The division of France into regions and departments can be confusing for the visitors, but an understanding of how the country’s administrative geography works can really add to the enjoyment of a French cycling holiday. By Lynette Eyb
Regional identity is still an important aspect of French cultural life, with this local pride demonstrated in everything from gastronomy and the arts to music and sport.
For administrative purposes, France is divided into 26 regions: 21 on the mainland plus the overseas regions of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion; Corsica is officially designated a territorial collectivity (collectivité territoriale), but is generally considered for day-to-day purposes to be France's 26th region.
Each region is then broken down into several departments (départements), with 100 in total across the country. The departments are then subdivided into 342 arrondissements (loosely translated as ‘districts’), which are in turn divided into cantons and communes.
However when planning your trip to France, it’s largely the regions and departments you’ll encounter. Tourist maps and bike route information tends to be promoted regionally or by department (and sometimes by both or by a collective of neighbouring departments that aren't even in the same region). Often you’ll see advertisements for ‘cycling in Provence’ or ‘cycling holidays in the Loire Valley’ and it’s not uncommon for visitors on cycling holiday in France to confine their trip to just one region or department.
Corsica is officially a territorial collectivity (collectivité territoriale), but is for day-to-day purposes considered to be France's 26th region. Photo: valmente
Here's a breakdown of each mainland region, plus Corsica, followed by its departments.
Alsace: Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin
Aquitaine: Dordogne, Lot et Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes, Gironde
Auvergne: Allier, Cantal, Haute-Loire, Puy-de-Dôme
Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy): Calvados, Manche, Orne
Bretagne (Brittany): Côtes-d'Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan
Bourgogne (Burgundy): Côte-d'Or, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Yonne
Centre: Cher, Eure-et-Loir, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret
Champagne-Ardenne: Ardennes, Aube, Marne, Haute-Marne
Corsica: Haute-Corse, Corse-du-Sud
Franche-Comté: Doubs, Jura, Haute-Saône, Territoire de Belfort
Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy): Seine-Maritime, Eure
Île-de-France: Paris, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Seine-et-Marne, Val-de-Marne, Val-d'Oise, Yvelines
Languedoc-Roussillon: Aude, Gard, Hérault, Lozère, Pyrénées-Orientales
Limousin: Corrèze, Creuse, Haute-Vienne
Lorraine: Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Vosges
Midi-Pyrénées: Ariège, Aveyron, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Lot, Hautes-Pyrénées, Tarn,Tarn-et-Garonne
Nord-Pas-de-Calais: Nord, Pas-de-Calais
Pays de la Loire: Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Vendée
Picardie (Picardy): Aisne, Oise, Somme
Poitou-Charentes: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres, Vienne
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Vaucluse
Rhône-Alpes: Ain, Ardèche, Drôme, Isère, Loire, Rhône, Savoie, Haute-Savoie