France has chosen its best cycling regions. On October 1, 2026, the 30 winners were announced in Nancy. Destinations France by Bike, a new recognition from the French Ministry of Tourism, the Réseau Vélo et Marche and France Vélo. There were 88 registrations. The jury looked at quality and variety: from family rides and long distances to mountain biking and gravel. The winners will receive national and European promotion. For us, a nice list to plan your next cycling trip with. Below are all 30, by region, with where you can read more about them with us.
Northern France
- Pays de Saint-Omer: the marshland around Saint-Omer, with flat routes along canals and waterways.
- Cœur de Flandre: French Flanders, with hills like Mont Cassel and Mont des Cats. There are chestnuts and courses just around the corner.
- Bay of Somme: The large bay at the Canal, end point of the cycling route along the Somme at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme.
- ParisStarting point of the Véloscénie to Mont-Saint-Michel, the Avenue Verte to London and the route along the Seine.
Western France and the Loire
- Auray – Carnac – Quiberon: the south coast of Brittany, with the menhirs of Carnac and the peninsula of Quiberon.
- Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Brevinat the mouth of the Loire, where La Loire à Vélo ends at the sea.
- Nantes: with the route Le voyage à Nantes à vélo, along art works to the coast.
- Angers: on the Loire à Vélo and the route through the valley of the Loire.
- Loches Sud Touraine: the south of the Touraine, a quiet rolling countryside with castles.
- Blois – Chambord: the heart of the Loire castles, on the Loire à Vélo.
Central and Eastern France
- Morvan: the wooded central plateau of Burgundy, with the Voie Verte Autunoise from Autun.
- Lacs and Mountains of the Haut-Doubslakes and mountain pastures in the Jura, along the Grande Traversée du Jura.
- Sundgau: the plateau in the south of Alsace, opposite the Swiss border.
- Épinal: at the foot of the Vosges and to La Voie Bleue along the Moselle and the Saône.
- Strasbourg: intersection of the EuroVelo 15 along the Rhine, the EuroVelo 5 and the canal of the Marne to the Rhine.
Alps and Pyrenees
- Morzine – Les Getsin the French Alps, With the Col de Joux Plane and large mountain bike parks.
- Maurienne Galibier: the valley of the great cols: Galibier, Télégraphe, Croix de Fer and Madeleine.
- Tourmalet – Pic du Midi: the mythical Tourmalet in the Pyrenees.
South of France
- Ardèche HermitageAround Tournon and Tain-l’Hermitage on the Rhone, with the ViaRhôna and the Dolce Via.
- Hautes Terres – Cantal Volcano: the volcanic landscape of the Cantal, with the Grande Traversée du Volcan.
- Grand’RLa Roche-sur-Yon and its surroundings in the Vendée.
- Ventoux: The Giant of Provence and the surrounding area. See Mont Ventoux.
- Provence Alpes Digne-les-Bains and Luberon: the mountains and lavender fields of the Provence.
- Millau – Grands Causses: limestone plateaus and deep gorges around Millau and its viaduct.
- Haut-Languedoc Wine Region: vineyards and hills in the hinterland of Béziers.
- Perpignan and Cap Sud 66: the Pyrénées-Orientales, between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains.
- Toulouseat the Canal des 2 Mers.
- Grand Cognac: on the Charente, along La Flow Vélo.
Long-distance routes
Many of these regions are located along one of the major French cycling routes. View our overview of long-distance cycling routes in France.
Sources: France Vélo – an economic sector and France Vélo Tourisme (announcement October 1, 2026).
Questions & tips
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