France is a complex and beautiful country to visit. Its people, food and regions are surprisingly diverse. With so many things to see and it is hard to know where to start and what to see first. Enter the “Top” sights, views, hidden treasures etc etc list that has become the norm for any upstanding media publication. One such list caught our eye because as we were scrolling through we kept thinking – we go there, we go there, we go there… in fact – of the 25 “most beautiful” places listed, we cycle through 14 of them! A bit more research into other “Top” sights, treasures, views, lists convinced us that we have indeed developed bicycle trips in what a number of publications feel are the best places to visit France. Here is a summary of our findings:
Browsing through the following travel articles, we think you will agree with our Top Ten Highlights, as they show up multiple times:
National Geographic Traveler’s top place to visit in 2015 – names Corsica as one of the top places in the world to visit in 2015!
ExperiencePlus!’s Top Ten Highlights in France
Named by National Geographic as a top place to visit in 2015, Corsica has rural villages, beautiful beaches and stunning cycling opportunities.
Provence – appearing on 4 of these lists (only because National Geographic only names one place in France!), Provence is usually the top place to visit because of the lavender, markets, hill top towns and in our opinion its fabulous cycling roads.Normandy and Brittany – the beaches in Normandy and quaint towns in Brittany are great reasons to visit both these regions. St Malo is listed separately as a highlight as are some of the Breton villages and of course Normandy and the D-Day Beaches. All of these are part of our trip in Normandy and Brittany!
Mont Saint Michele: Mont Saint Michele is highlighted in 3 of these lists. No doubt one of the top highlights for cycling trip Brittany and Normandy.Alsace, Colmar and its wine route – Alsace shows up in 4 of these lists either because of its famous wine route and picturesque towns like Colmar.Carcassonne – fairy tale castles in real life. Visit Carcassonne on our trip in the South of France and tour the walls at dusk to enjoy the view.Lyon and Marseille – both cities make the lists for their beauty and history. In Lyon don’t forget to stop at one of the Bouchon’s for a coffee or pastry! We have a guided tour of the city (and organize guided tours of many key cities we visit) to make sure you learn the important points before you take time to explore on your own. Bike between these two cities from Paris on our Paris – Marseille bicycle trip.Loire Valley – Chateau du Chambord is just one of the stunning castles and beautiful gardens you can visit. Not to mention we stay in some nice places too!Wine is central to experiencing France. Each region has its own specialty and we’ll make sure you try the best ones around on each of our trips. Don’t forget, our dinners include wine on every trip!
