Biker-Friendly Places to Stay in France

Lakota Station offers rooms and dinner at Lannet, near Buxieres-sous-Montaigut in the north of the Puy-de-Dome, in the quiet Combrailles. Montlucon is about 25 km away in a straight line and Clermont-Ferrand about 50 km. The Combrailles has winding roads through woods and over river gorges such as the Sioule, and the Chaine des Puys volcanoes are a day's ride south. The owner rides a motorcycle and offers route descriptions. Ask about parking when you book.

Auberge Magnette is at Audes in the Allier, about 14 km in a straight line from Montlucon. The Foret de Troncais, one of the great oak forests of France, is close, with long, quiet roads under the trees. The owner rides a motorcycle, the bikes go in a garage, and route descriptions are on offer. To the south, the Combrailles and the Chaine des Puys near Clermont-Ferrand are within a day's ride.

Domaine Le Vaxergues is on the rue des Lauriers in Saint-Affrique in the south of the Aveyron. Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, home of the cheese, is about 10 km away in a straight line, and the Millau viaduct about 18 km. The Larzac plateau, the Tarn gorges and the Jonte are all close, with some of the most varied riding in southern France. Bike parking is not on our listing, so raise it when you book; the town has shops and restaurants for the evening.

La Tourelle is in Colombotte, a village in the Haute-Saone, south-west of the Vosges mountains, not far from Vesoul. The lake plateau of the Vosges saonoises and the climb to the Ballon d'Alsace are within an hour, and the roads around here are quiet and rolling. The hosts can give route tips for the area. A garage is not mentioned, so confirm parking first. A handy stop if you are crossing France towards Switzerland or the southern Vosges, away from the busier tourist areas.

Hotel E Catarelle is at San Giovanni di Moriani, in the hills above the east coast of Corsica, south of Bastia, which is about 36 km away in a straight line. Behind the village lies the Castagniccia, a region of chestnut woods and stone villages where the narrow roads twist without a break. Corte and the mountain centre of the island are about 32 km away. Where the bikes stand at night is something to settle with E Catarelle in advance. Remember the ferry times when you plan the last day.

The Wishing Well Guesthouse is in the village of Espartignac in the Correze, about 5 km in a straight line from Uzerche. The hosts run it with riders in mind: the owner rides, there is a garage for the bikes, and you can get route descriptions or join a guided ride. The Correze is a quiet, green region of wooded valleys, with Brive about 32 km away and the Dordogne valley and Rocamadour within a day's loop. Agree any guided ride when you book.

Hotel Val St Hilaire is on the quai des Fours in Givet, on the Meuse at the northern tip of the French Ardennes, right against the Belgian border. The road south along the Meuse to Charleville-Mezieres, about 39 km away in a straight line, follows the deep wooded meanders of the river. Over the border, the Belgian Ardennes around Dinant and the Lesse valley are close. Our listing has no parking details, so check them with Val St Hilaire first.

La Rose Rouge is on the road to Chambon, just outside Aubusson, the Creuse town known for its tapestries. The hosts ride and lead guided rides, and the bikes go in a garage. The Plateau de Millevaches to the south has empty, flowing roads across moorland and forest, and the Lac de Vassiviere is about 32 km away in a straight line. Gueret is about 33 km. Agree any guided ride when you book.

La Truffiere is a hotel with a restaurant on the D820, the old RN20, at Gignac in the north of the Lot. Rocamadour is about 22 km away in a straight line, Sarlat about 25 km and Brive about 20 km. The Dordogne valley, with its castles and cliff villages, and the limestone causses of the Lot are all close. Bikes have a garage, and route descriptions are available for the area.

Le Mas du Seigneur is at Alteyrac, near Chamborigaud, in the Gard Cevennes on the road between Ales and Genolhac. Ales is about 23 km away in a straight line and Florac about 28 km. The Cevennes roads twist along ridges and through chestnut woods, with the Corniche des Cevennes and Mont Aigoual close. Your host is a rider who leads guided outings and hands out route notes, and a garage shelters the bikes.

Hotel Thomas is on the Route de Valbonne in Le Cannet, on the hills just above Cannes. On the crowded Riviera, the garage here is worth having. Grasse is about 12 km away in a straight line, and from there the Route Napoleon climbs north into the hills towards Castellane and the Gorges du Verdon, about 50 km away. The Esterel coast road to the west is a classic short ride. Expect heavy traffic on the coast in summer.

Hotel Restaurant du Lac is on the Bergerac road outside Villereal, a medieval bastide town in the north of the Lot-et-Garonne. Bergerac is about 32 km away in a straight line and Sarlat about 47 km. The country around is gentle, with farms, woods and small bastide towns such as Monpazier and Issigeac linked by quiet roads, and the Dordogne valley is close. The restaurant takes care of dinner. Ask about bike parking.

Gite La Poujade is at La Poujade, near Caylus in the east of the Tarn-et-Garonne, on the edge of the Causse. The Gorges de l'Aveyron around Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val are close, and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie on the Lot is about 26 km away in a straight line. The roads wind along limestone valleys and over dry plateaux. Cahors is about 36 km, and Caylus itself is an old market village with a covered hall. Check parking with the owners in advance; it is not listed.

B&B 3Bs Biking is at Veyrinas, near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in the south of the Haute-Vienne. As the name suggests, biking is the theme: the owner rides, route descriptions are available, and bikes go in a garage overnight. The southern Limousin has quiet, winding roads through woods and pasture, and the Correze and the Dordogne valley are within a day's ride. Limoges is about 39 km away in a straight line and Uzerche about 32 km, and Saint-Yrieix itself has a fine collegiate church.

Gite l'Aksent is on the rue du Paradis in Tauves, a village in the west of the Puy-de-Dome, at the foot of the Monts Dore. La Bourboule is about 10 km away in a straight line and the Puy de Sancy, the highest point of the Massif Central, about 15 km. The roads over the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert and around the Lac Chambon make a fine day in the volcanoes. The gite has a garage, and its owner is a rider.

La Souleiado is a bed and breakfast near the church in Ucel, a village just north of Aubenas in the Ardeche, about 3 km away. The owner rides a motorcycle, offers route descriptions, and the bikes go in a garage. The Ardeche has roads for every day of a week: the gorges near Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, about 28 km away, the climb to the Mont Gerbier de Jonc, and the twisting Volane valley north of Vals-les-Bains.

Le Camping Moto is at Montclar-sur-Gervanne in the Drome, at the foot of the southern Vercors, about 8 km in a straight line from Crest. As the name says, it is run for riders: the owner rides, offers guided rides and route descriptions. The Gervanne valley leads up into the Vercors plateau and its gorges, and the Col de la Chaudiere is about 13 km away. Bring a tent or ask what else is on offer.

Tour'n'Sol is near the old railway station of Grospierres, in the south of the Ardeche, about 10 km in a straight line from the Pont d'Arc. The Gorges de l'Ardeche road, with its viewpoints high above the river, starts at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, and the Cevennes are a short ride west. This place is organised around riding: bikes go in a garage, and there are route suggestions and guided rides. Summer is hot and busy in the gorges, so start early in July and August.

Vue d'Arbre is a bed and breakfast at Chanteloube, near Fresselines in the Creuse, above the gorges where the Creuse and the Petite Creuse meet, a valley painted by Monet. Gueret is about 30 km away in a straight line. The roads follow the river valleys through woods and pasture, with almost no traffic. There is a garage, and the owner rides a motorcycle. Lake Eguzon, a reservoir on the Creuse, is a short ride north.

Bounetis Bas offers guest rooms at Pont Fourcat, near Lauzerte, a hilltop bastide in the Quercy Blanc in the Tarn-et-Garonne. Moissac and its abbey are about 20 km away in a straight line, and Cahors about 33 km. The country is rolling, with vineyards, orchards and small roads between villages on hilltops. You can get route suggestions, the bikes have a garage, and the owner rides a motorcycle. The Lot valley and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie make a good day out.

Hostellerie du Val de Sault is just outside Sault, on the lavender plateau of the Vaucluse. The summit of Mont Ventoux is about 14 km away in a straight line, and the climb from Sault is the gentlest of the three roads to the top. The Gorges de la Nesque road, cut into the cliffs with tunnels and viewpoints, starts nearby. Route descriptions are available. Lavender is in flower around July. Ask about bike parking when you book.

Le Relais de la Poste is at Cordesse, near Neuveglise in the Cantal, on the high plateau south-west of Saint-Flour, which is about 13 km away in a straight line. Eiffel's Garabit viaduct over the Truyere is about 15 km off, and the Lac de Grandval reservoir lies just below. To the west, the volcanic Monts du Cantal rise towards the Puy Mary, about 32 km away, with some of the finest mountain roads in central France. A garage keeps the bikes safe overnight.

Auberge du Tarnon is at Les Vanels, near Vebron, in the Tarnon valley between Florac and Mont Aigoual, in the Cevennes national park. Florac is about 11 km away in a straight line and the summit of Mont Aigoual about 12 km. Few bases put more good roads on the doorstep: the Corniche des Cevennes, the Gorges du Tarn, the Gorges de la Jonte and the climbs to Aigoual. The restaurant takes care of dinner. Bike parking is not listed, so ask when you book.

Les Deux Noyers is in the village of Tailhac in the Haute-Loire, above the Gorges de l'Allier near Langeac. The road through the gorges and the small roads over the plateaux on both sides make good, quiet riding. Brioude is about 29 km away in a straight line, Le Puy-en-Velay about 33 km and the Garabit viaduct about 23 km. You can ask for route descriptions. Parking for bikes is not listed, so check when booking.

Domaine de l'Amiral is at Narbousset, near Saint-Laurent-du-Pape in the Ardeche, where the Eyrieux valley opens onto the Rhone. Valence is about 17 km away in a straight line. The Eyrieux valley road climbs west into the Ardeche hills, and the plateau roads towards Le Cheylard and Lamastre are full of bends. At the Domaine, bikes are garaged and written routes can be had for the asking, so a week of day rides between the Rhone and the high Ardeche needs little planning.

Notre Paradis is on the rue du Moulin in Dun-sur-Meuse, a small town on the Meuse north of Verdun, which is about 29 km away in a straight line. The First World War battlefields of Verdun and the Argonne forest are within easy reach, and the Meuse valley road leads north towards Sedan and the French Ardennes. The roads are quiet and rolling. Confirm a spot for the bike with the hosts, since parking is not on our listing.

This campsite with guest rooms is at Bessy, near Uxeau in the Saone-et-Loire, in the rolling Charolais country south of the Morvan. The owner rides a motorcycle. The Morvan hills, with Mont Beuvray about 31 km away in a straight line, offer wooded roads and small lakes, and Autun with its Roman gates is about 37 km. Rooms and pitches suit both those who travel with a tent and those who prefer a bed. Ask about secure parking for the bikes.

Hotel Delcher is on the rue des Carmes in the centre of Aurillac, the main town of the Cantal. From here the roads climb into the Monts du Cantal: the Puy Mary, with the Pas de Peyrol, is about 28 km away in a straight line, and the valleys of the Jordanne and the Cere lead up into the volcano. Rocamadour and the Lot are within a day's ride to the west. In a town centre, a place off the street is worth asking Hotel Delcher about before you arrive.

Le Grand Bois sits on the Col de Boutiere road near Le Poet-Celard, in the hills of the Drome above Bourdeaux. The owner rides a motorcycle. This is country of small cols and narrow roads through forest and lavender, with very little traffic: the Col de la Chaudiere is about 9 km away in a straight line, Crest about 18 km, and the Vercors and Mont Ventoux are within a day's ride. Ask about secure parking when you book.

Le Grand Trianon offers guest rooms and dinner at Lugeastre Bas, near Saint-Didier-sur-Doulon in the Haute-Loire, in the Livradois hills. La Chaise-Dieu and its abbey are about 12 km away in a straight line, and Brioude about 13 km. The roads cross forested hills and empty plateaux, with the Allier gorges and Le Puy-en-Velay within reach. Bikes are put away in a garage, and the owner rides too. Table d'hote means a shared evening meal with the hosts.

Ride Limousin is at Les Hommes, near La Souterraine in the north of the Creuse. It is run for riders: the owner rides, there is a garage, and both route descriptions and guided rides are offered. The Limousin is green and quiet, with lakes, woods and small roads, and the Plateau de Millevaches and the Lac de Vassiviere are about 60 km away in a straight line. Gueret is about 35 km. Agree any guided ride when you book.

Les Glycines offers guest rooms and gites by the old station at Mison, in the Durance valley just north of Sisteron, which is about 11 km away in a straight line. The Route Napoleon passes through Sisteron, and the Lac de Serre-Poncon and the high Alps lie to the north. To the west, the roads over the Montagne de Lure and the Baronnies are quiet and twisting. Ask Les Glycines how bikes are parked, as we have no details.