Cycle Touring in France

Eight one- or two-week cycle tours selected to offer cyclists of all levels a taste of France’s diverse landscapes and superb scenery. Covering some of the most picturesque parts of Brittany, Picardy, Alsace, Auvergne/Languedoc, Provence, Dordogne/Lot, the Alps and the Pyrenees.

The blue IGN (Institut Geographic National) 1:100 000 Carte Topographique Top 100 maps are highly recommended for the tours in this guide. There are 74 in all, covering the whole of France. They are detailed maps complete with contour lines, aimed especially at cyclists and walkers. Most good bookshops can order them in, or you can buy them online at www.stanfords.co.uk or www.mapsworldwide.com.

This is a list of the relevant map numbers for the tours in this guidebook:

•    Brittany tour 13 (Brest/Quimper), 14 (St Brieuc/Morlaix)

•    Marne Valley and Picardy tour 09 (Paris/Laon)

•    Alsace tour 12 (Strasbourg/Forbach), 31 (St Dié/Mulhouse/Basle)

•    Alps tour 45 (Annecy/Lausanne), 53 (Grenoble/Mont Blanc), 54 (Grenoble/Gap)

•    Provence tour 60 (Cavaillon/Digne les Bains), 66 (Avignon/Montpellier), 67 (Marseille/Carpentras)

•    Pyrénées tour 70 (Pau/Bagnères de Luchon), 71 (St Gaudens/Andorre)

•    Dordogne and Lot tour 48 (Périgueux/Tulle), 57 (Cahors/Montauban)

•    Auvergne and Languedoc tour 49 (Clermont-Ferrand/Aurillac), 58 (Rodez/Mende), 59 (Privas/Alès)

Michelin publish the very useful France 1:200 000 Motorist and Motoring Atlas, updated annually. It covers the whole of France, indicates most recommended campsites, and includes some city and town maps. The campsites in this atlas are described in detail in Michelin’s Camping Caravaning le guide, which is also updated annually.