Easiest route from Calais to Chaminix, France

[matata]

Just dreaming....Thinking of cycling with the wife to friends in chaminix france . Time not a problem. I don't want to put her off by big hauls/climbs. any suggestions for a "nice" route with few hills, nice scenery, the odd restaurant. Don't mind hosteling it. Ta Nik

[boblo]

Chamonix?

[Canuk]

I assume you mean Chamonix!? If you're looking for a nice route you're probably barking up the wrong tree from Calais. Mostly what you'll be stuck with is busy main roads as you try to bypass Paris and Ile de France (which is probably at least a day's cycle to get through), and then not a lot of choice for small roads from there to the Alps.

A much more pleasant, quieter route woukd be flying into Carcassonne (very cheap by Ryanair May-Oct) and cycling up the coast from there. Lovely small coastal routes and 200km of Routes Verte (very well maintained cycle tracks that can be ridden on ordinary bikes /tyres).

Once you've reached Montpellier, it's plain sailing to Grenoble, again lot of quiet roads and Routes Vertes, but from there to Chamonix you will experience hills. It is the Alps after all! But starting from Calais you're going to run into heavy traffic straight away, which won't abate full you get well south of Paris.

[hamster]

IIf you're looking for a nice route you're probably barking up the wrong tree from Calais. Mostly what you'll be stuck with is busy main roads as you try to bypass Paris and Ile de France (which is probably at least a day's cycle to get through), and then not a lot of choice for small roads from there to the Alps.

WHAT!!! There are plenty of traffic-free routes! For a start look at the Voies Vertes. France his far bigger than the UK, most minor roads are very quiet and above all drivers are far more considerate. Google Maps turns up a surprising array of cycle paths.
However for a really gentle route it is worth considering riding alongside the Rhine - travel along Belgian canals, nip across via Maastricht and join at Cologne, then up the Rhine all the way to Basel with something like a 1:1000 uphill gradient. Then skirt the Alps to Geneva with a final lumpy bit to Chamonix.

[Canuk]

IIf you're looking for a nice route you're probably barking up the wrong tree from Calais. Mostly what you'll be stuck with is busy main roads as you try to bypass Paris and Ile de France (which is probably at least a day's cycle to get through), and then not a lot of choice for small roads from there to the Alps.

WHAT!!! There are plenty of traffic-free routes! For a start look at the Voies Vertes. France his far bigger than the UK, most minor roads are very quiet and above all drivers are far more considerate. Google Maps turns up a surprising array of cycle paths.
However for a really gentle route it is worth considering riding alongside the Rhine - travel along Belgian canals, nip across via Maastricht and join at Cologne, then up the Rhine all the way to Basel with something like a 1:1000 uphill gradient. Then skirt the Alps to Geneva with a final lumpy bit to Chamonix.

The Routes Vertes (tr.) I talked about above are well developed in the south, but in the North and especially ile de France they are much more patchy and rough (a lot of the rural stuff is like single track), so not really suitable for novice cyclists or bikes without big tyres.

[hamster]

But I don't understand why you would route anywhere near Ile de France - pass all the way NE via Reims. It's even the most direct route, with plenty of quiet lanes in the Picardy countryside.

[Canuk]

But I don't understand why you would route anywhere near Ile de France - pass all the way NE via Reims. It's even the most direct route, with plenty of quiet lanes in the Picardy countryside.

I wouldn't start in the North full stop. Not at all. Cheap flights to the south are so ubiquitous May-Oct you'd be mad not to. I've friends can fly from Edinburgh to Carcassonne for £9.99 most of the summer. Carcassonne is a fantastic base for any kind of touring. Vineyards galore and still hundreds of competing French restaurants at reasonable prices. Gites are a cheap alternative here in the summer and you can just about throw a stick in any direction and find a grand château or castle to visits. In the south you are pretty much guaranteed everyday sunshine from June-September. And generally (this year was an exception) not too hot or too cold, like Goldilocks porridge - just right

The North, in comparison is a bit bleak and dull.

[ANTONISH]

I've frequently ridden randonees with the Calais, Boulogne, St Omer clubs among others.
There are many quiet and pleasant roads in the region.
Some of the Artois hills are quite challenging - I'm sure that there is a good route to be had to Chamonix - it depends how much time you have and what your intended daily mileage is.
Probably you should have posted this in the Touring section.

[thelawnet]

But I don't understand why you would route anywhere near Ile de France - pass all the way NE via Reims. It's even the most direct route, with plenty of quiet lanes in the Picardy countryside.

I wouldn't start in the North full stop. Not at all. Cheap flights to the south are so ubiquitous May-Oct you'd be mad not to. I've friends can fly from Edinburgh to Carcassonne for £9.99 most of the summer. Carcassonne is a fantastic base for any kind of touring. Vineyards galore and still hundreds of competing French restaurants at reasonable prices. Gites are a cheap alternative here in the summer and you can just about throw a stick in any direction and find a grand château or castle to visits. In the south you are pretty much guaranteed everyday sunshine from June-September. And generally (this year was an exception) not too hot or too cold, like Goldilocks porridge - just right

The North, in comparison is a bit bleak and dull.

Why would you fly from Edinburgh if you live in Dover, say? Surely the reason to start from Calais is rather obvious....

[mjr]

I've frequently ridden randonees with the Calais, Boulogne, St Omer clubs among others.
There are many quiet and pleasant roads in the region.
Some of the Artois hills are quite challenging - I'm sure that there is a good route to be had to Chamonix - it depends how much time you have and what your intended daily mileage is.
Probably you should have posted this in the Touring section.

I've ridden to/from Dunkirk to/from Bruges and Ypres. It has its own charm. Plenty of history. No big hills. Lots of greenery.

Route to Chamonix suggested by https://cycle.travel/map seems to be roughly EuroVelo 5 Franciscan Way to Lens, then head south via the V30, keeping west of Reims, to pick up the Marne river and canal near Dormans, which leads to the V53 and V50 to near Dole, then it's the tough choice between picking a way over the Jura (I'd consider Salines-les-Bains, Pont d'Héry and Bonnevaux) or adding a hundred miles to go around them and pick up EV17 near Lagnieu.

(Edited to remove an escaped autocorrect.)

[pete75]

The North, in comparison is a bit bleak and dull.

You don't really know France do you?

[Canuk]

The North, in comparison is a bit bleak and dull.

You don't really know France do you?

I lived in Troyes for 6 months and it was absolutely miserable, even in spring, never mind early summer. I couldnt recommend it to anyone. And the cycling is just as desolate. Flying into Carcassonne you've got the choice of the Pyrenees, the sea to the east, the fabulous hot water Spas, proper chateau country, the Alps, skiing in winter and very close (1hr) proximity to northern Spain and catalonia. In Calais they have some nice cranes to look at.

For now this is my permanent residence. I've been here three years, I daresay I know a fair more about than any holidaying Brit.

[Cyril Haearn]

Carcassonne is a long way from Chamonix
I like the idea or leaving France and going by the Rhein (1:1000)
France is much less densely populated than the UK, even in the north

Vive la France profonde!

[Canuk]

Carcassonne is a long way from Chamonix
I like the idea or leaving France and going by the Rhein (1:1000)
France is much less densely populated than the UK, even in the north

Vive la France profonde!

Its 900km from Calais to Chamonix and only 630km from Carcassonne. The roads are very bike friendly and you can ride about 380km of that on the Routes Vertes, with absolutely no traffic. That's why I suggested it, especially if the Ops wife isn't used to riding in French traffic, on the wrong side of the road...

[PDQ Mobile]

The N of France has it's own charm. Small roads S from Calais are quite a different world to the A roads and autoroute. Quiet rural little villages etc. Arable and mixed farm land. People friendly enough, cars courteous enough.

Though there are some steep, if fairly shortish hills. That is the lie of the land that the major routes iron out.
The weather is maritime and sometimes rainy but usually improves as one moves inland.

I have enjoyed cycling though it all.
The first time I did it on a bike after years of vehicle based travel on the major routes it was a revelation; although it coincided with an active cold front!
But then as always the sun came out and the roads steamed dry in minutes. Happy days.