the flowery harmlessness of an English cider or the tart acidity of Hessian cider is quickly converted: the cider from the Perche region proves to be a rather complex and delicious drink, which fortunately is not so strong that it would jeopardise the onward journey to the west.

The route is not particularly straightforward anyway: Away from the railway cycle paths, it winds its way through small, hedge-lined roads, climbs short and steep into sparse oak forests and passes large pastures where the massive, white Charolais cattle quietly turn grass into steaks. The Norman hinterland rises up to 400 metres above sea level. On the way up, the fields get smaller and smaller, the pastures bigger and bigger. Blue-grey clouds approach from the west. They come from the sea and bring the first seagulls with them.

Seawards in the tunnel

The last stage makes it easy for cyclists. From the "Norman Alps", another railway cycle path tentatively descends towards the sea. It descends for a long time in a green tunnel of foliage, and even in the open terrain the gradient is just steep enough to neutralise the headwind. Where the arrow-straight path ends at Pontaubault on the banks of the Sélune, the flatlands are reached. The small river quickly widens into an estuary hundreds of metres wide between scrubby grasses. Sheep graze, grey silt covers large areas of the banks.

There is hardly anywhere else in the world where the tidal range is as strong as here: There are up to 14 metres between high and low tide, with salt water sloshing into the river even kilometres before the actual sea. Cycling families and walkers stroll along increasingly sandy paths. And every now and then someone stops, shades their eyes with their hand and gazes intently into the distance: Mont Saint-Michel rises a hundred metres high out of the willows, out of the mudflats.

It's still five or six kilometres away as the crow flies, but the world-famous silhouette of the monastery hill draws everyone's attention - first through the light haze of the bay, then with ever sharper contours and in the pale colours of its medieval houses. The last few metres are artificially drawn out: we walk barefoot over firm sand, letting grey silt ooze from between our toes and shuffling through the narrow, gradually emptying alleyways in the slanting evening light. A vantage point above the massive walls with sun-warmed stones invites us to look back eastwards.

The Eiffel Tower is nowhere to be seen. But a small tricolour on the shore sums up our trip across the country in a colourful triad: red, white, blue. Like city, country and sea.

"The 'Véloscénie' route follows a predominantly leisurely, always varied route between some world-famous sights." Jörg Spaniol, MYBIKE travel author

GPS data for the Veloscenic tour

You can download the GPX track for the cycle tour on the Veloscenic long-distance cycle route. download here for free or find it in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot.

Véloscénie long-distance cycle route - tips & info

Character of the Veloscenic Tour from Paris to the sea

The 450-kilometre-long Véloscénie route (note: internationally it is marketed as the "Veloscenic" with a "c"!) was supplemented in summer 2022 with a few missing sections and thus completed as a fully signposted, tourist cycle route. It starts in the centre of Paris and ends at Mont Saint-Michel on the Atlantic coast. Even though some sections run on non-asphalted, water-bound surfaces, it does not present any technical challenges. There are two route variants in the middle section. The more scenic, northern variant has a few short, crisp climbs, while the southern variant - like other large sections of the route - runs mainly on flat railway cycle paths.

To avoid cars and busy roads as far as possible, some of the routes are somewhat winding. There are often barriers to avoid on the car-free "Voies Vertes" and railway lines. If you want to make good time, you can usually take small roads.

Tour itinerary

Paris - Versailles - Chartres - Nogent-le-Rotrou - Mortagne-au-Perche - Alençon - Carrouges - Bagnoles-de-l'Orne - Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët - Le Mont Saint-Michel

Travelling to Paris

Railway: There is hardly a more relaxed way to get to Paris than by train. The TGV, for example, covers the almost 1,000 kilometres from Munich in less than 6 hours. Bicycle parking spaces must be reserved and cost 10 euros. Alternatively, a packed bike disassembled to a maximum size of 130 x 90 cm is permitted.
Return transport from the destination is also possible by train, but not directly from Mont Saint-Michel. MYBIKE tip: We recommend continuing on the "Vélomaritime" cycle path to Saint-Malo to the west of the destination. There is a long-distance railway station there. Rennes or Granville are also suitable railway stations that can be reached by bike.

Places of interest along the Véloscénie cycle route

Even a detailed list of the sights in Paris would fill books. So just a quick tip: the city is easy to explore by bike on cycle paths. Also the Palace and gardens of Versailles are tourist classics. Admission to the castle and gardens costs 31 euros, tickets for parts of the estate are available.

To the Mont Saint-Michel can be reached via an elevated road by bike or by shuttle bus. The official ban on cycling on this route is of no interest to anyone. Entry to the town itself is free, for the abbey (9-17.30 h) you have to pay 11 euros. Special regulations for young EU citizens etc.

The medieval cathedral of Chartres is famous for its valuable stained glass windows and the evening light projections of this and other historic buildings around it. The spectacular light show with musical accompaniment is free of charge. www.chartres-tourisme.com There are also various castles along the way that are worth seeing and visiting, such as Carrouges and Maintenon. A quirky, "neo-Byzantine" church in Domfront is open to visitors.

Accommodation

Chartres: The Maunoury Citybreak is a very charming Bed & Breakfast in an elegant old town house. Breakfast in the hosts' large living room. Double room/F from 100 euros.

Nogent-le-Rotrou: The newly renovated bed & breakfast is located near the castle of Nogent Chambres d'Hôtes Saint Jean with just three rooms. Friendly, quiet, good breakfast. Double room/F from 77 euros.

Mont Saint-Michel: Directly in front of the tourist attraction, the hotels have more of a rest stop charm - with enormous prices. We recommend staying five to ten kilometres away.

Food and drink

Giving restaurant tips for Paris is bold. Nevertheless, we were very satisfied with the cuisine and the atmosphere of the Papy aux Fourneaux in the Montparnasse neighbourhood. Main courses 20-30 euros.

In Nogent-le-Rotrou the La Terrasse Saint Pol directly on the market square. Unpretentious, modern, casual.

MYBIKE tip

Cider, sparkling pear wine, calvados ... The beverage specialities of Normandy and the Perche region can be tasted and purchased close to the cycle path at La Maison Ferré near the village of Comblot. A small bottle of old Calvados fits in every pannier ...
Opening hours and registration for 1.5-hour guided tours (English or French) at www.lamaisonferre.fr

Information and planning Planning

The website, which is available in French and English www.veloscenic.com offers perfect information, from GPS data to possible train connections and accommodation to places of interest.

The trip is also available as an organised trip with rental bikes: www.franceavelo.com

Bicycle service on the Veloscenic route

The Veloscenic website lists several bike hire companies that offer bikes and pedelecs for one-way hire. Prices for usable trekking bikes start at around 120 euros per week, with the cost of return transport depending on the number of bikes, among other things. Unfortunately, the companies are located near the coast rather than at the start - bringing a hire bike back to Paris yourself would be less of a hassle.

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