These places will make an impression on your family. From D-Day beaches to bountiful orchards, windswept plateaus and storybook villages. Iconic settings will stir your emotions, while the sheer beauty of your surroundings will spark your joie de vivre. Brittany and Normandy are a rare blend of history and natural splendor.
Day 1 Journey along the coast through two of France's most intriguing regions, starting in Brittany | Enjoy a typical Breton lunch before biking along the famed Emerald Coast, lined with enchanting fishing villages and striking sandstone cliffs | Sample tasty local apple cider | Take a sunset swim or stroll along le grand plage, St-Malo's spectacular main beach.
Day 2 Rolling country roads along must-see beaches | Vistas of La Rance Estuary highlight your ride from the coast to the inland town of Dinan | Pass through picturesque villages such as St-Suliac | Sweet or savory? A stop in a crêperie is a delight | Meander through medieval fortified Dinan, and discover what's behind those half-timbered houses and narrow cobblestone streets | Dine on classic French cuisine overlooking the sea.
Day 3 Lose yourself in the beauty of the French countryside as you pedal along quiet back roads through tranquil villages and the rustic wooded bocage landscape | Stop for a café in seaside Cancale, the oyster capital of Brittany | The magical island monastery and cathedral of Mont-St-Michel, an iconic European pilgrimage center and World Heritage site | Head into Normandy's Calvados département, known for its cider and cheeses.
Day 4 Step back in time at hallowed historic sites such as Juno Beach, where the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on D-Day, at Arromanches, famous for Mulberry Harbor, and Longues-sur-Mer battery, once a section of Germany's coastal fortifications | Castles in Normandy? But of course! | Take a spin past stunning châteaux, including the grand Château de Fontaine-Henry.
Days 5-6 On your ride this morning, behold the shattered bunkers of the German stronghold, Pointe du Hoc | Walk on the same ground as the Allies on D-Day as you join a local historian for a private tour of Omaha Beach and the American Military Cemetery | Past and present collide in beautifully preserved Bayeux | Don't miss the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, a 230-foot-long embroidered "storybook" depicting the Norman invasion of England | Greet your final day with one last spin on your bike.
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A Second Empire villa set in the heart of Brittany with easy access to the beach and to the region's best sights.
Set amid exquisite gardens, a grand 18th-century estate with period furnishings. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool)
Dating from 1770, this centrally located former coaching inn is just steps from the famous Bayeux Tapestry.
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
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| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | ||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | |
| 1 | 16* | 800 | 23 | 1000 | ||||||
| 2 | 23* | 800 | 35* | 1300 | 52 | 2000 | ||||
| 31* | 1100 | |||||||||
| 3 | 12* | 400 | 22* | 800 | 28* | 1100 | 37 | 1500 | ||
| 4 | 6* | 300 | 18 | 600 | 25 | 700 | ||||
| Guided Tour of Mont-St-Michel (1 Hour) | ||||||||||
| 5 | 21* | 1000 | 26* | 1400 | 36* | 2100 | 48 | 2500 | ||
| 6 | 17 | 800 | ||||||||
Note:
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Brittany and Normandy, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
Choose a Backroads Custom Titanium or Custom Electric Assist bike—both are included in your trip price. Maybe a Specialized carbon-fiber pro model is more your speed or go for double fun on a tandem. Our fleet is the best in active travel, so you don't have to roll the dice on this vital trip component. Learn why our titanium bikes are ideal for most riders. See the bike options for this trip.
Your ride comes equipped with a Garmin Edge Explore 1000, the best bike-touring GPS device on the market. This is a Backroads exclusive, and it's included with your bike in Brittany and Normandy. If you prefer to bring your own device, we also have downloadable GPS files and of course, our good old paper directions are always available. Read more on why our navigation options are the best.
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in Brittany and Normandy—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
In choosing the ideal experts to enrich your travel experience, we look for people with a wealth of local knowledge, but also the ability to convey their insights in English. Too often travelers find themselves smiling politely, not quite understanding what they're being told. Our experts share intriguing facts, anecdotes and inside stories that stay with you forever.
Our Trip Leaders in Brittany and Normandy live in the area and are deeply engaged in their communities, giving them unique inside knowledge they're happy to share in making your experience that much richer. They'll introduce you to people, customs and parts of town you'd likely never encounter on your own—and teach you a few local phrases to help break the ice.
We design and support our Brittany and Normandy trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
In addition to the ideal balance of comfort and hospitality in our choice of lodgings, this trip featuring Casual Hotels includes nearly all of your meals, plus everything from cocktail receptions to the best snacks along the road. So there's rarely a need to reach for your wallet – we've got you covered.
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from a large selection of dates for your group of 8 or more. Call us for date availability. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or if your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you.
Click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date! i
Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
