Reader Q&A: Advice for planning a cycling trip from Geneva to Provence

Published by Lyn on 1 July 2014

Earlier this year, I received an email from a lady in the States whose 16-year-old son and his mate were planning a cycling trip to France. One of the boys, Max, then got in touch. Here's our correspondence so far.

Beautiful Lake Geneva. Photo: Werner Kratz

Hi Lyn,

I will be travelling to France this August with a friend to bike. We are both 16 years old. I understand that my friend's mum was in contact with you earlier on in the planning process. Since then, I have pieced together a plan for the bike trip, but there are still some questions I have. Maybe you will be able to advise me.

We fly into Frankfurt airport as it was cheaper than Paris, and the same distance from our starting point. We arrive on August 6 and fly out from Paris on August 26. From Frankfurt, we plan to train to Besançon.

I own Lonely Planet's Cycling France guide and from that book we will follow a route titled 'Jura' from Besançon to a town near Geneva. The route written in the book seems to loop under Geneva, never crossing the border into Switzerland. I'm not sure if you are familiar with the routes from that book, but if you are, is there an amendment we could make to the route so we would end in Geneva as opposed to the town south of Geneva? If so, where would you propose we cut east? Is it worth it to bike down around Lake Geneva?

The second leg of our trip has yet to be finalised, however I've had multiple recommendations to bike through Provence. I understand it will be hot and crowded in August. Is it too unbearable to go at that time of year? Should we plan on somewhere else?

If we do decide on going into Provence, we must also decide whether we want to bike from Geneva to Provence or train down into Provence and then bike throughout. From Geneva to Provence, we have about 10 days allotted. Mileage-wise, Geneva to Avignon is perfect, about 300 miles, giving us time to bike the distance and spend some days relaxing. Is the trip from Geneva to Avignon good (pretty, interesting)? Is there another destination in Provence that you would recommend over Avignon in Provence? 

I know I just bombarded you with questions, so I'd be appreciative if you were able to answer just a few. There's a lot that goes into these trips and although I'm having a good time planning, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and could use some advice!

Thanks so much,
Max.

I wrote back:

Hi Max

OK, here is some general feedback that I hope helps.

Consensus seems to be that you can't go wrong with either option.

1) Lake Geneva is stunning and every major cycling tour company operating in that area has it on its itineraries for good reason. If you have the time and you are in the area you should try and spend at least a day seeing it by bike. See this thread for advice.

 

2) I haven't got the LP guide to hand, but here is an alternative route to Geneva.

If you want to adapt the LP route, then Geneva is very bike-friendly and I can't imagine it would be difficult to devise an alternative route into the city with the help of a local IGN or Michelin map.

See this link for local tourist board contacts if you need local advice.

 

3) Geneva to Avignon is a lovely ride - I am asusming you may be following the ViaRhôna route (see map, right)? It's one of several long-distance routes across France.

Whether you do this or train down to Provence is really a matter of personal preference – I don't think you'd go wrong either way as far as scenery and local attractions are concerned. It really comes down to whether you want to be on the move every day or if you'd prefer to catch a train down and then find one or two bases from which to cycle every day.

4) For Provence, see here for an overview.
http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/where-to-go/cycling-in-provence.html

See also these excellent local tourist sites: www.provence-cycling.co.uk, www.theluberon.com/activities/biking-provence and
http://eng.veloloisirluberon.com

5) If you are already carrying the LP cycling guide, you could do worse than to follow their Provence pages.

6) You could cycle to Avignon, spend a few days using that as a base (see email below for local feedback), and then move down into the Camargue, down Aix-en-Provence way or towards Ventoux for a second base. It really is a matter of preference re what sort of terrain you want to ride and how far you want to go each day (or indeed if you *do* want a base or if you'd prefer to keep moving).

 

7) Re Avignon:
Audrey Jakobsen, who has bike-friendly rental properties in Avignon (from memory her husband is a bike mechanic - see http://villaprovence.org) wrote this to me:

Hi Lyn,

All road cyclists staying close to Avignon would be best advised to head into the Luberon area of Provence as there are so many fabulous authentic French towns to cycle through and exquisite picturesque countryside.
There is the area around St Remy de Provence and Les Alpilles which is also very popular and very accessible from around Avignon.
Mont Ventoux is the big attraction of course and is accessible through the villages of l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgues, Pernes, Mazan, Mormoiron and finally Bedoin. But it's quite a ride before you even start your ascent!

Hundreds of really cool places to cycle. The choices are endless, so despite it being more crowded with tourists, there is always somewhere new and different to explore. My best advice is to get up and go early, to avoid traffic and more importantly in August, the heat! 

We have a week left available at The Apple Orchard from August 16th to August 23rd if they are interested.

Hope this is helpful.

Kind regards,

Audrey.

I hope that helps and doesn't complicate things to much! Feel free to drop me a line back if you need any more help or advice.

If you haven't already I'd strongly recommend local IGN maps to help with route planning.

Max wrote back:

Lyn,