Battle Fields, Green Ways and an Island

Transfer by bus from Paris to Courseulles-sur-Mer

Your trip starts at a pick-up location near Paris.  From there, we will drive to our first hotel on the D-Day coast. It will be close to the Paris CDG. Distance about 300 km, with a stop in between, it will take us around 5 to 6 hours to get there. In case you rather travel to Courseulles indipendent, you can take a train to Caen, and a bus to Courseulles, there is a busstop pretty close to the hotel we will stay at.

In Courseulles-sur-Mer, we have booked a hotel overlooking the sea, called the Channel here, because it is relatively close to the South Coast of England. A lovely welcome dinner will set the bar for French Cuisine pretty high. Loads of seafood, of course, but not only.

Our first ride: to Omaha Beach

After the bike fitting, we will cycle along the coast, have coffee in Arromanches-les-Bains, another lovely village, with reminders of D-Day. Our goal for today is Omaha Beach, where we will arrive in the early afternoon. We want to visit the American Cemetery, its Visitor Centre, and the Museum. There is a daily Flag ceremony you might like to visit. It is quite impressive, so is the whole Cemetery, which is visited daily by thousands of people.

Our bus will take us (and our bikes) back to the hotel. We’ll have dinner at the hotel again.

From Courseulles to Caen

On our way today, we will visit Juno Beach, where the Canadian Army landed.

There is a lot more to see in Quistreham, where we will take a longer break. A visit to the Grand Bunker Museum can be made. This Museum is dedicated to the Wall of the Atlantic, build by the Nazi’s in WWII. Now a collection of military equipment and memorabilia from that dark time.

There is also a fishmarket, in the morning until 1 pm. Or would you rather go and have lunch somewhere? There is a “Plage” which means a public beach to relax on. Or even a swim…

After this stop, we cycle along the sea, to the Orne river, that floats into the Sea here, into the capital city of the Calvados region, Caen. Here, dinner is on your own, so you can explore this city a bit already.

Highlights of this city is the Chateau de Caen, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, build by William the Conqueror. And the Abbaye aux Hommes, with a beautiful church and cloisters. In case you want to know it all about the battle of Normandy, a visit to the Memorial de Caen would be a great place to visit.

Voie Verte

The next morning we will first have some time to see more of the city, pay a visit to the highlights.

At around 12 we start to cycle from the hotel, along separated bikepaths into the green countryside, on a Voie Verte. Specially arranged for recreational purposes, with picknick spots on the way, we cycle into a valley, following the Orne river, ending at the lovely small hamlet of Clecy. This is a great place for a visit to a calvados and cider-producing farm!

Tonight or tomorrow morning, we will drive by bus to another part of Normandy.

Cycling along the coast and the Baie du Mont-Saint-Michelle

Our startpoint for today’s ride will be close to Jullouville.

A great bikepath, signposted, takes us to viewing points over the sea, finally getting a good look at le Mont Saint Michel. With nice stops and changes of scenery this tour takes us to a wonderful historic mansion, with just enough rooms for our group. It has a lovely outside terrace and we’ll have a great dinner.

Visit of Mont-Saint-Michel, busride and optional bike ride into Cancales.

Right after breakfast, we will cycle the remaining 11 km to Mont St. Michel. Our hotel is next to the bike path. At Mont Saint Michel, we will arrange a walk with a local guide.

Rising from the tidal flats of Mont-Saint-Michel, this remarkable island has a history shaped by legend and faith. In 708 AD, the Archangel Saint Michael is said to have appeared to Saint Aubert, inspiring the construction of a small sanctuary.

By the 10th century, Benedictine monks established an abbey, turning the mount into an important pilgrimage site. Its striking Gothic structures, known as “La Merveille,” grew over centuries as visitors arrived from across Europe.

During the Hundred Years’ War, the island was fortified and famously resisted English attacks, becoming a symbol of French strength. After the French Revolution, the abbey was closed and used as a prison.

Restored in the 19th century, Mont-Saint-Michel is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Surprisingly, Mont-Saint-Michel was not significantly damaged during World War II. Although northern France saw heavy fighting—especially during the Battle of Normandy—the island itself was largely spared from bombing and destruction.

During the war, German forces occupied the mount but did not heavily fortify it, and it held little strategic value compared to nearby coastal areas. As a result, it avoided the intense military action that devastated many towns and cities in Normandy.

When Allied forces advanced after D-Day in 1944, Mont-Saint-Michel was liberated without major destruction or damage. Its preservation is one reason visitors today can still experience the site much as it appeared centuries ago.

So, after a morning well spent, we will board the bus for a short ride to the start of a possible cycling tour to Cancales, known for its huitres (oysters)! When the tide is right, you might see the oyster fields.

Cancales to St.Malo

Today’s ride takes us to Point de Grouin, at the northernmost point of Cancale, and from there we find our path to cycle into St. Malo. St. Malo is a very lively, touristic and historic town, known for its Intra-Muros (Inside the Walls). This old inner city, with its cobblestones, offers an endless variety of places to have dinner, crepes, and all kinds of international restaurants, as well as loads of shops.

St. Malo, city exploring or bike trip, ferry to Jersey

We will spend the whole day in St. Malo, but not the night! This evening we will “set sail” for Jersey. It is going to be a new adventure because we are bikepacking! You will get another bike bag to take along, just enough for a 2-night stay on Jersey. Jersey is one of the Channel Islands and part of the UK. So we will cycle on the left side over there.

The ferry will leave at 6 pm, so we do have the whole day to enjoy another ride and/or explore the lovely town. The ferry takes only 15 minutes (if you take into account that the UK is one hour behind in time :-). We will book lounge seats, so you can snack and enjoy some (non alcoholic) drinks and go and shop for some duty-free items.

We’ll settle in for two nights at the hotel.

Cycling on Jersey

Cycling on Jersey is a great adventure, the Island is not very big, so it is easy to see all sides of it within a few days. The Island is not flat; there are short but steep climbs that can be mastered with E-bikes in their max support. Jersey has many Green Lanes, which are shared with local traffic, but cyclists go first. It is truly heaven for recreational E-bike rides

The rides have all been tested and selected by us. On the rides, we will offer a shorter and a longer version, both guided. We will pay a visit to a wine estate, with a beautiful gift shop and a lovely restaurant. And we will have great views over the sea and the coast.

Jersey has many beaches along the side where the hotel will be, so maybe we can go for a swim and sunbathe.

Tonight is our farewell dinner, for tomorrow we arrive at St. Malo after dinner.

St. Helier, cycling and back to France.

Today we check out of our hotel and start another lovely ride on the Island. Our ferry back to St. Malo will start in the late afternoon, and arrives at St. Malo in the evening.

We will check in at the hotel with your luggage. The next morning it is time to say goodbye. We can arrange a drop-off in Rennes from which you can travel back to Paris by TGV (Fast Train).

Or you can add on nights to your stay in Jersey or St. Malo.

The most exciting option is to go from Jersey to Portsmouth (England). But all of this is not part of the tour.

Departure from St. Malo (or St. Helier)

After breakfast, our organised part of your trip ends.

We will take you to the nearest town, Rennes, where you have access to the TGV trains.

In case you decide to spend one more night on Jersey, we will pay for your later ferry back to St. Malo, and make sure your luggage can be taken to Jersey. We will, however, need to take your bikes back to St. Malo earlier. You could spend that extra day on a trip to Sark, a lovely island, where there are no cars. You can rent bikes on the island, and enjoy the quietness and cycle to the lighthouse. When you arrive in St. Malo, you can enjoy a stay at the hotel. So all you pay extra is your extra night on the Island (can be added to the hotel reservations).

Another option is to book a ferry from St. Helier (Jersey) to Portsmouth, on the south coast of England.