Welcome

WHEN WE PRODUCED our first Guide to France, way back in 2013, we were pretty pleased with the result. It contained 25 routes for daytrips, four regional tours plus some suggested ways to get across the largest country in western Europe – as well as one huge two-week tour that roughly retraced the route we’d taken when doing the ride to illustrate the guide.

Of course, it wasn’t comprehensive. Which is where this second Guide to France comes in. Every time someone told us, “You should have gone to…” or, “You should have ridden…”, we made a note of it. We continued asking French riders for their tips on where to ride – and we continued exploring on our own. So this guide builds on the first, with all those extra suggestions added in.

So this second editon of the Guide to France contains 90 suggested daytrips, with dozens of cross-country routes, plus 16 complete tours. We’ve also given recommendations for things to see and do in each region, for those who don’t want to spend every minute of every day in the saddle.

Of course, it’s still not comprehensive. France is a huge country with so much to see and so many great roads that there’s still scope to discover marvellous and unexpected places – so if you spot something great or find a brilliant road we haven’t mentioned, let us know. Meanwhile, enjoy using this Guide to explore France and have a great tour.