{"id":8196,"date":"2022-08-18T10:46:03","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T08:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/?p=8196"},"modified":"2026-10-05T14:33:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:33:31","slug":"cycling-in-france-lot-et-garonne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/en\/verhalen\/fietsen-in-frankrijk-lot-et-garonne","title":{"rendered":"Lot-et-Garonne by bike: bastides, castles and the most beautiful villages of France"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n

Everything about cycling in France, with routes, the best time to go and where to stay, is on our France destination page<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many cyclists who are in France<\/a> Going on an adventure comes out of the blue in the Dordogne. This river that flows from the East to the West of France and empties into the Gironde near Bordeaux is perhaps the most famous waterway in France after the Seine. Yet confusion often arises when it comes to cycling in the Dordogne. The river actually covers a much larger area than just the department of Dordogne. For myself, I once stayed at a campsite in the town of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, a hamlet in the department of Corr\u00e8ze. From there, the river first flows through the Lot before finally reaching the Dordogne itself. Explorer Neal came to the same conclusion. After a lot of research about the Dordogne (as Ronald Giphart once described it in \u2018Ik ook van jou\u2019), he came home with a lot of positive impressions. Cycling in the Lot-et-Garonne was his part, with a not less interesting report as a result<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text and photos: Neal Beentjes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"France,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"France,<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cycling in Lot-et-Garonne<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While I prepare myself for a wonderful vacation with my girlfriend and son in France, I am going to really sit down and plan it. The Dordogne. A wonderful area. Comodo is working overtime when I am planning it and I enthusiastically say the following: collection <\/a>Soon after I made a few routes that I\u2019m going to cycle eventually, the revelation came. Viller\u00e9al, a royal village that has nothing to do with the football club Villareal, is located just south of the \u2018real\u2019 Dordogne. I\u2019ve done it again. With some reluctance, I changed the name of the collection to the boring \u2018Lot-et-Garonne\u2019. Quite strange actually, because even though it\u2019s not the real Dordogne, that doesn\u2019t make cycling any less beautiful. Viller\u00e9al is worth a visit in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus Beau Village de France<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who is a little familiar with French history and customs knows that the French are very proud (and sometimes chauvinistic) people. There is France; there you have beautiful villages and cities, and for many that\u2019s all that matters in the world. That\u2019s handy, because in that world everyone speaks French and if you don\u2019t understand that, well, what do you actually do in France? Nevertheless, France really has beautiful cities and villages, where you should really have been at least once. The organization \u2018Les plus beaux villages de France\u2019 chooses the most beautiful villages and cities in France every so often. This is therefore the real highlight of France. The village of St. Paul de Vence in the Provence<\/a> This is such a place, but also Viller\u00e9al. The beautiful central square with the characteristic market hall and the special church make this a tourist attraction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Villereal (c) AdobeStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

La Douce France<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the proximity of cities like Bergerac, Villeneuve sur Lot and Bordeaux, the Lot-et-Garonne department is relatively quiet. That doesn\u2019t mean that there are no people. I would advise against cycling on the (major) D roads in France. Most French people are running like crazy and a safe return to the campsite or apartment is by no means guaranteed. Fortunately, you have plenty of alternatives. There are plenty of back roads to avoid the crowds. Take a random country road and you\u2019ll hardly encounter anyone. A typical ride in the Lot-et-Garonne is our VVV tour below, east of the village of Viller\u00e9al. Imagine the endless rolling roads in a transition stage of the Tour de France. The average pro wouldn\u2019t change their mind, but with my beach body the climbs are a bit intense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"France,<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n