5 of France's best cycling routes that start in Paris
Jun 24, 2025 • 7 min read
Cycling along the Seine near Notre Dame, Paris. Benjamin Volot/Getty Images
Anyone who winces when you say you’re planning a cycling trip in Paris doesn't know about the incredible efforts the French capital has made to transform itself into a cyclable city.
The stats are impressive: there are over 1000km (620 miles) of bike paths and lanes in the city, and 60,000 metal hoop bike stands, most of which are situated in front of public buildings. There are numerous affordable bike-sharing and bike-hire schemes, as well as kit shops, repair centers and bike cafes.
But what is it like to cycle there? Surprisingly easy, actually. Parisian boulevards are wide and allow room for ample cycle lanes. The atmosphere on the roads is busy but friendly; the French have a positive attitude to cycling and are forgiving when it comes to sharing roads and squares between multiple modes of transport.
Cycling in Paris allows you to cover a lot of ground under your own steam, and gives you a sense of the city as a whole, rather than dipping down to metro stations and popping up again on the other side of town. There’s an undeniable thrill to cycling past world-famous sights too.
All the routes in this article start from the front of Notre Dame cathedral; not only is it a good central landmark, it’s also point zero of all of France's roads and a symbolic place for anyone embarking on a cycling journey. The first route is a tour of central Paris and the following four leave the city on well-established bike routes.
1. Central Paris
Best for seeing the classic sights of the capital
Notre Dame – Notre Dame; 13km (8 miles)
If you’re in Paris for a day or two and fancy exploring by bike, the cheapest way is to hire one from Vélib’ Métropole, the self-service bike-hire company that operates over 20,000 bikes in the Paris region and is the world’s largest bike-sharing system. Buy a 24-hour pass for just €5 (US$5.75) – or spend €10 (US$11.50) for an e-bike – and explore as much of the city as you like.
This riverside there-n-back route takes in at least 10 iconic locations including Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Jardin des Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. There is a bike docking point every 300m (984ft) in Paris, so parking up to visit the sights is easy.
Start on Ile de la Cité at Notre Dame and follow the Seine until Pont Alexandre III where you go north to the Champs-Elysées before dropping back down to the river at Pont de l’Alma. At this point, you can retrace your steps faithfully or just cycle back down the Seine, without detours, to Notre Dame.
Local tip: Put yourself in the starring role of your own French film by hiring a renovated Solex, a French cultural icon from the '50s, '60s and '70s. The clever team at Le French Way has renovated a fleet of these cute ex-motorized bicycles with electric oomph so now you can bounce over cobblestones, pick your way through the crowds at Place de La Bastille, power up the hill to Montmartre and cut through the leafy backstreets of Le Marais in vintage – but sustainable! – style.
2. La Scandibérique
Best for visiting the châteaux of the Loire
Notre Dame – Amboise; approx 400km (250 miles)
The full La Scandibérique is 1700km (1056 miles) from Trondheim in Norway to Cape Finisterre in Spain. This section, heading south out of Paris, offers a diverse mix of views, from the improbable Huatian Chinagora hotel, built in the style of Beijing’s Forbidden City, to the repurposed industrial buildings as you leave the capital’s outskirts, and from the affolantes, a name given to 19th-century suburban Seine-side mansions to the elegant châteaux of Fontainebleau, Gien, Sully-Sur-Loire. As you pedal further into the Loire Valley, you’ll be able to visit UNESCO big hitters like Château Royal d’Amboise and Blois.
The route is a mix of smooth towpaths, slightly rougher paths and quiet country lanes. Orléans is the only city on the route, designated a Ville d’Art et d’Histoire, most notably for its debt to Jeanne d’Arc who helped to end the siege of the city in the 1400s.
Detour: If you want a shorter ride, the pays de Fontainebleau is a great location, just 80km (50 miles) from Notre Dame on this route. The world-famous château has been home to many a French sovereign and is a quieter and smaller alternative to Versailles; the dense forest offers shaded hiking and biking trails, as well as being a global destination for bouldering; and there is plenty of culture in the form of artists’ workshops and museums. Barbizon, a village on the edge of the forest, was a magnet to 19th-century artists who wanted to immortalize unspoilt nature in paint, and is now an open-air museum that pays homage to the largely forgotten painters.
3. La Seine à Vélo
Best for following in the footsteps of artists
Notre Dame – Le Havre or Deauville; 500km (311 miles)
This cycle route follows the Seine from the very heart of Paris to the wide-open Normandy coastline, following varied landscapes with valleys and forests, cliffs and green fields, before it widens as it reaches the climactic golden sands of Deauville.
Scenery aside, the route has lots to offer art lovers; in fact, you may find your muse on the banks of the Seine. Early in the journey, it passes through the Ile des Impressionistes at Chatou, where Renoir painted Le Déjeuner des Canotiers (Luncheon of the Boating Party) and artists like Maupassant and Caillebotte drank and danced. After cycling through the Saint-Germain and Marly-le-Roi forests, you’ll find La Frette-sur-Seine where riverside displays show copies of Seine-inspired artworks. And then there’s Giverny, with Claude Monet’s house and the Musée des Impressionnismes, arty towns like Rouen and Le Havre, and the ultimate impressionist’s muse, the soft-hued fishing port of Honfleur.
Detour: How far would you cycle to see some truly noteworthy modernist architecture? Cross the bridge over the Seine at Poissy and leave the cycle path briefly to see architect Le Corbusier’s peerless Villa Savoye, a sleek white holiday home built in the 1930s and this year in the running to be named "Monument préféré des Français" (the favorite monument of the French).
4. Avenue Verte
Best cycle route for a taste of true France
Notre Dame – Beauvais; approx 180km (112 miles)
This route is part of the well-ridden Avenue Verte cycleway, linking London and Paris. Picardy, one of the first regions you come to as you leave the capital, is lesser known and offers a slice of la vraie (true) France for cyclists.
From touristic crowdpleasers like Forum des Halles and the Centre Pompidou, you join the Canal St-Martin, an area which used to be gritty but now rivals neighboring Le Marais as the place to be. The route rejoins the Seine and follows islands and parks to Maisons-Laffitte where you need to keep an eye on the signs.
The route splits into two here – follow the Oise river rather than the Epte valley (which would take you into Normandy). After that, expect verdant views left and right, forest paths and highlights such as Royaumont Abbey, the chateau at Chantilly, medieval Senlis and Moncel Abbey, as well as your end point, the huge gothic cathedral in Beauvais.
5. La Véloscénie
Best for UNESCO World Heritage Site
Notre Dame – Mont St-Michel; 450km (280 miles)
Follow the La Véloscénie to Mont St-Michel from Paris. Pedal from Notre Dame across the city center. Once you hit Tour Montparnasse, you might be surprised to find Promenade des Vallons de la Bièvre, a 12km (7-mile) green and shady cycle path where hoots and toots from motorized traffic become a distant memory.
The route to Versailles, Louis XIV’s dazzling palace, is pleasingly flat and green and as you click through the kilometers further west, you’ll come across regional parks like Perche and Normandie-Maine as well as the impressive Chartres cathedral. You’ll get your first sniff of sea air in between St-Hilaire-du-Harcouët and Ducey, the latter a former port where boats would settle, pushed along by the tide. The final few kilometers will be ample reward for your legwork, with unforgettable views of Mont St-Michel, its huge bay and salty grass meadows.
Planning tip: There is a train service direct from Paris Montparnasse to Mont St-Michel at weekends, providing one-way return for you and your bike to your start point.
Tips for cycling in Paris and beyond
France drives on the right. Cyclists, like drivers, are required to respect traffic signs, most notably stopping at red traffic lights and being aware of drivers’ blind spots. Cyclists must give priority to pedestrians and riding on sidewalks is prohibited. It is obligatory for children under 12 to wear a helmet and strongly recommended for adults. If you bring your own bike, you must ensure it adheres to certain rules. Cycling while on the phone, or wearing headphones, is forbidden and risks punishment by fine.
France is a keen cycling nation. Other sources of information include:
Guided bike tours in Paris
Plan with a local
