Here's a local train map for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France, which includes the Dordogne, Bordeaux's wine region, La Rochelle, Limoges, Perigueux and Biarritz.
Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the region created by combining the old Aquitaine region with the old Poitou-Charentes region. It's a vast area with a wide range of cycling options and terrains. It takes in Bordeaux (the capital of the Gironde department) and runs through to the Dordogne's capital of Perigueux (a major administrative centre), as well as to Limoges, Angouleme and Poitiers, all major centres of the old Poitou-Charentes region.
For cyclists, Nouvelle-Aquitaine is a hive of activity, with the EuroVelo 1 and EuroVelo 3 passing through, as well as La Flow Velo, the Canal de Garonne, Velo Francette, and a link between the outskirts of Libourne and Perigueux. La Rochelle and Ile-de-Re to the north of Bordeaux and Biarritz to the far south highlight the scope of the region.
It is now possible to again reach Bordeaux by TGV fast train with a fully assembled bike from Paris Montparnasse. You can also go Paris-Rennes-Nantes and then cycle down the west coast (or hop down it on local trains). Bordeaux and Toulouse are also linked by train, as are Bordeaux-Saint-Emilion-Bergerac-Sarlat and Bordeaux-Perigueux.
Once in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a regional network of local TER trains is key to combining bike-train travel. All the coloured lines below are either local TER trains (which you can walk bikes on to) or Intercites trains (also accept bikes but they need to be booked in advance).
When searching OUI.sncf website, if you tick the 'travelling with a velo' box, it will only bring up fast train options (TGVs and Intercites). If you are taking a local/short hop, do not tick the velo option as all TER/local trains take bikes – you don't need a 'bike ticket' for these so they don't show up in the bike search (mad, yes, but that's how it is). Intercites trains that accept bikes (e.g. Bordeaux to La Rochelle) will also appear with a bike symbol on a biek search search. Even if TERs don't have the bike symbol, know that you CAN take bikes on all TER services even if the SNCF website does not have a bike symbol. I live in this area and I have done it dozens of times.
See also the TGV section here for workarounds on how to arrive in these areas from out of the region.
You can click here or on the map for a higher quality downloadable PDF.
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PLEASE NOTE
The line between Limoges and Angouleme on the map below is now closed.
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Bike hire, accommodation and tours
You can use our bespoke bike hire service to find bike hire in this region.
You can find accommodation by searching here.
You can search self-guided and guided rides here. Let me know via here if you need help.
