Velo Europe and Cycling in France and Paris
Not all French rivers and canals already have a river cycle path, but the Voie Verte cycle path system does a lot here (www.voiesvertes.com ).
Paris offers a lot for cyclists and an exploration of the city by bike.
Paris a Velo is a great experience.
Due to the many sights and details, we can recommend booking bike guides who know the cycle paths and the city in detail, but of course having your own exploration is also fun.
The bike rental system Velib is with 20.000 bikes at 1256 stations one of the biggest in Europe and in all regional railways also bikes can be taken along.
Paris has 4 large railway stations, so we can't say from which "main station" the stages / routes start. To simplify this, our navigation starts directly at the Seine, at the Pont Saint Michel (near Notre Dame). This is also a train station and can be reached with the Parisian (S Bahn/Metro).
The Velo Europe stages from Paris
1. Paris to Melun, approx. 71 km, connection option to Saint-Mammes- junction
2. Paris to Conflans-Sainte-Honrine, 42 km, option on the Seine in the direction of Vernon or on the Oise in the direction of Creil
3. Paris to Meaux, approx. 58 km, option of closing at the Marne towards Chateau-Thierry and Epernay
4. Paris to Versailles, about 22 km,
5. Paris train station to the airport, km
6. Paris City Tour
The Velo Europe Routes from Paris
Paris to London
From the Seine to the next cosmopolitan city, the most populous city in Europe, London on the Thames. For this route we currently suggest three different routes with two different ferry connections on the French side.
Option 1 begins and ends downstream on the Seine from Paris via Rouen to Le Havre, where the Seine flows into the North Sea. From Le Havre we take the ferry to Portsmouth. Along the southern coast of England to the seaside resort of Brightton.
Option 2 starts in Paris and we follow the Seine downstream, which we leave at Conflans St. Honorine. From Conflans we follow the Oise upstream north to Montataire. Continue via Beauvais and through many small French towns villages of Normandy to Dieppe.
Option 3 leaves the Seine at Vernon on the Seine and via French small and medium-sized towns through Normandy to Dieppe.
The ferry from Dieppe set off for Newhaven via the English Channel.
From Newhaven we cycle parallel to the English Channel coast in western direction to the seaside resort Brighton.
From Brighton we cycle north through the county of Sussex to the British metropolis.
In some parts the variants 2+3 are signposted as the green route or Voie Verte from Paris to London.
Paris to Brussels
To the north Paris is connected with the Belgian capital Brussels. We suggest 2 routes.
The West and the East route. The east-route is the one that we also later in the Rhenish metropolises Cologne and Düsseldorf .
The west route starts from Paris on the Seine downstream to Conflans St.Honorine and further upstream along the Oise through Picardy. Further north, we meet the young Schelde, which we follow over the Belgian border to Gent.
From Gent to Dendermonde, then along the Dender in the last section to the Belgian capital Brussels.
The east route takes us a short distance upstream along the Seine to the mouth of the Marne. The Marne is a large tributary of the Seine and leads us upstream via Meaux to Epernay in the Champagne.
The Marne is connected to the northern river Aisne by canal and the route leads through the nature park Montagne de Reims , through Reims , further north until we meet the canal and the Aisne.
Along the Canal l'Ateral a L'Aisne to Rethel and from there on side roads in northeastern direction to Charlesville-Mezieres at the Maas/Meuse. We follow the course of the river Maas / Meuse to Namur. The Meuse meanders through some very narrow valleys of the Ardennes.
From Namur we follow the road to Brussels, first the Sambre in western direction upstream to Charleroi and from there along the Brussels-Charleroi Canal to the Belgian capital.
Paris to Düsseldorf or Cologne
We also choose the eastern route of the Brussels route description for the route to western Germany in the Rhenish metropolises of Düsseldorf and Cologne.
From Namur we follow the Maas to Roermond via Lüttich and Masstricht.
In Roermond we leave the Meuse and drive in an easterly direction through small Lower Rhine villages via Viersen and then reach the Rhine at Meerbusch. A few more km upstream of the Rhine to the North Rhine-Westphalian capital Düsseldorf.
After Cologne or Aachen we can leave the Meuse already at Liège or at the latest in Maastricht and drive from here through the foothills of the Eifel into the Rhine lowlands to Cologne.
After Cologne or Aachen we can leave the Meuse already at Liège or at the latest in Maastricht and drive from here through the foothills of the Eifel into the Rhine lowlands to Cologne.
The Loire Route
The largest French river that flows into the Atlantic Ocean is the Loire. The Loire is one of the, if not the culture or cult (cycling) route, as it is also the route of the castles.
Paris is connected to the Loire by water via connecting canals.
First we cycle from Paris along the Seine upstream to Montargis and from there further along the canals Loing and Briare to the Loire.
We can accompany the Loire from here downstream via Orleans to Nantes and up to the mouth into the Atlantic near St. Nazaire. A scenic and cultural route with many castles from some eras.
Paris to Trier
For the Routes to Trier we suggest two different options.
Option 1 is first the described east-route to Brussels along the Marne, but from Epernay we follow the Marne via Chalons-en-Champagne to Saint-Dizier.
From there we take a cross connection via side roads into the valley of the Maas/Meuse and further to the Mosel/Moselle or Meurthe to Nancy.
From Nancy we follow the Moselle via Metz and Luxembourg to Germany in the city of Trier, a Moselle cycle path signposted in large parts from Metz.
A second alternative route to Trier, Option 2, leads from Rethel (east route to Brussels to Rethel) further along the Canal l'Ateral a L'Aisne or Aisne to Vouzier.
There in Vouzier we leave the canal and cycle in eastern direction through the Ardennes via Stenay at the Maas / Meuse further in eastern direction to Belgium ( Arlon). Then we cross the small country Luxembourg from west to east via Mersch and Luxembourg. At Mertert we reach the Moselle and from here it is only a few kilometres downstream to Trier.
Paris to Lyon
From Paris to Lyon Velo Europe sees two different possibilities. First, both options start at the Seine, which we accompany upstream from the city.
In Option 1 we follow the Seine upstream to Monterault-Fault-Yonne. Here the Yonne flows into the Seine.
Further upstream along the Yonne via Sens to Migennes. We drive through the Bourgogne Franche Comte wine region, including the Chablis region.
In Migennes the Canal de Bourgogne branches off from the Yonne. The Canal de Bourgogne can be followed via Montbard and Dijon to its mouth in the Saône at Saint-Jean-de-Losne. From there, go downstream parallel to the Saone to Lyon.
In Lyon, the Saone flows into the Rhone and the other into the Mediterranean Sea ( options from Lyon ).
Option 2 from the French capital Paris to Lyon is the way over the Loire. Here we use the Seine-Loire connecting canals (as described for the Loire route) and drive from Briare upstream along the Loire to Digoin.
The Canal du Centre connects Loire with Saone. Along the canal from Digoin to Chalons-sur-Saône.
Chalons- sur - Saône is a hub i.e. we can follow the Saône downstream to Lyon or have possibilities along the Doubs and Canal Rhon-au-Rhin to Basel or Strasbourg.
Paris to Strasbourg or Basel
Option 1 to Strasbourg runs like option 1 above to Trier to Nancy. From Nancy we can follow the Canal Marne au Rhin to Strasbourg, where it flows into the Rhine.
Option 2 starts the same way as option 1 to Lyon, via Seine-Yonne - Canal de Bourgogne.
From Saint-Jean-de-Losne (beginning and end of the Canal de Bourgogne) we first drive a few km along the Saone, but then turn east along the Rhone-Rhine-Canal towards Dole.
The route now runs along the Rhone-au-Rhin canal and the parallel Doubs towards the Jura/Vosges.
We cycle through the Doubs valley, through the Burgundian gate in eastern direction via Besancon to Belfort. In Cernay you have the possibility to turn south to Mühlhausen and Basel or to take the path along the Vosges to Strasbourg.
