The different ways to reach La Vélo Francette.
To reach La Vélo Francette’s starting point (be it at the beginning or the end of your cycling trip), to organize a weekend trip, or simply to shorten a stage or two along the route, read on to learn about the different ways of reaching La Vélo Francette and travelling along it using public transport.
Arriving by train
Using the train to reach different stages along the route
The fair number of train stations close to the cycle route makes accessing La Vélo Francette at different points relatively easy, including to reach a stage, to shorten a stage, to jump from one stage to another, or to return to the starting point.
The main train stations along the cycle route are those at:
Caen, Flers, Laval (TGV), Angers (TGV), Saumur (TGV), Montreuil Bellay, Thouars, Niort (TGV), La Rochelle (TGV)
(TGV indicates stations served by France’s high-speed trains, trains à grande vitesse.)
The interactive maps of La Vélo Francette’s various stages enable you to locate the train stations along the route with ease.
Arriving by ferry
Channel crossings between Portsmouth and Ouistreham are run by Brittany Ferries, operating both day and night.
Day-time crossings generally take 5 hours 45 minutes, night-time crossings 7 hours. There are at least 3 sailings a day in each direction.
Bicycles are allowed on board; you need to indicate the number of bikes you’re travelling with when reserving with Brittany Ferries.
Ouistreham ferry port is located 15km north of the city of Caen and Caen train station. Ouistreham and Caen are linked by a continuous cycle track running beside the canalized Orne River going from the sea to central Caen.
The ferries are comfortable and equipped with stabilizers. There are cafés, restaurants and shops on board, as well as cabins with bunkbeds. Cyclists crossing simply with their bikes should use the boarding and parking facilities also provided for motorcyclists. Do take care when getting on and off the ferries as the metallic access ramps can be slippery.
Venir en voiture
Vous souhaitez rejoindre un point de départ sur la Vélo Francette en voiture ou en camping-car ?
• Où laisser mon véhicule au départ de la Vélo Francette ?
La plupart des villes et villages de l'itinéraire disposent de parking, mails il peut être parfois ardu de trouver des places gratuites.
Astuce : appelez l'office de tourisme de votre point de départ ou bien le premier hébergement où vous logerez. Ce dernier propose peut-être un service (gratuit ou payant) de parking, tous sauront vous conseiller. Pour trouver leurs coordonnées, cochez la case « Office de tourisme » sur la page "Itinéraire".
• Comment récupérer ma voiture au retour ?
Pour revenir au point de départ de votre voyage, pensez à utiliser les transports collectifs ! L’itinéraire compte 7 gares principales le long du parcours, et de nombreuses solutions de bus ou de train sont possible. Consultez la carte d'intermodalité pour identifier la solution de retour la plus adaptée à votre projet de voyage.