The Bordeaux-Lacanau bike path links one of France's premier cities – and its wine capital – to the beautiful Atlantic Coast.
Distance: 67km
Difficulty: Easy - flat
Bordeaux is linked to Lacanau, on the Atlantic Coast (and the EuroVelo 1 route), by a voie verte – or greenway route – that, once you navigate your way out of Bordeaux, is almost entirely car-free.
It follows an old railway line, starting just to the north of the Bordeaux city centre. To be perfectly honest, it's not one of the most interesting bike routes in France. It's a bit "same-same" through the pine forest – I view it as more of a means to an end in terms of getting to the coast.
Once there, the beach itself at Lacanau is wonderful - long, sandy stretches of coast and plenty of amenities by way of bars and restaurants. There are a few campsites but not so many hotels, so plan ahead, especially if riding in summer or in the French school holidays.
The first 5-10km are city riding as you navigate your way out of Bordeaux. The voie verte itself starts just after the suburb of Eysines, after which you enter the pine forest, passing through St-Médard-en-Jalles (fun fact: it's home to the largest E.Leclerc supermarket in France!) and onto the coast.
If you don't want to ride to the coast, you could always consider taking the train from Bordeaux to Arcachon and accessing the EuroVelo 1 from there.
See also the rather fabulous Tour de Gironde bike route, which ties all these places together for touring and/or day rides.
Download the Bordeaux-Lacanau route as a GPX file.
The beautiful Atlantic Coast at Lacanau beach. Photo by M.Strikis.
Other relevant bike routes and pages for this area
- Sauveterrre loop ride
- Bordeaux to Saint-Emilion bike route
- Sauveterre to Monsegur bike route
- Sauveterre to Saint-Emilion via Castillon
- Canal de Garonne diversion loop
- Cycling the Garonne guidebook
- Circuit Coteaux de Garonne
- Lawrence of Arabia bike route
- Tour de Gironde bike route
- EuroVelo 3 bike route
- Circuit Vignes et Vergers en Duraquois
- Circuit du Duc de Lauzan
- Vignague River bike ride, south-east of Bordeaux
- Rauzan Castle bike ride