Calais to Nice

Day 1

We meet in the morning in Calais, give you a pre ride briefing and after leaving Calais head into the benign countryside of the Pas de Calais. This is a fairly gentle day ending in the wonderful town of Montreuil sur Mer, which is not, as its name suggests, on the coast! It is an old citadel town with cobbled streets and old houses and our hotel has a rather good restaurant. (66 miles / 106 km / 526m ascent).

Day 3

South from Cambrai the landscape immediately becomes more rural and you sense a change in the rhythm as the bustle of the north is left behind. We pass a very lovely Abbey set in a quiet river valley. It's worthy of a visit. The obvious lunchtime stop is in St Quintin, a town which was flattened in World War One but which is now in the heart of the Artois region. It's then an easy run to Laon for the night. This well preserved mediaeval town is off the beaten track and one of the highlights of the journey you are undertaking, with its intact walls and ancient gateways, spectacular cathedral and many old buildings and passageways making it a delight to explore. (60 miles / 95 km / 856m ascent).

Day 5

Leaving Epernay our first stop is in the quaint town of Vertus, in the midst of the vines, where a coffee in the square is highly recommended. We then continue through more vineyards along a straightforward and very gentle route, eventually joining the Seine, to Troyes, one of the finest towns in France. You will have plenty of time to explore this mediaeval town. (64 miles / 102 km / 484m ascent).

Day 7

From Chatillon sur Seine there is a gentle climb for the first half of the day – but do not worry, it averages 5.1m per kilometre! Once again, quiet villages and roads are the order of the day as we make our way to Dijon, another of France’s finest cities, where the centre is historic and beautiful with multi-coloured roof tiles and cobbled streets and squares. The capital of the ancient Dukedom of Burgundy, this is a fine place to savour. (57 miles / 91 km / 590m ascent).

Day 9

The Burgundy vineyards are renowned the world over and for good reason. Having sampled some of the local wines last night we will pass through vineyards that have been in the same families for generations, via illustrious names such as Clos Vougeot, which was such a favourite of Napoleon that he ordered his soldiers to salute the vines when they passed. The highlight of the day is Beaune, where a visit to the Hotel Dieu is a must. This ancient hospital is still run as a charitable foundation and survives through auctioning off the grapes from the many vineyards that it has received in donations throughout the centuries. The town is worthy of a lengthy stop and stroll around its ancient streets. Continuing from here we pass many more famous names before arriving in our small village for the evening. In contrast to last night’s city stopover, this is France in her rural splendour. (62 miles / 98 km / 737m ascent).

Day 11

From the Soane valley this morning, to the Rhone valley in the afternoon. Skirting Lyon, you will see the Alps in the far distance to your left on a clear day. There's a stiff but quite short climb first thing then undulations for the rest of the day before one last long climb and accompanying long descent down to the Rhone. It is amazing how wide the river is here and how blue it is too. (57 miles / 96 km / 1,448m ascent).

Day 13

The first half of the day is undulating and there is a good climb before lunch - and an equally good descent - with views of Mont Ventoux in the distance. Lunch in an historic town is followed by an easy run-in to the wonderful Vaison la Romaine for the night.  We are very much in Provence, an historic region with Roman remains and as well as the vines, you will pass many fruit orchards and olive groves, lending a distinctly Mediterranean feel. (51 miles / 82 km / 923m ascent).

Day 15

One of the real highlights of the ride, we head for the Gorges de Verdon, France’s answer to the Grand Canyon. After very gradually gaining height you pass into the gorge with amazing views of the river and an ice-blue lake far far below. It is a wonderful ride along a road that clings to the hillside and offers endless photo opportunities. There is a lot of vertical ascent today but much of it is gained gradually over a long period and thus will not be noticed. The big hill comes at about half way after which it is flat or downhill most of the way to our evening stop. (49 miles / 78 km / 1,917 ascent).

Day 17

Departure (a.m.)

Travel Information

Start: Calais
Finish: Nice

Unfortunately we are no longer able to take unaccompanied bikes back to the UK due to the new border restrictions, but we can take bike bags / boxes (if notified in advance) and keep them in the vans for the duration of your holiday.

Click here for our Travel Information page.