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Getting to the Scandibérique cycle route

Getting to the Scandibérique cycle route by bike, train, coach, car or plane

Coming by bike from another route

Given the fact that the Scandibérique is the longest cycle route crossing France, it encounters many other cycle routes along its way. 

Here is a list of the main interconnections allowing cyclists to create their own cycling circuits, sticking 100% to cycle routes alone:

When researching the possibilities for creating your own cycling journey, do use the route calculator, or the France Vélo Tourisme website.

Getting around by train + bike

It’s not that we want to encourage you to take public transport when you want to be getting around by bike and by yourself as much as possible. However, to reach or leave the route, or to miss out a section or take into consideration good places for a rest, the information below will allow you to adapt your cycling adventure to your wishes and needs. Make use of these short cuts to make the most of the Scandibérique by bike!

We recommend the following railway services (that accept bikes on board) :

Lignes de trains de la Belgique à Paris

  • From Belgium: Charleroi-sud - Thuin (Bel.) < > Erquelinnes (Bel.)
  • From Maubeuge : Intercités for Saint-Quentin, Compiègne and Paris (gare du Nord), TER Jeumont < > Maubeuge, TER for Aulnoye-Aymeries, Valenciennes, Lille, Hirson
  • From Fourmies : Intercités for Charleville-Mézières
  • Between La Fère and Compiègne : TER for Amiens, Noyon, Lille, Laon and Reims, and from Tergnier : TER for Compiègne, Creil, Paris, St-Quentin, Amiens, Laon and Reims
  • From Villeparisis : RER B for Paris, Aulnay-sous-Bois, Massy-Palaiseau
  • From Paris Austerlitz : RER C for B.N. F. Mitterrand, Ivry-sur-Seine, Vitry-sur-Seine and Choisy-le-Roi
  • From Paris (gare de Lyon) : RER D for Melun or Corbeil/Malesherbes

+ further informations available on Greater Paris crossrail and underground services run by RATP 

Train lines from Paris to the Loire Valley

Train lines serving the counties of Vienne and Charente

Train lines between the county of Charente and Bordeaux

Train lines between Bordeaux and the Canal de Garonne

  • Saint-Denis de Pile : TER for Bordeaux-St-Jean, Coutras and Angoulême
  • Guîtres : tourist train along the Isle Valley
  • Libourne : TER pour St-Emilion, Bordeaux-St-Jean et Coutras
  • Bordeaux-St-Jean : TER for Libourne, Coutras, Angoulême, Mont de Marsan - Intercités Limoges, Nantes, Toulouse, Marseille, Nice
  • Langon : TER for Bordeaux-St-Jean

Train lines between the county of Landes in Gascony and the Pyrenees

  • Mont-de-Marsan : TER for Bordeaux-St-Jean, Dax, Morcenx
  • Dax :TER for Bordeaux-St-Jean, Mont-de-Marsan, Bayonne, Hendaye
  • Urt : Bayonne, Pau, Toulouse, Tarbes
  • Pamplona (ESP.) : Irun, St-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Map(s) of rail networks 

The maps of rail networks that are useful for the Scandibérique cycle route will allow you to manage your train + bike journey à la carte!

Getting around by coach + bike

At the national level, to get around the route by coach, at time of writing, only the company Flixbus offers an admittedly very limited number of possibilities for the transport of bikes in their entirety (i.e. not taken apart). In addition, to make use of the few spaces available, you need to make your reservations a long time in advance!

At the level of the counties, or départements, crossed by the route, transporting your bike(s) by coach is possible on certain lines, but with the bike(s) placed in the baggage hold:
 

  • Centre-Val de Loire: on the Rémi 45 coaches, a service is available all year round with bicycle racks on certain journeys and targeted stops on line 3 (between Orléans and Gien), line 8 (between Orléans and Lailly-en-Val), line 9 (between Orléans and Beaugency), at weekends and public holidays and every day between April and September. You must make a reservation the day before (before noon) by calling 0 800 00 45 00 (toll-free number, free service and calls).
  • Sud Charentes: line 10 Angoulême < > Baignes and line 12 Angoulême < > Barbezieux, with bikes stored in the hold
  • Nouvelle-Aquitaine : with bikes stored in the hold
    • line 311 Libourne < > Montguyon 
    • line 501 Bordeaux < > Langon
    • line 502 Bordeaux < > La Brède
    • line 511 Bordeaux < > Hostens
    • line 512 Langon < >  Bazas 
    • line Agen < > Mont-de-Marsan : Nérac, Mézin, Labastide d’Armagnac

Getting to the cycle route by car

Whether you decide to ride along the Scandibérique for two months, a weekend or just a day’s outing, a car equipped with a bicycle rack offers a safe, useful way to reach your starting point with ease, bikes on board.

If driving from quite a distance away to reach the Scandibérique, it’s easy to make use of the extensive network of motorways that pass close to the cycle route.

Main motorways (going north to south):

  • From Namur (Belgium) to Paris: A15 (Autoroute de Wallonie), then A2 and A1 once in France
  • From Cambrai: A26 for St-Quentin or Tergnier and A1 for Compiègne
  • From Paris to Orléans and Tours: A10
  • From Paris to Montargis: A6 and A77
  • From Tours to Poitiers: A10
  • From Bordeaux to Langon: A62
  • From Langon to Mont-de-Marsan: A65
  • From Bordeaux to Dax: A63

Once you’ve driven to your destination, you need to consider where to park your car for the duration of your stay.  

There are many possible solutions to this, depending on the length of your cycling trip:

  • If you’re just heading out for a day’s outing, opt for a car parking spot beside a stretch of greenway (for example, a car park at a former railway station), or a street or car park in the centre of a town that’s not far from the actual starting point where you’re joining the route.
  • If heading off for several days of cycling, a covered, paying car park is a good idea. You can find information on these at local tourist offices or town halls (mairies).
  • Alternatively, should you have friends or family who live near the route, you could arrange to leave your vehicle with them for the duration of your cycling holiday. 
  • Or, another practical solution might be, if you’re driving from far away and you’ve chosen to sleep a night at an accommodation provider who’s an accredited member of the Accueil Vélo network, to ask the provider if it would be possible to leave your vehicle at the property in exchange for booking a second night at their establishment at the end of your cycling trip.

At all events, make sure, if leaving your car in a public spot, to ask local people if they think it’s in a safe area, and don’t leave anything visible inside the car to tempt potential thieves.

Coming by plane

If flying in from abroad, it is possible to reach the Scandibérique, arranging a transfer to your starting point from one of these three major international airports: 

However, reaching a precise point on the route from an airport won’t always be easy. Make sure you study your options and route, or then arrange in advance for a taxi service that can carry your bike(s).

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