Backroad cycling France

A cycling loop where memories of the D-Day and the discovery of the Normandy bocage are intertwined...Ref CN71

Our 4-day coastal cycle tour in Lower Normandy sets off for a discovery of the Côte de Nacre. From Bayeux, we first explore the historic D-Day landing beaches. The coastal cycle path takes us from beach to beach where the souvenirs of World War II and seaside tourism mingle. Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah, they're all on the list. We ride on picturesque roads and gentle paths into the Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin regional nature park and admire sandy beaches, cliffs, peat bogs and Norman villages... The return to Bayeux takes small country roads in the heart of the Normandy bocage for a bucolic discovery of the back country.

Self-guided tour: from 495€ - Details Duration : 4 days | Level : Customer satisfaction :
- 2 reviews
+33 458 140 435 A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.
Book this tour
Physical level :  
This tour is E-bike compatible

Highlights

  • Arromanches and the D-Day beaches
  • Small Norman roads associated with the Vélomaritime for a safe and gentle itinerary
  • A nice selection of hotels and guest houses combining charm and comfort
  • A tour that allows you to discover the Normandy coastline and countryside

Description


Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Bayeux- Arromanches Les Bains - Bayeux

Itinerary start: On day 1, we will meet you at 9.30am in front of the English cemetery in Bayeux if you have rented bikes.

As soon as we arrive in Bayeux, we are charmed by the beauty of this medieval city dominated by an imposing cathedral: spared by the 1944 bombings, Bayeux boasts an exceptional architectural heritage where the skills of the craftsmen have been expressed with talent. Bayeux is also our starting point for cycling to the coastline with its D-Day beaches, and then to the Normandy bocage. This first cycle loop takes us to Arromanches Les Bains, a pretty Norman seaside resort, from which we enter directly into the history of the D-Day landings with the discovery of Gold Beach, but also a little further on Juno and Sword Beach, corresponding to three of the five Allied landing beaches. Numerous interpretation panels, relics and monuments line these beaches to tell us more about this historic phase of the liberation in June 1944. After a diversion to Port en Bessin, a charming fishing port in Normandy nestled between two cliffs, we take the return journey along small country roads to Bayeux.

  • Level 2: approx. 50 km; altitude gain: approx. 400 m
Day 2: Bayeux - Grandcamp Maisy

Today we head northwest, our route taking us mostly along the sea. The views are superb, especially from Omaha Beach, another world famous scene of the D-Day landings. Halfway along the route, we reach Colleville Sur Mer and its famous American cemetery, the visit of the site and its museum are absolutely unmissable... We end the day by discovering the Pointe du Hoc, a rocky spit of land overlooking the sea, and home to almost intact German bunkers that we can visit... We arrive in Grandcamp Maisy at the end of the day to stop near the sea.

  • Level 2 : approx. 50 km / altitude gain: approx. 350 m
Day 3: Grandcamp Maisy - Sainte Marie Du Mont

We continue our journey to the North West, this time further inland, to discover the Normandy countryside. We discover charming towns and villages such as Issigny Sur Mer and its colourful houses or Carentan and its pretty marina. The cycle path winds its way through the marshes and pastures of Normandy until it reaches the coast once again, at Utah Beach, the first beach of the Allied landings. The beach is beautiful, with military cannons and amphibious vehicles still strewn about... At the end of the day we reach the charming village of Sainte Marie Du Mont.

  • Level 2 : approx. 60 km / altitude gain: approx. 300 m
Day 4: Sainte Marie Du Mont - Bayeux

This last stage takes us back to Bayeux, not by the coast, but by small country roads, discovering canals, marshes and typical Normandy hamlets. We discover magnificent pastures guarded by sublime manor houses, in an environment of preserved and peaceful nature. We return to Bayeux with many moving stories to tell, and charmed by the natural heritage of this region straddling La Manche and Calvados. We take advantage of the end of the day to complete our visit of Bayeux and why not, taste one of the menus of the excellent typical restaurants of the old town.

  • Level 2 : approx. 70 km / altitude gain: approx. 400 m.

Distance and altitude difference are given for information only.

Itinerary end: Around 5pm on day 4 in Bayeux.

Costs and services self-guided tour

rice per person for a group of :

Single-room supplement will be automatically added in the case of odd-numbered groups.

The price includes :
  • 3 x nights in guest houses and 2* to 3* hotels in double/twin rooms with en-suite facilities
  • 3 x breakfasts
  • Daily luggage transfers (only 1 baggage item per person, max 13 kg)
  • A carefully designed itinerary
  • Our navigation app for smartphones, a detailed road book including maps (digital format) and GPS tracks
What is not included:
  • Lunch meals and dinners
  • Bike rental
  • International flights
  • Your transfer to the meeting place (see paragraph below)
  • All services mentioned in extensions
  • Drinks at the accommodation
  • Visits to museums, monuments and sites
  • Insurance, assistance
  • Last minute booking fee (if applicable)
  • Additional travel related to changes in the programme due to bad weather
  • All personal expenses
  • Everything not mentioned under  “the price includes".

Supplementary services

Prices per person

Single room accommodation 4 days (3 nights) 160 € / 

Extra night in Bayeux in 2* hotel, double room, including breakfast 75 € / 

Extra night in Bayeux in 2* hotel, single room, including breakfast 120 € / 

Extra night in Bayeux in 3* hotel, double room, including breakfast 115 € / 

Extra night in Bayeux in 3* hotel, single room, including breakfast 185 € / 

Dinner reservation:

On request, we can book all dinners of your trip in restaurants carefully selected by our teams (budget generally between 30 and 35 € per person, starter, main course and dessert. Drinks not included). Meals are to be paid by you upon arrival at the restaurant. A fixed fee of 25€ per booking, to be added at the time of your registration.

Bike rental

It is possible to rent two types of bikes :

Standard bike (4 days) 160 € / 

E-Bike (4 days) 255 € / 

Second rear pannier hire 40 € / 

Don't forget to tell us your size on your booking form.

The bikes are equipped with mudguards, a luggage rack, a pannier and a helmet. They are delivered with a repair kit in case of a puncture.

E-bikes :

It offers pedal assistance that allows you to make much less effort than on a classic "human powered" bicycle. It can be an alternative solution in two cases:   

  • You don't feel capable of doing a 2-wheeled circuit. Thanks to electric assistance, this trip becomes accessible.
  • You want to do a tour with a person with a higher level of fitness than you and you are afraid of suffering too much by trying to keep up with them, or that they will get bored by riding at your pace. The electric bike is the solution so that "everyone can join in" and have fun...

Private groups / Custom tours

You are a group of friends, a family, a company or a cycling club and you would like to organise a private cycling tour on the dates of your choice. This option is available for guided and self-guided tours.

  • If you are interested in one of the tours presented on our website, we can provide you with a detailed quote based on the number of persons in your group.
  • If you are interested in a custom version of one of our tours, with specific requirements (tour duration, accommodation type, vehicle assistance, airport transfers, bike rental, etc.), we can provide you with a detailed quote based on the number of persons in the group and the group's specific requirements.

For more information or to receive a quote, please contact us by phone at +33 458 140 435  or by email at info@france-bike-trips.com.

Travel insurance

It is important to be correctly insured when embarking on a cycling holiday. We recommend checking the details of your travel insurance (if you have one) and, if necessary, subscribing to our contract below. Please note that France Bike Trips is simply an intermediary between you and the insurance company.

You can choose between these travel insurance contracts while completing your booking form:

  • I subscribe to the "comprehensive multi-risk" insurance cover (4.5%), minimum premium of 15 €:
    This contract covers assistance, repatriation, lost or stolen luggage, holiday interruption and cancellation. To see the full contract, click here.
  • I purchase the "cancellation only" insurance cover (2.5%), minimum premium of 10 €:
    This policy covers cancellation only. To see the full contract, click here.
  • I purchase the "repatriation & assistance" insurance cover (1.6%), minimum premium of 10 €:
    This policy covers assistance, repatriation, lost or stolen luggage and holiday interruption. To see the full contract, click here.

Recommendation:
If you choose to take out a travel insurance policy with another insurance company, please check that the search and rescue coverage is suitable: area covered, expenses included, risks covered (as an indication, a minimum cover of 15 000 € is recommended). Please note that credit card insurance rarely offers this type of coverage.

Booking procedure / Cancellation

How to book

In order to make a booking please fill in the online booking form on the "booking" page of your chosen tour. At the end of the booking process you will be transferred to our bank's secure payment page in order to pay a 30 % deposit.

Last minute booking

All self-guided bookings made within 21 days of tour departure will incur a surcharge of 15 € per person.

Expert advice
  • Unsure which tour to book?
  • Interested in a custom version of one of our tours?
  • Not sure if a particular tour is suitable for your riding style?

A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm (French time) by phone - +33 458 140 435 or by mail - info@france-bike-trips.com.

Tour confirmation

In order to confirm our guided tours, we need to reach a minimum number of participants (usually 5 persons are necessary). Therefore booking a guided tour does not necessarily mean the tour is confirmed. In the unlikely event that we are unable to confirm your chosen tour, we will offer you the opportunity (no less than 21 days before departure) of switching to another (confirmed) tour, or receiving a full refund.

Self-guided or custom tours: We confirm bookings of self-guided tours and custom tours directly after booking.

In both cases, please await our final booking confirmation before making any travel arrangements.

Balance payment

Tour balance payment must be made no less than 30 days before tour departure. Your travel documents will be sent to you once we have received your balance payment. Road books and maps will be sent to you 3 weeks before departure.

Cancellation

In the event that you are obliged to cancel your tour France Bike Trips will reimburse the entire sum paid for the tour, minus the following cancellation charges:

  • More than 60 days before departure: 5 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Between 60 and 31 days before departure: 15 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Between 30 and 21 days: 30 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Between 20 and 14 days: 50 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Between 13 and 7 days: 70 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Less than 7 days before departure: 100 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium

Full details of our sales conditions are available here

Route navigation

You will receive an email 2 weeks before departure, containing all the information necessary for your upcoming tour, including the following navigation tools:

Our dedicated smartphone app

Follow your route with comfort and ease! Thanks to the Velorizons navigation app, download the full trip itinerary to your smartphone, view route maps and profiles, access the list of booked accommodation, services and useful contacts, and use the integrated route guidance (visual and vocal) for navigation.

See the mobile app presentation video

To benefit fully from the app navigation system, we strongly recommend attaching your smartphone to the bicycle handlebar using a dedicated mount. An example can be viewed here.

Velorizons app compatibility
Operating systemAndroidAppleWindows PhoneBlackberry
CompatibilityVersion 8.0 minimumiOS 8.0 minimum. iPhone compatible, iPad compatible if GPS equippedNon compatibleNon compatible
A detailed Road Book

Your tour road book will be available to download in your My France Bike Trips customer area. The road book contains:

  • Full colour maps with highlighted routes,
  • Step-by-step route description,
  • Route profiles
GPS tracks

Tour GPS tracks will be available to download in your My France Bike Trips customer area. The tracks are in .gpx format, compatible with all GPS devices/apps.

Car sharing

If you sign up for a guided tour, we offer you the opportunity to see if you can carpool with other participants to get to the point of departure. To do this, go to "Car sharing" in our website. By entering the complete reference and the date of departure of the tour (available on the registration confirmation that we have sent you), you have access to route details and emails of other participants who wish to carpool.

Group size and guiding

For guided trips we limit the size of our groups from 5 (min) to 12 (max) persons in order to ensure security and conviviality.

You will be guided by English-speaking French mountain bike guides.

No size limitation for self-guided groups.

Accommodation

We favour comfortable accommodation with warm hospitality. For more details, please see the "Costs and services" section.

For private groups and self-guided tours it is possible to choose alternative accommodation (upgrade) depending on availability.

Food

"L'art de la table"

We pay very careful attention to the quality and the variety of your meals.  Fresh and local produce will be served wherever possible.

Depending on the meals included in your chosen tour:

  • Continental breakfasts taken at the accommodation
  • Cold picnics for lunch (mixed salad, bread, cold meats, cheese and fruit). Each participant carries his picnic in his daypack
  • Hearty dinners (3 to 4 courses, with local dishes)

Please check the "Dates & Prices" section for meal plan details.

Baggage

During the day you carry only a daypack for additional clothing, water, food, camera, etc. The rest of your baggage is transferred each day to the following nights accommodation.

Health

We strongly recommend having a medical check-up before your holiday. 

Our / Your state of mind

- A "group" tour: If you join a guided tour, you will be part of a group for several days. This is a superb opportunity to meet new people and share some magical moments. However, a group tour requires that each person show friendliness, openness and mutual respect for their fellow travellers.

- An "adventure" tour: despite the most careful preparation, adventure tours can present unforeseen events. Accepting these risks will help you enjoy your trip to the full, in the knowledge that your guide, our local partners and the entire France Bike Trips team will offer you the most suitable solutions to any given situation.

Bike and plane / train

If you decide to bring your own bike, be aware that transporting a bike by plane or train is no longer an issue. However a few simple guidelines help to optimise the transport and avoid potential damages that could occur.
Your bike must be transported in a designated bike bag (standard size 120x90cm). This maximal size allows you to travel with your bike as "hand luggage" in any TGV and SNCF trains.
It is very important that you protect your bike in the bag. After having deflated the tires, removed the wheels (by removing the quick release mechanisms), pedals and rear derailleur (which is left hanging on the chain), we recommend you wrap your bike inside the bag in a sheet of dense foam (thickness of 3 to 5 cm). A piece of cardboard or rigid plastic positioned between the foam and the inside of the cover can be beneficial to provide more rigidity.

Once folded up the bike bag will take up very little space and will be transported by the assistance vehicle during your tour.

Bike bags are available directly from France Bike Trips at a cost of 70 euros, plus postage.

Your equipment

Equipment provided by France Bike Trips on guided tours:
  • A group first-aid kit
  • A bike repair kit and tools
Personal equipment to bring:
Baggage

All your luggage must fit in two bags: a daypack and a travel bag.

1/ Daypack

This is the bag you will keep with you each day whilst riding. This bag should not be too large (up to 30 litres).

It will contain: a picnic lunch, camera, waterproof and extra clothing, etc.

Each day, your guide will advise you on what to bring in your bag according to the route and the weather.

2/ Travel bag

This is the bag that will be transported from one accommodation to the next by vehicle. It should contain all the belongings you will not use during the day.

IMPORTANT: Your luggage transported from one accommodation to the next must fit in a single bag and must not exceed 20kg.

List of equipment to pack in your bag the day of departure:
For your head
  • A cap or other head protection against the sun
  • A hat or headband
  • A bike helmet.
For your upper body
  • Two base layers (made of synthetic or natural breathable fabrics)
  • A warm shirt or a sweatshirt
  • A fleece
  • A waterproof jacket
For your legs
  • Two good quality cycling shorts
  • Trousers
  • Casual short
  • A swimsuit.
For your feet
  • Comfortable sports shoes 
  • Sports socks
  • Sandals (not obligatory, but nice during breaks and in the evening...).
For your bike

If you rent a bike from France Bike Trips, this material is not necessary.

  • 2 spare tubes and a puncture repair kit
  • Lubricant for chain and derailleur
  • A pump
  • A spare derailleur hanger
Various
  • A pair of cycling gloves
  • A bike lock
  • 2 bike bottles 75 cl (or Camelbak)
  • A small individual pharmacy: sunscreen (face and lips); band aids + double skin; Immodium; pain killers, earplugs, other personal medication.

Self-guided formula

Self-guided tour "user guide"

Active autonomy: what you need to know for our self-guided tours

In order to achieve the planned tour programme, you must:

  • Guide yourself with the highlighted maps and road book;
  • Choose suitable start times adapted to the lengths of the daily stages as well as your own riding pace, and leave an adequate safety margin of time;
  • Obtain daily weather forecasts from your hosts, and take into account the weather conditions when planning journey times;
  • Arrive at the booked guest houses and hotels listed in the programme on the given dates; 
  • Bring the necessary personal equipment to carry out the tour. France Bike Trips equipment list constitutes the necessary minimum;
  • Carry insurance policies and emergency telephone numbers with you at all times;
  • Be familiar with basic first-aid steps;
  • In the event of any problems during your trip, contact France Bike Trips (contact information in your travel documents). Possession of a mobile phone that works in France is strongly recommended.

Self-guided tours are undertaken without a guide and at your own risk. France Bike Trips cannot be held liable for any route error, misconduct, personal imprudence, inadequate planning or inappropriate reactions in the event of incidents.

Any programme change of your own initiative is under your responsibility and at your expense. 

Having said this, with our advice and good preparation, you should be able to look forward to a wonderful, trouble free holiday. Enjoy your trip!

Average tour rating:

5/5 - 2 Reviews
Diane M. | Participant rating:
"This was a very interesting tour among the small villages of Normandy and certain of the D Day beaches using a combination of small roads and dedicated bike paths with plenty of stops of historical interest along the way."
Kay Y. | Participant rating:
"We did go off track several times but were corrected. Would appreciate a few more verbal directions when there are route choices and more acknowledgement when back on the right route. Occasionally there was a ding but not very often.
General knowledge about where to find our accommodation (5 kms set of town etc.) was also helpful. Vélorizons/France Bike Trips worked very well."
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A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.


Phone number: +33 458 140 435

Contact us

A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.

Please type in your email address in order to access tour details and description

Your email will not be communicated to any third party or company outside France Bike Trips / Velorizons. You may receive occasional emails from France Bike Trips, with the possibility to unsubscribe at any time. CNIL (French National Commission for Data Protection and Liberties)