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Overview of the La Vélodyssée route

The Vélodyssée, 1300 km of adventure from Roscoff to Hendaye

picto velodyssee

From the flower-lined locks of the Nantes-Brest Canal to the cliffs of the Basque coast, passing through the Breton Vendée marshes, the Landes forest, and the Atlantic islands, La Vélodyssée unfolds its route as close as possible to the ocean for remarkable views between land and sea.

Whether you're traveling as a couple, with family, or with friends, La Vélodyssée guarantees an accessible adventure and an instant feeling of disconnection!

ℹ️ En 2024, La Vélodyssée a obtenu la Certification EuroVelo sur l’ensemble de son parcours ! C'est le tout premier itinéraire vélo en France à avoir décroché cette reconnaissance qui garantit la qualité de ses infrastructures et services.

La Vélodyssée in figures:

📅 2012: Official opening of the route

🚲 1,300 km of cycle route, developed in both directions

🗺️ 3 regions and 9 departments crossed

💯 100% of the route marked and secured

⛑️ 76% of the route on greenways or cycle paths

🔗 9 connected cycle routes and the French section of the Atlantic Coast Route (EuroVelo 1)

🔁 7 loops of 20 to 80 km connected to La Vélodyssée

10 ans

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The must-see sites of the Vélodyssée route:

Bloscon Point and its view of the Bay of Morlaix
The Nantes-Brest Canal
The Breton Marsh and the Poitevin Marsh
Aiguillon Point, between sea and marsh
La Coubre Lighthouse and its 300 steps
Cordouan Lighthouse, King of Lighthouses
Arcachon Bay and the Dune of Pilat
The Landes Forest and its many lakes
The Sainte-Madeleine Chapel in Bidart and its belvedere overlooking the ocean
The Basque Coast and its panoramic view of the ocean and the Pyrenees

Discover all the must-see sites of La Vélodyssée

Cycling on La Vélodyssée is a guarantee of:

Add to a roadbook

♻️ Experience a different and more sustainable holiday

No more hurrying from place to place. Really take the time to explore a location using ‘slow’ (non-polluting) modes of transport with destinations close to you.

Whether you’re travelling with family, as a couple, or with friends, discover France’s west coast at your own pace, with all of its treasures along a safe route marked from north to south and south to north. Route guidebooks, GPS tracks, and our website will make it easy for you to plan your holidays and will guide you along the way.

💬 Place meeting and exchange at the center of your trip

Share a moment with family or friends, the ideal opportunity to talk and connect with each other as you roll along France’s west coast.
Meet men and women who are the heart and soul of the regions traversed by La Vélodyssée: visit an oyster farmer in Charente-Maritime, a winemaker in Landes, a chocolatier in Basque Country, a lock keeper in Brittany, and more. Try out a session of surfing, land sailing, canoeing, boating, or another fun activity with a local professional. Go bird watching, guided by a specialist from the Vendée.
All along the cycling route, meet fellow travellers on La Vélodyssée: families, couples, groups, or single riders, young people and less-young people, riders going ‘down’ towards the south and those going ‘up’ towards the north. You’ll meet people going on day trips or just a weekend and others going long-distance, not even stopping at the end of La Vélodyssée and instead continuing along the rest of the EuroVelo 1 cycling route.

🤩 Enjoy remarkable views

From Brittany, the land of legends, to the Loire Estuary, from marshes in the Vendée to beaches in Aquitaine, from north to south on this French cycling route, you’re guaranteed to find a huge variety of magical, natural landscapes: canals, moorlands, marshes, dunes, beaches, pine forests, wooded countryside, pools, and more.

So many choices! You’ll fall head over heels for quintessential French cities like Nantes, La Rochelle, Rochefort, Royan, Bayonne, Biarritz, and more.

You will be stunned by emblematic tourist sites like the Nantes-Brest Canal, the Poitevin Marsh, Fort Boyard, Arcachon Bay, Dune du Pilat, and the Landes forest. And let’s not forget about those stops along the way to taste local farm products you don’t want to miss.