Cycling holidays in the French Ardennes
7 day bike tour in France and Belgium
- Cycling adventure in France & Belgium
- Beautiful route along the Voie Verte & Voie Ravel
- Nature escape & low-traffic bike trails
- Easy day legs & luggage transfer
- Historic towns & Rimbaud museum
Discover the magical Ardennes, land of light and shade, clear blue skies and lush green valleys! This self-guided bike tour on the Voie Verte, France's “green trail”, and Belgium's Voie Ravel will take you from Haybes-sur-Meuse to Charleville-Mézières. Rolling hills and gentle river banks will guide your way, making for an easy yet fascinating itinerary. Take a break, get away from it all, and explore a whole new world of rivers, hills and nature galore!
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Haybes-sur-Meuse
After your arrival in Haybes-sur-Meuse, your host will welcome you in the guesthouse. Dinner in a restaurant near the accommodation.
Day 2: Haybes – Givet – Nismes
On the Voie Verte, the Green Way, you will cycle to Givet, where you will have a break, in order to visit the city and the fortification Charlemont. This one is named after the king Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, who build it in 1555 in order to protect the region against the french army. On ancient railway tracks you will continue to Nismes, a lively small city in Belgium, where you will spend the night.
Distance: approx. 55 km / 34 mi
Day 3: Nismes – Rocroi
The stage todays leads you on the Voie Ravel to Rocroi. Before the dinner at the hotel in Rocroi, you have the possibility to take part of an individual city visit. Discover the biggest fort in Europe with its museum and its fortifications form the 16th century.
Distance: approx. 22 km / 13.5 mi
Day 4: Rocroi – Signy l'Abbaye
Along the streets of the fortified churches of the Thiérache you will have a look on impressive constructions. In Signy l'Abbaye you will also have the possibility to take part of an individual visit of the old centre, before having dinner in the hotel.
Distance: approx. 35 km / 21.7 mi
Day 5: Signy l'Abbaye- Charleville-Mezières
On small side roads with few traffic you will cycle over green hills and by bucolic villages and landscapes. On the way you will visit the Ferme-Auberge du Gironval and taste their home-made Cidre. Finally you will reach your goal, the city Charleville-Mézières, which is hosting every two year the famous Festival International des Marionnettes (Next festival: 18-27 September 2015).
Distance: approx. 32 km / 20 mi
Day 6: Charleville-Mezières – Haybes
You should use the morning to go discover Charleville-Mezières, where Rimbaud lived fom 1869. You could visit the Rimbaud Museum and the Maison des ailleurs (House of the others) and have a poetic look around, to learn everything about his trips from Aden to Port-Said. You should also not forget the Place Ducale, one of the most beautiful square in the North of Europe, and the Horloge du Grand Marionnettiste, an enormous fantastic clockwork. Finally you leave the town and follow the Meuse river on the Green Way back to Haybes.
Distance: approx. 55 km / 34 mi
Day 7: Departure
After the breakfast you will give your bikes back. End of the stay.
Travel dates
- Mar 24th, 18 – Oct 28th, 18
- From 855,- €
- open for reservation
- Enquire now
- Apr 13th, 19 – Oct 20th, 19
- From 855,- €
- open for reservation
- Enquire now
Daily departure upon request between March and October.
Our bike tour starts and ends in Haybes sur Meuse.
Please fill out our enquiry form indicating the number of your party and your preferred travel dates.
Services
Price includes:
6 nights in double bedroom in selected guest houses (B&B and 3 star hotels) with half board, luggage transfer, detailed road book with map /GPS –Data for each traveler.
Price excludes:
Train or airfares to/from destination,lunches,drinks, rental bikes, travel cancellation insurance.
Optional:
Rental bikes: touring bike: €145 for 6 days/ tourring bike – E-Bike : €189 for 6 days .
Deposit: €155 for touring bike and €230 for e-bike.
Bikes hire is possible from mid-April to mid-September!
You can order a cold lunch every day at the accommodation
Number of participants
Bookings from 2 persons
Not accessible to persons with reduced mobility.
Last possibility of cancellation from the tour operator: 21 days before the beginning of the trip
Accommodation
Nights in comfortable guesthouses and 3-star hotels with private bathroom and WC
Delicious french cuisine!
Level of difficulty: easy to medium
Suitable for anyone who rides bikes regularly
There are some mild ascents and the trip follows the river banks
Participants may rent an e-bike (requires deposit). Bicycles can only be rented from mid-April to mid-September!
Distance: between 22 and 55km (13.6 to 34mi) a day on country and forest roads with very little traffic, with the exception of Charleville.
How to get there?
We recommend you an eco-friendly journey with the train to Charleville-Mézières. There you can take the regional train Haybes-sur-Meuse.
You can find more information on our detailed info sheet, that we send you gladly on enquiry!