Suggestions for places to go in France please

[Fletch456]

Hi,

A few cycling friends and I are beginning to plan a trip to France in May and I've delegated myself with checking out possible locations.

The plan is for it to be a cycling and part tourist holiday - so somewhere like Burgundy may be great as I believe it's pretty and I love their wine. Though in an ideal world we'd like a mountain and I would like to go to Morzine or thereabouts for an iconic TdF place like d'Huez. Though as we're thinking of driving it's further south than we would like at this stage. One of the guys knows part of Massifs Central well but that is about as far.

Any suggestions for places further north that may include a good hill / mountain? Are there any?

Cheers.

 

[mcr]

The Jura or Vosges suggest themselves as being further north but with great scenery and plenty of hills to climb.

 

[rich p]

Fletch, me and some friends got to AdH in 12 hours door to door from Brighton to Bourg d'Oisans.

8 hours drive from Calais, 1 1/2 hrs to Dover, 1 hr shuttle, plus wastage.

 

[dragon72]

+1 for the Vosges mountains in Alsace/Lorraine. You can nip over to the Black Forest (Schwarzenwald) hills in Germany easily from there too, it forms the opposite slopes of the Rhine valley.
In Alsace, the Route des Crêtes is a sequence of fun, tough cols including the Ballon d'Alsace that takes some work to get up. Colmar (especially) and Strasbourg are beautiful cities and the food and wine and beer massively underrated too.

 

[mark]

I did a short tour from Strasbourg into the Vosges quite a few years ago (2001), I remember it being an excellent place to ride. The old Lonely Planet Cycling Guide to France had a route through Alsace and the Vosges, the new one might have a route too. Actually,a copy of http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cycling-Fra...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295359214&sr=1-1 might be really useful.

Historical note: Alsace and the east slope of the Vosges were part of Germany until the end of WWI, with the crest of the range forming the border. Some of the old border stations at the tops of various cols are still standing, being used as cafes or restaurants. Lots of very cool old black and white photos on the walls of what the buildings looked like pre-WWI.

 

[Redvers]

+1 for the Alsace/Lorraine/Schwarzwald suggestion.

Some great routes on or off road, some serious hills if that’s what you’re after and some very fine wines on both sides of the border.

 

[placidcasual]

Hi,

This is exactly what I signed up to this forum for. I'm off to the Alsace in summer. Top advice.

Cheers.

 

[Fletch456]

Thank you guys - thank you very much. And we helped out a newbie in the process.

As a result of most of you suggesting the Vosge mountains I did some research and put it to my friends and the up shot is we now have what looks like a ski type chalet booked for May 15th-22nd.

I am so looking forward to it...because
- great looking town of Colmar (though we are some drive from here) will be good for some sight seeing
- the region produces some great Riesling and Gewurtraminer wine. (If you don't know the second of those it is one of few wines to go well with far eastern food)
- champagne region - to drive through to get there and back...maybe visit a chateau but definitely try and pick up some cheaper good stuff
- Ballon D'Alsace - looks like a proper mountain that I am excited about cycling up

Thanks again guys