Cycle routes in France: which way and when
France: 54 routes with wind, rain and heat by month. The best month is most often September (36/54); data: ERA5 2006–2025.
Routes
| Route | Length | Best months | Best way |
|---|---|---|---|
| EuroVelo 3 – Pilgrims Route (France) | 1,742 km | September–October (peak October) | either |
| EuroVelo 1 - Atlantic Coast Route - part France | 1,280 km | July–October (peak September) | either |
| EuroVelo 6 - Atlantic-Black Sea - part France | 1,209 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| EuroVelo 19 - The Meuse Bicycle Route | 1,088 km | September | either |
| ViaRhôna | 765 km | September–October (peak October) | either |
| La Voie Bleue | 702 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Route des Grandes Alpes à vélo - Tracé principal | 697 km | August–September (peak August) | either |
| Le canal des 2 mers à vélo | 678 km | October | either |
| La Vélidéale | 674 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Tour de Bourgogne à Vélo | 668 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| La Vélo Francette, Itinéraire principal | 615 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| La Vélosud | 609 km | October | either |
| Loire à Vélo | 589 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| La Vagabonde | 511 km | September–October (peak October) | Montech → Montluçon |
| La Véloscénie | 510 km | September | either |
| P'tites Routes du Soleil | 472 km | September | either |
| Voie Verte des Vallées | 443 km | April, September–October (peak October) | either |
| La Vallée du Lot à vélo | 411 km | October | either |
| Véloroute du Nord | 394 km | September | either |
| La Flow Vélo | 389 km | April, September–October (peak October) | either |
| GTJ à vélo | 372 km | September | either |
| Saint-Jacques à Vélo par la vallée d'Eure 2/4 | 351 km | September | either |
| La Vallée du Loir à vélo | 305 km | September | either |
| La Cyclo Bohème | 305 km | April, September–October (peak September) | either |
| Véloroute de la Marne à la Saône | 280 km | September | either |
| Véloroute Montauban Quissac | 258 km | September–October (peak October) | either |
| Coeur de France à vélo | 240 km | April, September–October (peak October) | either |
| La Belle Via (Villard-Bonnot – Chateauneuf-sur-Isère (ViaRhôna))) | 239 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Avenue Verte London ↔ Paris, part France | 236 km | September | either |
| Véloroute de la Rance et de la Vilaine | 233 km | August–October (peak September) | either |
| Vélobuissonnière | 232 km | September | either |
| Véloroute Les Sables d’Olonne - Bressuire | 222 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Eurovelo 1 - Atlantic Coast Route - part English Channel | 187 km | July–August (peak August) | Plymouth → Roscoff |
| La Grande Traversée du Volcan à Vélo - GT2V | 183 km | September | either |
| Petit tour de Bourgogne | 170 km | September–October (peak October) | either |
| Véloroute La Seine à Vélo (Tronçon Seine Maritime) | 165 km | September | Le Havre → Elbeuf |
| Véloroute de la Baïse | 162 km | October | either |
| Véloroute Pommiers - Limoges | 161 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Via Fluvia | 156 km | September | either |
| Avenue Verte London ↔ Paris | 153 km | September | either |
| La Littorale : Pointe du Raz - Concarneau | 153 km | July–September (peak August) | Plogoff → Concarneau |
| Véloroute La Seine à vélo (Tronçon Ile de France - Nord) | 142 km | September | Giverny → Paris |
| La Littorale : Roscoff - Saint-Pabu | 139 km | May, August–September (peak August) | Saint-Pabu → Roscoff |
| Véloroute du Bourbonnais | 137 km | September–October (peak October) | either |
| Véloroute Limoges - Le Change | 135 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Véloire | 134 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Véloroute Toulouse - Fos | 133 km | October | either |
| Véloroute Loing - Loire - Berry | 128 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| La Belle Via (Doussard – La Buissière) | 124 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Voie Verte Trans-Ardennes | 119 km | September | either |
| Véloroute La Seine à Vélo (branche alternative vers Honfleur) | 118 km | September | Deauville → Jumièges |
| Du Léman au Mont Blanc | 112 km | September | Geneva → Chamonix-Mont-Blanc |
| EV8 France 11, Meyrargues - Draguignan | 111 km | September–October (peak September) | either |
| Véloroute du canal des Ardennes | 102 km | September | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
Other routes through France
| Route | Length | Best months | Best way |
|---|---|---|---|
| EuroVelo 5 - Via Romea Francigena | 3,258 km | September–October (peak October) | either |
| EuroVelo 15 – Rhine Cycle Route | 1,346 km | September | either |
| Paneuropa Route | 1,214 km | September | either |
| PirineXus | 332 km | October | either |
| Avenue Verte London ↔ Paris | 273 km | June–July, September (peak September) | either |
| Centre-Ardennes EV19-EV5 | 124 km | September | either |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.