Coming to France from overseas? Here are some bike-friendly hotels near airports, ferry ports and Eurostar terminals outside France that should help take the hassle out of travelling with your bike.
Photo: Jirka Matousek
Don't want to bring your bike? See our bike shipping page
We have stacks of suggestions of bike-friendly places to stay inside France, but we're often also asked about hotels en route to France. Which ones will let me store my bike in my room? Will there be space for my bike bag? Is there a shuttle service to the airport?
We've doing the hard work for you and compiling this list of hotels near major airports, UK/Irish ferry ports and the Eurostar terminals that have confirmed to us that they welcome cyclists.
It's a work in progress, so please let us know if you come across any others (you can post a note below or email lyn@freewheelingfrance.com with suggestions).
Worldwide
The Park Inn by Radisson hotels group says it has a blanket worldwide policy to welcome cyclists. They have a best-priced guarantee on their website – find the room cheaper elsewhere and they'll give you a 25% discount.
You can check the full list of Park Inn hotels and book online here.
All Premier Inn hotels guarantee safe bike storage. This is the policy across the entire chain, which has hotels at most major UK airports as well as in city centres. One cyclist who contacted us said she had used the London Euston Premier Inn prior to a Eurostar trip to France and that it was bike-friendly.
All their airport hotels in the UK are listed here. See the Premier Inn website for hotels in other destinations worldwide.
UK and Ireland airports
The Travelodge head office has confirmed that they offer bike storage at hotels near the following UK and Irish airports:
Heathrow Central, Heathrow Terminal 5, Heston M4 Westbound (Heathrow), Heston M4 Eastbound (Heathrow), Gatwick Airport Central, London City Airport, Stansted, Leeds Bradford, Birmingham Airport, Cardiff Airport, Edinburgh Airport Ratho Station, Glasgow Airport, Aberdeen Airport, Newcastle Airport, Nottingham East Midlands, Cork Airport, Dublin Airport North, Dublin Airport South.
The Thistle hotel at Heathrow Terminal 5 has also confirmed that bikes are welcome either boxed/bagged or fully assembled.
We are waiting for confirmation from other airport hotels on their bike-friendliness. We'll also add ferry ports and more Eurostar options in as they come to hand.