5 ideas for motorcycle tours in France

Where are those lazy swallows? It's already time to start planning your first spring motorcycle road trips. And yes, while your bike is slumbering in the warmth of the garage, you can study the routes you'll be taking to stretch your rims in a few weeks' time. But where to go? The question is so vast that France is overflowing with great twisty roads. To help you answer this existential question, we've come up with 5 cool itinerary ideas in 5 different regions of France (with a little help fromUralistan). Bonne route!

Approx. 430km - 1 to 2 days

Are you ready to dive into the sublime landscapes of Savoie and Haute-Savoie? Then we invite you to the Massif des Bauges. Straddling the two départements, this region offers a variety of scenery, with its vast summer meadows, mountain passes and multitude of lakes. In fact, we recommend that you drive from Le Bourget to Lake Geneva.

Where to start? Chanaz, Savoy's little Venice. It's bucolic, cute and provides a nice meeting point for a coffee before setting off. What's next? The sublime curves of the D41 take you to the Semnoz plateau, then on to the Belvédère du Revard for a unique panorama of Aix-Les-Bains and Lac du Bourget just below. Magnificent!

Before hitting the road, we recommend a short stopover at Conflans, a medieval fortified town in the Tarentaise region adjacent to Albertville. What's next? A proper rim-stretching session in the mountains. Arpettaz, Aravis, Colombière, Jouxplane, the passes follow one another but are never the same. And before you know it, the calm waters of Lake Geneva will be looming in the distance. Next stop: Thonon-Les-Bains!

Approx. 250km - 1 busy day including sightseeing

The Puy de Dôme is the quintessence of well-being on a bike. Thermal spas to recharge your batteries, Saint-nectaire cheese for sustenance and the volcanoes of the Auvergne to feast your eyes on.

Where do we start? In La Bourboule. A town worth visiting for its large thermal baths topped with oriental domes. The D996 then takes you to Mont-Dore (another mountain resort), Lac Chambon, Château de Murol and finally to Saint-Nectaire. Is your top-case full of frometon? Perfect! Head for the peaks! You can start with the sumptuous Lac d'Aydat - the largest natural lake in the Auvergne - followed by the craters of extinct volcanoes: Puy de Dôme, de la Vache, des Goules, de Lemptégy.

Have you got any unleaded left? Then we invite you to extend your adventure bymeandering down the Sioule. From Miremont to Ebreuil, you'll discover the incredible Lac des Fades and its viaduct, medieval castles and the Chouvigny gorges, which we believe are a little-known virological nugget.

Around 150km - ½ day

Just a stone's throw from the Belgian border, the French Ardennes are a delightful green setting to discover by motorcycle. The scent of fir trees, nature and rivers. Add medieval towns to the mix, and you've got the perfect combo for a successful motorcycle ride. What do we love about this region? The roads wind gently along the rivers. The This, the Thin, the Meuse and the Sémois, for example, form beautiful, bucolic departmental roads.

The ideal starting point: Charleville-Mézières, birthplace of the no less famous Rimbaud (the poet, not Stallone). Heading west, you can discover pretty riverside villages such as Warq, Neuville-Lès-This and Revin, nestled in a loop of the Meuse. Rocroi, for its part, is a stop not to be missed. This fortified micro-city has an astonishing star-shaped urban layout. Let yourself be guided by the curves of the Meuse as far as Haybes, a hundred meters from Belgium, and then down to Hautes-Rivières, where the Semois awaits you. Follow the meandering river to Monthermé, where you can rejoin the Meuse. It will take you all the way to Charleville-Mézière. You've come full circle!

Approx. 450 km - 2 to 3 days

Well, we'd better warn you: the Cotentin peninsula is an absolute nugget for a motorcycle road-trip. The kind of region that opens your eyes to the uneven distribution of Mother Nature's wonders in France. That said, what's the general idea behind this trip? Follow the contours of this arm of land from Granville to Bayeux, discovering picturesque fishing villages, tiny coves and sheer cliffs. What a program!

Rendezvous at the foot of the Granville lighthouse to warm up the engines. From there, head for the port of Regnéville-sur-Mer with its sublime stone houses. On the other side of the bay? It's the Pointe d'Agon, the Cotentin region's 1st retinal fracture. Heading north, you can pause in front of the mythical , colorful beach huts of Gouville, stroll through the small fishing village of Portbail and then be overwhelmed by the immense dunes of Hattainville. 2nd retinal fracture.

This escapade then takes on a truly magical dimension when you reach the nose of Jobourg. The story? Steep cliffs, rocky promontories, coves and points create a coastline of extraordinary relief. 3rd retinal fracture.

After so much excitement, we recommend you take a breather and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of port towns such as Cherbourg-en-Cotention, Barfleur or Saint-Vaast-La-Hougue.

270km - 1 day

Nestled between the Vercors and Luberon mountains, the Baronnies park is packed with winding roads and villages with stone houses. More than just a bike ride, exploring this region is also a journey through time, thanks to the many medieval castles that dot the landscape. So wait a little before swapping your adventurer's helmet for a knight's helmet.

The ideal starting point for exploring the Parc des Baronnies? Sault. Perched on a rocky promontory, this village overlooks a vast lavender plain. The scent of Provence. From here, the D164 and then the D964 wind their way to the summit of Mont Ventoux. At an altitude of 1909m, the Géant Chauve offers a unique panorama of the Alps, the Massif Central and the Cévennes. Magnificent!

What's next? It's pretty straightforward: a brilliant alternation of peaks and medieval towns. From the ruins of the Montbrun-les-Bains fortress to the Col Saint-Jean, the picturesque village of La Motte-Chalançon, the Col des Roustans, the remains of the Pontaix castle and the Col de Rousset. We just love it!

And that's it! With these 5 road-trip ideas, all you have to do is call your riding buddies, set a date, and off you go! Want more? Then head to the bookshop and pick up the guide "Week-ends à moto, 50 itinéraires insolites en France", written by Uralistan, to discover complete routes with GPX tracks included, so you can rediscover France in a whole new way.

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Photo credit: Uralistan