Cycling Holiday Dreaming – a few facts of the Côte d’Azur to plan from

In BikeTrip we often receive requests from people who seek advice for cycling holidays in our area. We are always happy trying to help find solutions for your special needs. In this article we offer a few facts that are good to know, before you decide to travel here on your own, with your family or with a group of people by bike.

 The weather

One very good reason for choosing the Côte d’Azur for your cycling holidays is the temperate climate and many hours of sunshine throughout the year. While summers can be hot, the months of late September to end October can be brilliant for cycling. Stable weather, day temperatures between 22-30 C/ 71,6-86 F, blue sky and a breeze if any wind at all.

 Spring can also offer very pleasant cycling days in the months February-May although there is a higher risk for rain. From mid-June Summer starts and heats up the area. If you cycle in the mountain areas, it will be a bit cooler, but you need to consider the frequent thunderstorms that shake heavens and grounds in the afternoons.

 Winter is short and not too cold. You can cycle all year long here, yet November-January do have more unstable weather and sometimes heavy storms than the rest of the year. When a winter storm is around, you do not want to be out on a bike, as the wind can literally swipe you off the bike!

 The terrain

When you cycle in our region, prepare yourself for some up-/downhill riding. The region offers spectacular routes for road bike or MTB. You find epic climbs and natural parks with views that will take your breath away! You can go for hours and hours and keep discovering new beautiful landscapes and villages.

 There are a few more flat routes, but they are limited and often on busy roads at the sea front. If you are looking for a family friendly cycling holiday with flat roads, a lot of cycling tracks, and not much traffic of cars and motorbikes, you will be better off in a different location.

 One of the first choices you will make in the planning is, whether you want to stay in the same accommodation and use one spot as your starting point, or whether you want to cycle from location to location and stay overnight in different places.

 Stay in one place or cycle hotel-hotel

The easiest option for planning is to stay in one location. You only have to do one booking of hotel/apartment/house and you do not have to worry about luggage transfers. Off course you will have to go back to the same place every night and it will limit your reach by bike per day.

 The Côte d’Azur offers a big variety of routes by road bike or MTB from each major town, so if you are here for cycling 1-4 days you will be able to do different routes each day and get excited every time.

 The benefit of going for a hotel-hotel model is that you cover more land and can get further into the Alps or cross countries. Unless you carry all of your luggage on the bike, it will take some more logistics to plan such a trip.

 Luggage transfer or support car

 Luggage transfers and/or support cars can be organized. At the moment there are no services dedicated to this in our region and it needs to be organized on a group-group basis. Depending on your plans for the trip, you need to consider how many people you are to share the costs as you must count in; payment to a driver/car, the drivers’ accommodation and food on top of a daily payment for the service. Anything is possible, but better to ask well in advance if you consider going a group of people and you want to have some sort of car service.

 Cycle shops / mechanics

Town areas most often have a bike shop with a mechanic in town as a lot of French people love cycling and need a local mechanic. In villages a bike shop or a mechanic is a rare sight. If you are in a remote area and need mechanic assistance don’t be shy to ask a local for help. There may be a helpful person with the right tools and skills around the corner to come to your rescue. A bit of French language skills, a kind approach and a bit of patience when meeting people open unexpected doors when in France.

 There are a lot of options for a creating a unique cycling holiday here. We are here to help you so you can make your dream cycling holiday come true!

 BikeTrip