From Paris to Le Havre — the Seine by Bike
Bike Touring Collection by Guillaume Favez
4-8
days
3-6 h
/ day
245 mi
4,975 ft
5,100 ft
The Seine by Bike is a 400-kilometre (249 mi) cycle route that follows the Parisian river to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean. From the capital to the ocean, via Rouen, you’ll discover countless exceptional and yet often unknown monuments and sights.
The seven stages of this trip range between 53 and 65 kilometres (33–40 mi) with a relatively small difference in altitude, as the route follows the Seine almost without interruption.
Between limestone cliffs, marshes, cathedrals and even troglodyte churches, this Collection will convince you that the Seine is not at all monotonous. Sometimes wild, sometimes urban, the river deserves to be admired at every curve.
This itinerary alternates between trails, little-travelled secondary roads and greenways. This trip is best ridden on a bike that can handle rough trails, like a touring or gravel bike.
Paris is accessible by train from all over France, but it will be easier to set off from Le Havre on weekdays, where one train per hour leaves for the capital. At weekends, the choice is much more limited and you’ll need to plan a stop in Rouen to reach Paris.
Although the route is passable all year round, apart from when the Seine is flooded, some accommodation is likely to close in the low season, so it is best to consider riding in spring or summer.
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Last updated: November 5, 2021
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Tours & Highlights
- Intermediate03:1732.2 mi9.8 mph425 ft475 ftIntermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
This first stage stretches for nearly 52 kilometers with only 130 meters of vertical drop. The start is located in the heart of Paris, on the Ile de la Cité, at the foot of the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral and the zero point of the roads of France (that is to say the kilometer point 0 roads leaving…
- Intermediate03:3432.9 mi9.2 mph500 ft500 ftIntermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
Departing from Herblay-sur-Seine, walk along the banks of the Seine then cross the Oise at the confluence of the Seine and admire the two rivers that meet.
At kilometer 23, you can contemplate the Gallardon pond and its green setting. If you are on a mountain bike or gravel, you can go around it, otherwise…
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- Intermediate03:3636.8 mi10.2 mph875 ft825 ftIntermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
From the first kilometers of this Tour, a small climb awaits you. At the top, take the time to breathe and discover Mantes-la-Jolie and the banks of the Seine.
After about twenty kilometers along the Seine which winds its way to the gates of Vexin, you will see the limestone cliffs characteristic of the…
- Intermediate03:2335.1 mi10.4 mph525 ft625 ftIntermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
This Tour follows the meanders of the Seine and therefore has little difference in height. Count around 160 meters of climb spread over the 56 kilometers of this stage.
After about ten kilometers, at the level of the bridge which allows you to cross the Seine, you will see Château-Gaillard, built by the…
- Intermediate03:0833.0 mi10.5 mph625 ft625 ftFerryIntermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The Tour includes a crossing by ferry.
This Tour of approximately 53 kilometers takes you from nature to the city, before returning to the banks of the Seine.
From the eighth kilometer, the Route des Roches offers you splendid landscapes where limestone rocks mix with the forest for several kilometers.
From the sixteenth kilometer, the route…
- Intermediate03:5441.2 mi10.5 mph1,125 ft750 ftFerryIntermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The Tour includes a crossing by ferry.
This Tour is the longest in the Collection, with more than 65 kilometers for around 340 meters of vertical drop. But it is easy to gain fifteen kilometers by not following one of the loops of the Seine.
On the other hand, if you do not follow the first loop of the Seine, you will miss the Manoir des Templiers…
- Intermediate03:1333.5 mi10.4 mph950 ft1,325 ftIntermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
This last Tour has a few surprises in store for you throughout the 54 kilometers of the stage.
From the first kilometers, you travel on the road of the thatched cottages, marked out by splendid small houses with the so particular construction. The vast majority of these cottages are perfectly maintained…
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Collection Stats
- Tours7
- Distance245 mi
- Duration24:05 h
- Elevation4,975 ft5,100 ft
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