Day 1: Bordeaux
Individual arrival in Bordeaux, delivery of bicycles and informational material regarding the tour. Spend some time exploring this wonderful city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Garonne will invite you to stroll along its banks, or discover the city's wonders aboard a boat.
Day 2: Bordeaux – Entre-Deux-Mers (55 or 60 km)
This first cycling itinerary will take you to discover the wine region of Entre-Deux-Mers, pedaling in total relaxation on the Cycleway of the two seas, which connects the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. You will leave Bordeaux following the beautiful banks of the Garonne, then proceed on the Green Way of Entre-deux-mers through the hills surrounding Créon and Sauveterre de Guyenne, wonderful fortified towns. Through small roads surrounded by vineyards, you will finally reach your guesthouse, where you will spend the night.
Day 3: Entre-Deux-Mers – Sauveterre de Guyenne – Bazas (40 or 50 km)
Between Sauveterre-de-Guyenne and La Réole, the bike path crosses gentle hills and picturesque landscapes. La Réole, a medieval town founded in 977 on the banks of the Garonne, is the smallest City of Art and History in France. After passing Fontet, the route joins the Canal de Garonne. Here, the bike path Le Canal des deux Mers à vélo continues under the shade of centuries-old plane trees all the way to Toulouse or even to Sète and the Mediterranean. Taking a detour to Castets-et-Castillon, you can see the beginning of the canal with its locks and take advantage of all the services this small port has to offer. The day ends in Bazas, a famous medieval town with a beautiful cathedral, located along the Way of Saint James.
Day 4: Bazas – Parc Naturel Régional des Landes de Gascogne – Le Barp (70 km)
Today’s stage will take you to pedal on easy cycle paths all the way to discover the Collegiate Church of Uzeste. Before getting back on your bike, stop to admire the south portal with a sculpted tympanum depicting the coronation of the Virgin Mary and take the opportunity to see inside the tomb of Pope Clement V. The route then continues through Villandraut, with its beautiful medieval castle, beyond the river Le Ciron and the Pignada, a pine forest planted by man in the nineteenth century. The route then continues towards Budos and through the valleys carved by the Le Ciron River up to Leogats and Nouaillan. At Balizac, you enter the Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park. Heading towards Louchats, the pine forest becomes denser and you can smell the increasingly intense fragrance of resin. We recommend a stop at the Gât-Mort lagoons, small bodies of water of glacial origin, and admire the enchanting lakes of Hostens. Afterwards, the road will lead you, between pines and heathers, to the small village of Le Barp.
Day 5: Le Barp – Bay of Arcachon – Andersnos/Arcachon (45 km)
As you continue along the route, the pine forest gradually thins out and at Salles. Then follow the bike path that follows the Eyre River until reaching the Basin of Arcachon and the Ornithological Reserve of Teich, located in the Landes de Gascogne Natural Park. Once here, the itinerary changes depending on where you will stay overnight. If you decide to spend the night in Andernos proceed towards the Ports of Biganos, Tiles and Audenge. After passing Graveyron with its splendid views of the Bay, continue on the bike path to Andernos Les Bains, a small and pleasant seaside resort, where you will stop for the night. You can spend the evening in one of the many beach bars, or take a walk on the pier. Instead, if you decide to spend the night in Arcachon continue the stage pedaling along the coast, where you can enjoy the brackish air of the Bay. Cross Gujan Mestras, the capital of Arcachon’s oysters and continue between tamarisks, arbutus trees, willows and wild plums until reaching Arcachon.
Day 6: Andernos/Arcachon – Lacanau (45 km)
Today's final destination is Lacanau. If you spent the night in Andernos, you will pedal among the singing cicadas and the scent of pines, towards the magnificent natural site of Saint Brice, where the forest merges with the natural shores of the Arcachon Basin, on which arises the oyster port of Ares. If instead, you spent the night in Arcachon, you will need to cross the Bay by boat to reach Cap Ferret, from where you will resume your bike ride to the other shore until the village of L’Herbe. In both cases, the sublime bike path between the ocean and the forest lining the sandy beaches of the bay, will lead you to the renowned places of Le Porge and Lacanau Ocean.
Day 7: Lacanau – Montalivet (40 km)
Once on your bike, the journey continues north, on the route of the Vélodyssée between pines, lakes and ocean. After passing Lacanau Lake, you will follow a quiet shaded path winding between the dunes of the Carcans Maubuisson seaside area and Hourtin Lake. Continue along the lakeshore and on the Lighthouse Road until reaching Hourtin Plage. The day ends in Montalivet.
Day 8: Montalivet – Royan (40 km)
Sandy beaches as far as the eye can see on this day to be spent on the Ocean: Le Porge, Lacanau, Carcans, Hourtin, Vendays-Montalivet, and Soulac-sur-Mer are just some of the seaside resorts found on the route. You can then cross the Gironde Estuary, the largest in Western Europe, by boarding from Verdun. The day ends in Royan, with its marina and the Notre Dame cathedral, a masterpiece of modern architecture.
Day 9: Royan – Mortagne (35 km)
You will leave Royan through the Boulevard Garnier, pedalling among its beautiful 19th-century villas. Then stop at the Parc de l'Estuaire, where you can enjoy the unique atmosphere of this wonderful wooden area overlooking the estuary. Inside the park, you will also find interactive exhibitions that will allow you to learn all about this area. You will then cross Saint-Seurind'Uzet, the ancient capital of caviar, with the port located in the center of the village. Then you will visit the winemaker of Mortagne to learn all about Pineau, Cognac and Charentais wine. The day ends in Mortagne-sur-Gironde where you will stay in a charming guest house overlooking the port.
Day 10: Mortagne – Blaye (60 km)
The itinerary continues along the estuary on the beautiful cycle path that between marshes and dikes will take you to Vitrezay, the gateway to the Gironde. After a visit to the bird sanctuary Terres d’Oiseaux, the beautiful cycle path of the Voie Verte will lead you to the Citadelle of Blaye, built by Vauban and a Unesco site, like Fort Pâté and Fort Médoc. Overnight in a guest house in Blaye.
Day 11: Blaye – Bordeaux (50 km)
After crossing the Gironde Estuary again, the route will lead you right into the heart of the Médoc vineyards where you will find numerous villages and châteaus where the famous wines of Médoc are produced, including Fort Médoc. Don't miss the opportunity to taste the wines before returning to the city. Return to Bordeaux pedaling along the banks of the Garonne.
Day 12: Bordeaux
After breakfast, end of services and individual departure.
Bordeaux
