Gare Montparnasse: TGV Atlantique trains, and trains heading west
Gare de Lyon: TGV Sud-Est trains, and trains heading southeast
Gare St Lazare: trains for Normandy
Gare de l'Est: trains for the east
Gare d'Austerlitz: trains for the southwest.
A TGV Est line is under construction. The whole railway network in France is run by the SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer).
If you have taken the Eurostar to Gare du Nord and you need to reach one of the other main stations in Paris you will either have to carry your bike in its bag and panniers on the Métro, or assemble your bike and cycle across the capital's centre. The latter option is far more interesting as you get to see some of Paris and don't have to worry about turnstiles, escalators and stairs. If, however, you need to get across Paris quickly to catch your next train, take a taxi that will accommodate you and all your gear.
The table above indicates which train station in Paris you need for the onward train journey to the start point of a given route. Further information regarding travel to the start points is also given at the beginning of each route description.
Bicycles on Trains in France
You can put your bicycle on most TER (regional trains), Corail and Transilien trains, without charge. There will either be a specific carriage/luggage van (fourgon à bagages) or a compartment with a designated area for three or four bikes (éspace vélo). The latter may involve hanging your bike from a hook in the ceiling. They are usually to be found near the end of the train, if not the last carriage itself. Double-decker trains usually do not have a designated compartment for bicycles, and you can just wheel them into any 2nd class carriage at the platform conductor's discretion. On older trains you need to look out for the luggage van with the metal roller shutter door which may be locked from the inside, so make sure you've introduced yourself to the platform conductor beforehand who should assist in getting it opened. I recommend taking the rear panniers off, as you may either have to get the bike through a narrow doorway or lift it up into the luggage van. If there are two of you, it's easier if one gets in the van and pulls the bikes up. Some trains have a bicycle symbol painted on the outer door of the designated carriage. Contacting the platform conductor is important as he or she often allows you to take your bike on a slow train that stops at every station but does not have a bike carriage or designated area.
If you pick up the relevant timetable leaflet at the station, check the top/bottom of each regional train column for the little bicycle symbol which indicates that you can take your bike on certain trains free of charge without having to dismantle it (transport de vélo gratuit). On some trains you may have to pay a réservation supplémentaire of 10 euros and travel in 2nd class, but still not have to dismantle the bike. This is the case with TGV Lyria trains between Lausanne, Zurich and Paris, as well as most Corail Lunéa and Corail Téoz trains between Paris and Clermont-Ferrand, Paris and Strasbourg, and Paris and Toulouse. Occasionally, in rural areas, a bus service (autocar) is used to connect certain stations at certain times – look for the bus symbol on the train timetable.
For TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) trains in general, and many daytime trains (especially between 7am and 9am) run by Corail, you will have to dismantle your bike and put it in a bike bag (housse à vélo) no bigger than 120cm x 90cm. There are designated luggage holds or racks on these trains, but it is a good idea to get on before everyone else, as there is nothing short of a rugby scrum as people try to get their luggage in the designated area before departure.
Trains and bicycles
You could, alternatively, send your bike on ahead by going to a SERNAM depot, which may or may not be located near a French railway station. SERNAM is the trucking company associated with the French railway system that will box your bike and deliver it to your chosen depot for about 40 euros within 48 hours. You can phone 08 25 84 58 45 to locate your nearest depot, for other information, and to pay the delivery charge by credit card. You can also pay for this service when you buy your train ticket at the station, or at a SERNAM depot. However, it is important to bear in mind that the depots are usually only open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with only major depots open on Saturday mornings. They are closed Sundays and public holidays. As some depots are situated some distance from a town's railway station you will have to take alternative transport to reach the station.
I prefer to be on the same train as my bike and keep an eye on it whenever the train stops – that way it will reach your destination when you do, and you are ready to start your tour without any hitches.
For timetables and further information visit www.ter-sncf.com for regional networks, or www.voyages-sncf.com for train journeys from one region to another.
Roads
The condition of French roads varies considerably. One moment you may be cycling along a recently resurfaced road with a cycle lane – the next you are avoiding potholes on a bumpy stretch of cracked asphalt! The reason for this is usually a régional, départmentale or communale one. In effect, there are three levels of local government.
Near Gabre (Route 6)
France is divided into 22 regions, sub-divided into 96 départments, and these are, in turn, sub-divided into about 36,000 local communes – the equivalent of a parish or borough. The regional councils are responsible for Autoroutes (motorways) and Routes Nationales (main trunk roads), often marked on maps and road signs as ‘N’ or ‘RN’ roads. Bicycles are not allowed on Autoroutes, which are marked as ‘A’ roads and their road signs are blue. ‘D’ roads are the responsibility of the départmentale councils and are quieter secondary roads, while ‘C’ roads are rural roads that the local commune looks after (or not, depending on funding). Most of the roads covered in this guidebook are in good condition or have recently been resurfaced, many with cycle lanes or paths running alongside them. It is also not uncommon to discover, for example, that the D77 (that you have been cycling along) suddenly becomes the D52 for no apparent reason. This is probably due to you having crossed the boundary line between départments.
Apart from always remembering to cycle on the right side of the road, it is important to take care at roundabouts which come in all shapes and sizes and spring up all over the place. Do not be surprised to find that a junction mentioned in this guidebook is now a mini roundabout – the French love building them. Traffic already on a roundabout has the right of way. You will often see signs indicating that you do not have right of way (vous n'avez pas la priorité) or that you must give way (cédez le passage). At junctions, traffic coming from the right has right of way (priorité à droite), even if they are on a minor road. Traffic on these roads, however, must give way to you if they have a stop sign. You know you have right of way if you see the sign with a yellow diamond inside a white one.
If a road has a cycle lane or path, you must use it. Drivers do not take kindly to cyclists who ignore a cycle path and hold up traffic on a narrow stretch of road. A cycle path (piste cyclable) is usually indicated by a white bicycle symbol on a blue background, or could be a narrow green track with a white bicycle symbol painted on it. A cycle lane (usually about a metre wide) will run along the extreme right of the road and also has a bicycle symbol painted on it.
As cycling is a national sport in France, the vast majority of drivers are very considerate, will give you a wide berth and may honk to let you know they are coming up behind. Strangely, I have discovered that in some parts of France you can cycle for days without anyone honking you, but in other parts nearly every car or truck will hit the horn. Don't get the hump if they do – they mean well. Many disused