"Highly recommended guide for touring and cycling holidays throughout France. Every region of France is covered with route suggestions and maps (albeit oddly oriented), with tips on hotels / bike shops (sometimes out of date). Still despite these faults, it's the best guide on the market."

---

Product Description

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.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #356622 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-01
• Original language: English
• 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

---

Customer Reviews

this book will be your best friend
As with any of the lonely planet books, this book is super.

There are detailed maps, guides where to eat for cheap or if you find you have a bit of money some days, places to spoil yourself, places of interest that you should visit etc.

We cycled all over France for 8 weeks and this book was our bible.

A few places here and there need to be updated but you won't be lost in the middle of nowhere with this book.

Fully recommend it.

Great bicycle routes through France
Used the LP to bike from Nimes to Carcassonne. LP did a great job of outlining the trip. Each day there was a map that showed the elevation of the ride, detailed directions, and what to expect. Unfortunately, in the trip we took, some of the descriptions were vague on what to see or how to get around, so I would have liked to see more details on this. Also, a few new roads showed up that weren't mentioned, so bring a detailed map. Overall, a great biking book that I will use to explore the rest of France.

The best way to see France!
And you can eat as much as you like, because you're going to burn those calories off! We've done a few of the routes now, and though they vary in accuracy, and ease of following the directions given, that justs adds to the fun. The routes are superb in taking you off the beaten track as much as possible, showing gems of villages and stunning scenery along the way. Best off all are the suggestions about where to stay, e.g. we stayed in a vineyard on the Alsace route where a full, and very generous, wine tasting was thrown in for the price of the B&B. I would recommned the LP cycling books to those just wishing to start cycle touring, it makes it extremely easy, as well as those who wish to tackle the more serious routes.