Bike in France
Enjoy the small towns of France, and the camaraderie of holiday travel with a gay group.
France is a friendly country with a rich history, beautiful landscapes, and hundreds of small towns where time seems to have frozen in the past. The French abolished their sodomy laws back in Napoleon’s time, and most French people take the attitude that whether you’re gay or straight is none of their business.
Yet as charming as they are, most of the villages and towns outside Paris have little or no active gay community. A gay man or lesbian who wants to tour France, and to see more than the large cities, may easily feel isolated.
We’ve got a solution: Cycle to some of France’s most picturesque and historic sites, with a gay and lesbian group. Explore corners of France that many visitors never see, and do it with a friendly group.
Our favorite gay travel company, He Travel, specializes in active vacations around the world, offers a number of bike holidays in France, including these regions:
The Provencal: In Provence, we’ll bike to the old Roman capital of Arles where a 2000-year-old arena towers over the site of Van Gogh’s Cafe de Nuit; and on into the Luberon towns of A Year in Provence.
The Mistral: takes us north from Avignon, to the picturesque old duchy of Uzes, and then along the rim of the Ardeche Gorges, a thousand feet above kayakers battling the whitewater below.
The Colors of Burgundy: Rightly famous for its red wines, the old duchy of Burgundy has much more to offer cyclists. The Colors of Burgundy bike tour takes us along quiet roads that wind through forest and hillsides, haunting monastic ruins dating back almost a millennium, the spring that provides the source of Paris’s Seine river; gourmet foods … and a white wine that’s as memorable as those Burgundian reds.
Valley of the Chateaux: Travel to the better homes and gardens of the ancient French royalty, each with its own personality. On the 5-day tour , we’ll bike to elegant Azay-le-Rideau, a compact jewel surrounded by moat; Usse, in the middle of Chinon Forest, where the legend of Sleeping Beauty was born; Chenonceau, leapfrogging over the Cher river; and the sturdy ruins of Chinon, where Joan of Arc entered the history books. Try our optional 2 day extension!
Big Loire, Little Loir: Or try our more idiosyncratic tour in the same chateaux filled region of France. A 5-day holiday taking us deep into French culture and history, and well off the usual tourist routes.
Truffles, Castles and Caves: Our bike tour through Dordogne. A ride through the verdant hills and along the peaceful rivers of the Dordogne valley, join us for which crosses back and forth across the river which once divided the fortresses and chateaux of the British and the French.
Atlantique: Our newest French bike tour starts in the Loire River port city of Nantes, then winds through picturesque woodlands to the coast of southern Brittany. Rivers, islands and the Atlantic Ocean form the backdrop for our invigorating ride. We’ll also explore quaint villages and seaside towns as we ride through history on our way to La Rochelle, where we finish our journey. Along the way, we can stop to admire chateaux, monuments, cathedrals and stunning vistas.