Cycling enthusiasts can enjoy touring Europe thanks to the vast EuroVelo cycle route network. It includes 17 major cycling routes for exploring the continent, from Norway to Portugal, from France to Poland. In total, there are some 90,000 km of routes to cycle in safety.
The EuroVelo concept dates back to the 1990s. The idea was to connect Europe's major cycling routes. In each country, work has been done to ensure connections, and it is now possible to cycle across the continent in optimal riding conditions, and in safety, thanks to this impressive network. Each of the 17 routes currently open to the public crosses at least two countries, is more than 1,000 km long and benefits from specific signage.
The longest route, and certainly the most scenic, is EuroVelo 1, which takes the most courageous riders on more than 11,000 km of marked trails, between the North Cape in Norway and Caminha in Portugal, passing through Aberdeen (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales), Plymouth (England), Nantes and Bayonne (France), and Pamplona (Spain). Note that travel between Norway and Great Britain is carried out by plane, while the crossing of the English Channel to France involves taking the ferry.
Because of its geographical location, France is extremely well served by the network, since it also hosts a section of the so-called Pilgrims' Route (EuroVelo 3), which runs from the St. Olav's Way (Norway) to Santiago de Compostela (Spain), the Central Europe Route (EuroVelo 4) from Brittany to Ukraine, the Atlantic-Black Sea Route (EuroVelo 6) from Nantes to Constanța (Romania), the Rhone Cycle Route (EuroVelo 17) from the Camargue to Andermatt (Switzerland), and finally the Mediterranean Route (EuroVelo 8) which takes cyclists from Cadiz (Spain) to Cyprus.
The most courageous cyclists can spend days or weeks riding these trails and discovering entire regions. You can, of course, plan your own trip beforehand, but many tours are offered by different organizations, over several days, with or without a guide, and often around magnificent sites, with guaranteed accommodation on site. This could involve taking in the castles of the Loire Valley in France, for example, or discovering the Flanders region on a tour from Amsterdam to Bruges. Other options include following the Danube in Germany or Austria, or cycling a wine route in Spain. Find out more about the various routes at their many stages, as well as a selection of tours, on the official EuroVelo website.
