Vélocéan is a short Atlantic Coast bike route that passes through seaside communities from Pénestin to Saint-Nazaire.
Distance: 148km
Difficulty: Easy
The Vélocéan is a 'local' Atlantic Coast bike route that can be ridden over 2-3 days (or longer!) This is an easy bike route for all abilities – beginners, experts, old and young.
It starts in Pénestin in the Morbihan department of Brittany and winds down around the coast to Saint-Nazaire in the Loire-Atlantique department of the Pays de la Loire region. Here, you can connect to the EuroVelo 6 Loire Valley route and head east towards Nantes and the famous chateaux of Angers, Saumur, Blois, Amboise and Tours, or continue up for down the Atlantic coast on the EuroVelo 1 La Velodyssee route, which links the north of France to Spain.
There is an add-on or spur to the main route. From La Baule at the southern end, you can take a scenic detour out and back to the peninsula at Le Croisic.
Type of bike paths: Just over 50km of the route is on dedicated bike paths (often forest trails or segregated cycleways), while the remaining sections (just over 120km) are on shared but relatively quiet local roads.
Getting there and away: East of Pénestin, there are local TER train stations at Sévérac, Drefféac and Pontchâteau. There is a station also at Saint-Nazaire. See here for trains in Brittany at the northern end of the route. See here for trains in for Saint-Nazaire at the southern end of the route.
Crossing the Saint-Nazaire to St-Brévin-les-Pins bridge: There is a large road bridge at the southern end of the route, linking Saint-Nazaire to St-Brévin-les-Pins. See this page for information on how to cross it safely.
Download the main Pénestin to Saint-Nazaire route as a GPX file.
Download the La Baule to Le Croisic spur as a GPX file.
The American Monument, also known as the "Sammy" or the "Soldier of Liberty", commemorates the arrival of American troops in Saint-Nazaire in 1917. Photo by Gilles Guillamot (CC BY-SA 3.0)
