Lonely Planet Cycling Guide to France - join the French in one of their passions

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177229 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The French have a nickname for the bicycle--la petite reine, or little queen. With the country's fondness for the queen of the road, its vast network of quiet backroads, magnificent scenery, and scrumptious eateries, it's the perfect choice for discovering the world on two wheels. In Lonely Planet: Cycling France, Lonely Planet has created an excellent guide, chock-full of itineraries, maps, and information and advice for those who want to get off the bus and set their own pace. They've mapped out the best rides in the country for neophytes, veterans and off-roaders, with itineraries ranging from a few hours to two months. Here's a sampling: in Paris you can take the bike paths along the Seine or all the way to Monet's gardens in Giverny. The Loire Valley offers intimate excursions by sandstone villages, magnificent chateaux and scenic waterways. Take the tiny, winding roads of Provence to see perched villages and spectacular panoramas of the Cote d'Azur, or dip into Champagne for the terraced vineyards of Dom Perignon. For those up to the challenge, there's the dramatic volcanic landscape of the Massif Central, with its steep climbs and sweeping descents. The Guide includes a chapter on the island of Corsica with its rugged coastal scenery and prehistoric sites. Travelling by bike calls for a plethora of information not found in the typical tourist guidebook. Lonely Planet has it all. "Facts for Cyclists" provides practical information on when to ride, based on the weather and wind patterns, a checklist of what to bring, information on buying or renting locally, a list of cycling events, and Internet resources. There are tips for senior, disabled, or gay and lesbian cyclers, and those riding with children, and lists of which airlines and which types of trains are bicycle-friendly, and how to pack and transport your bike. The "Health and Safety" chapter explains the French rules of the road (including the confusing "Priority to the Right"), and gives tips for getting and staying fit, and treatments for common ailments on the road. Of course, there's the usual info on where to stay, what to eat, and what to see for a wide range of tastes, from camping to a night in a chateaux. There's also a history of cycling in France and a chapter on the Tour de France and its nuances. With the inclusion of the requisite chapter on bicycle maintenance and repair, you're ready to ride.--Lesley Reed

Synopsis
The guides in this new Cycling series have everything for the traveller who likes to ride. Each one describes and maps the best cycle tours, long and short, in a prime cycling destination. They answer the big questions: how to get rider and bike there in one piece, and keep both in good shape on the road.

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Customer Reviews

Good general guide
I cycled extensively in France (mostly central and eastern districts) in the summer of 2006 and found this book still useful and generally up-to-date. As it covers pretty much the whole of France sometimes some detail is lacking (you must take proper detailed maps - don't rely on the maps in the book), but the lists of accomodation & restaurants, ideas for routes, and general arae guides are very good. I did the Alsatian Wine Route pretty much as described in the book, and found the description, Things-to-see section, etc pretty much spot-on. Highly recommended.

The best option available, but certainly not a bible
A good idea, and the best option available for covering the whole of france in one simple book. But when riding some of the routes, I did get the feeling that they hadn't actually done so themselves, for example some hills and gradients will be mentioned while other far more significant ones will be missed out, and the choice of roads at some points are certainly not always the safest option when you have a bike loaded with panniers and camping gear.

By No means perfect, but if taken with a good pinch of salt will certainly show you more than bumbling around by yourself.

No entry for Calais?
This book is probably great if you're at the planning stages of a trip. If you're after general information about getting to France and cycling, then it's a bit vague. I expect that the majority of English speaking cyclists arriving in France will be coming via Calais or Boulogne, or perhaps over-land through Belgium. This book contains no entry for either French city, and doesn't cover the border with Belgium at all. So if you're thinking of pootling about north eastern France this simply isn't the book for you as it doesn't actually contain any specific information about the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.

The regions covered in the book don't overlap, so there are other departments you won't be able to find much about: Poitou-Charentes is largely omitted, the cities of Lille and Lyon and surrounding areas don't appear in the index (or as far as I can tell the book) and there's a band of un-covered territory stretching from south of Nantes on the Atlantic coast to just south of Grenoble on the borders with Italy.

In all - if you want to parachute into the Champagne region, or teleport to the Pyrenees with your bicycle, then this is the book for you. If you're interested in getting aross France it's simply not going to be enough.