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Bordeaux by bike from Bordeaux to Arcachon – Sud Gironde

Price per person

From 815€

Type of stay

Bicycle trip

Location

Bordeaux, Arcachon - France

Duration

6 or 7 days

Difficulty

Departures

Daily from April to October

Capacity

2 people minimum

Reference

Cyclo 20-2

Your stay

Bordeaux by bike from Bordeaux to Arcachon – Sud Gironde

Among the various bike routes linking Bordeaux to Arcachon and the Arcachon Basin, this is probably one of the most varied in terms of scenery. This cycling trip from the Bordeaux vineyards to the Atlantic coast takes in cycle paths, cycle routes, greenways and small roads with little traffic.

You’ll cycle through the rolling vineyards of the Entre-deux-Mers region (made easy by the Piste Roger Lapébie, an old railroad line), and along the banks of the Garonne on a section of the Canal de Garonne linking Bordeaux to Toulouse. You’ll visit bastides and medieval towns such as Créon, Sauveterre de Guyenne and Saint-Macaire. The Sauternes vineyards await you with their world-renowned Château Yquem. This terroir is crossed by “Le Ciron”, a river on the banks of which you’ll be delighted to take a break. This river also marks the gradual entrance to the Landes de Gascogne Regional Park and its isolated villages. The pleasant scent of Landes pines will accompany you all the way.

Leave your bikes behind for a while and take a walk around Lac d’Hostens to reach the sandy beach, inviting you to swim in the heart of the forest. Soon you’ll reach “La Leyre”, which will take you to the shores of the Arcachon Basin and the Ornithological Park of Le Teich. After a succession of working oyster ports, notably the port of Larros where you’ll be sure to sample some oysters, a cycle path along the beach will take you to the seaside town of Arcachon. Take the opportunity to visit the winter town with its sumptuous villas.

You can take your Bordeaux cycling trip a step further with a final stop at the majestic Dune du Pyla on the Atlantic coast, which at 110 meters offers breathtaking views over the mouth of the basin, its sandbanks, Cap Ferret and the peaks of the Landes forest.

You'll enjoy :

Departure from the UNESCO-listed quays of Bordeaux
The greenway in the heart of the Entre-Deux-Mers region and its medieval bastides
The Sauternes region and its sumptuous vineyards
The Landes Gascogne Regional Nature Park, between pine forests and lakes
Gujan Mestras’ 7 oyster ports on the Arcachon basin

Back to travel

Daily program

Day 1 - Arrival in Bordeaux, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Accommodation in hotels in the heart of Bordeaux. Handover of your bike, documentation on the region and a route booklet indicating your itinerary.

Bordeaux, the ancient Roman “Burdigala”, indissociable from its vineyards…shines brightly in its stone finery to dispense with artifice. The Garonne River, the heart of the city, welcomes walkers on its banks or for boat trips. Everyone can make the quays their own, in the hope of witnessing the stopover of a cruise liner, the “astonishing spectacle” of a giant of the seas in the heart of the city.

Night and breakfast in hotel. Evening free.

Day 2 - From Bordeaux to Entre-Deux-Mers

This itinerary allows you to discover the Entre-Deux-Mers region on 55 km of trails, greenways and small roads… A real treat!

You’ll leave Bordeaux on the track that runs alongside the Garonne and its marvellous quays, then follow the voie verte (greenway) that winds through the Entre-Deux-Mers hillsides, passing Créon, the Sauve Majeur abbey and Sauveterre de Guyenne, magnificent fortified bastides. Finally, you’ll make your way back to your accommodation on small roads through the vineyards.

Night, dinner and breakfast in a charming B&B.

Day 3 - From Sauveterre to Bazas

Between Sauveterre-de-Guyenne and La Réole, the cycle route passes through gently undulating, highly picturesque countryside. La Réole, a medieval town on the banks of the Garonne, founded in 977, is the smallest Ville d’Art et d’Histoire in France.

At Fontet, the route joins the Canal de Garonne. This is where the “Canal des 2 Mers à vélo” continues under a canopy of plane trees to Toulouse, or even to Sète and the Mediterranean. The Tour du Gironde à vélo heads for Bazas. A detour via Castets and Castillon allows you to see the beginning of the Canal with its locks, and to take advantage of all the services this small port has to offer. Bazas is a renowned medieval town, with a beautiful cathedral and a major pilgrimage site to Santiago de Compostela.

Night and breakfast in hotel. Evening free.

Day 4 - Direction Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park

Depart Bazas to join the cycle path at Uzeste. As you pass through Uzeste, you’ll admire the collegiate church housing the tomb of Pope Clement V, then Villandraut with its Château, well worth a visit.

After crossing Villandraut and the gentle River Ciron, you enter the pignada, a forest of working pines planted by man since the 19th century. The trail passes beneath the tall pines, amid the mingled scents of the Atlantic wind and melting resin. An easy route through moorland and the “Parc Naturel Régional des Landes de Gascogne”. Finally, you leave the track and take a small, pleasant forest road with varied scenery, which leads you westwards. The pine forest grows denser, and the smell of resin becomes stronger. Put your bike down at the Lagunes du Gât-Mort site, where a picnic stop is just what you need.

The Hostens lakes, a little further afield, also offer waterside om bragés, ideal for siestas. A pleasant walk or bike ride takes you to the lake’s beach, where you can relax, swim and enjoy all the services cyclists need.

The rest of the trail takes you through pine and heather to the town of Le Barp.

You’ll be welcomed in a village in the heart of the Landes de Gascogne regional park.

Night and breakfast in hotel. Evening free.

Day 5 - Towards the Bay of Arcachon

The route takes you along a small road where the pine forest fades into the distance, before rejoining the cycle path at Salles along the Eyre river, which you will follow to Mios. You’ll then reach the Arcachon basin at the Parc Ornithologique du Teich, the maritime window of the Parc Naturel Régional. There’s no shortage of places to picnic – the choice is yours!

You’ll take a stretch of the sentier du Littoral, enjoying the salty sea air of the basin and crossing the oyster ports of Gujan Mestras on your way to Arcachon.

Lined with tamarisk, arbutus, willow rushes and wild prunus, the walk will also delight botany enthusiasts.

We’ll be waiting for you in the heart of Arcachon, for an evening on the waterfront.

Night and breakfast in hotel. Evening free.

Day 6 - The Pilat Dune

You’ll cycle towards the Pyla Dune, the largest dune in Europe at 107 metres high, 2700 metres long and 500 metres wide. The dune, of recent formation (it was only 35 meters high in 1855), is still not stabilized and is advancing towards the forest at a rate of 3 to 4 meters per year. After putting your bikes down for a while, climb to the top of the Dune via a staircase or signposted path. On the way back, you’ll follow a magnificent track along the beaches to Le Pyla sur Mer and then on to Le Moulleau, a lively suburb west of Arcachon in summer, with its trendy boutiques and cafés. You’ll discover the famous “Notre dame des Passes” church, built in Byzantine style by the Dominicans at the top of a dune. It houses the Vierge de l’Avent, one of only 3 statues in France depicting the Virgin in pregnancy.

The route includes a detour (not to be missed!) to visit the winter town of Arcachon, with its sumptuous Second Empire villas and churches. Finally, you’ll reach the Promenade d’Arcachon and your hotel.

Night and breakfast in hotel. Evening free.

Day 7 - Departure

Departure after breakfast.

rates

Price per person

6 days – 5 nights: €815 / July & August: €875
7 days – 6 nights: €895 / July & August: €975

Price includes

5 or 6 nights in 3* and/or 4* hotels and charming bed & breakfasts (in double/twin rooms)
1 dinner
Road book (with map and directions)
1 GPS navigation application
Luggage transfer at each stage
24/7 technical assistance

Supplement

	6 days – 5 nights	7 days – 6 nights
Touring bikes Electric bike Gravel bike	125 € 240 € 220 €	140 € 265 € 245 €

Further information

We take care of transporting your luggage every time you change accommodation, so you can travel light and enjoy your day’s hiking.

Leave your luggage at the reception desk of your accommodation before departure.

At the end of the afternoon, you’ll meet them at the reception desk of your new accommodation or directly in your room.

Luggage accepted per person: 1 suitcase or travel bag (maximum 23 kg) + 1 carry-on.

Your travel file corresponds to the documents or files you receive prior to your trip (generally one month before) and/or on arrival at your first accommodation.

It includes :

A welcome letter with key practical information:

Baggage transport times
Details of delivery and collection of rental bikes if required
Your local contact and emergency telephone number(s)
Any additional information

Travel logbook including map with route (at the appropriate scale) and directional, tourist and practical information

Any necessary vouchers to be given to the service provider(s)

On request and depending on the tour:

Download the “Evazio” application onto your smartphone for GPS navigation with visual (reading the route on your smartphone screen) and/or spoken guidance. The application also contains practical and tourist information. Once the trip has been downloaded, no Internet connection is required.
Loan of a GPS device with pre-recorded tracks
Send GPX tracks of each stage for use with your own navigation device

On this tour, we can provide you with a choice of the following, upon reservation:

A VTC bike adapted to the ride and the route

An electric bike adapted to the route

A gravel bike adapted to the course

With equipment :

Bag 1

Handlebar bag

Repair kit

Anti-theft device

Headset

1 rear bag
1 handlebar bag
1 repair kit
1 helmet (on request)
1 anti-theft device
1 charger (for electric bike)

For younger children, depending on age and size, we can offer

Children's bikes

Bicycle follower

Trailer

Second trailer

A child’s bike
A baby seat
A trailer
A follower bike

The bike is adjusted to your size and delivered to the first accommodation.

At the end of the tour, the bike must be left at the last accommodation with its equipment. We’ll take care of collecting them.

This tour is offered in the “superior” category

Hotel categories :

Comfort: The tour features mainly 2 and 3-star hotels (or equivalent comfort level) and bed & breakfasts.
Superior: The tour features mainly 3- and 4-star hotels (or equivalent level of comfort) and charming bed & breakfasts.
Luxury: The tour features mainly 4- and 5-star hotels (or equivalent level of comfort).

For the duration of your stay, our telephone assistance service is available: