Today I’m taking you to Normandy to discover a French cycling route that passes through several departments and territories: the Vélo Francette. It connects Ouistreham to La Rochelle with over 600 km of quiet country roads, paths, and greenways, crossing 3 regions (Normandy, Pays de la Loire, and Poitou-Charentes in Nouvelle Aquitaine) and 7 departments. For our part, we did the Calvados/Orne stretch with our friends from La Bougeotte Française between Caen and Flers. This cycling route, which starts from the English Channel and heads down toward the Atlantic, has existed since June 2015. For its Norman portion, the itinerary travels through Calvados, starting from the seaside resort of Ouistreham, passes through Caen, and then follows the Orne valley in Suisse Normande.
For this article, I am offering a breakdown of the circuit and our itinerary for these 4 days of cycling travel in Normandy. The majority of the establishments we tested (and which I tell you about in the article) have the “Accueil Vélo” certification, a label that guarantees a welcome, services, and specific equipment adapted to the needs of bicycle tourists along France’s cycling routes. These “Accueil Vélo” establishments are mainly located within 5km of the Vélo Francette.
Local Norman gastronomy to discover:
- Cider products (cider, Calvados, apple juice, etc.)
- Teurgoule, a dessert invented in the 18th century thanks to sailors from Honfleur who brought back rice and spices from distant lands; it is a type of rice pudding baked in the oven with cinnamon
- Norman cheeses (including Camembert, obviously…)
- A specialty apple tart in the Orne region made with a specific variety of apple (I can’t remember the name, sorry…)
- Isigny caramel
Practical Information:
- Getting to Caen from Paris by train: take the train departing from Gare Saint-Lazare to the Caen station (a 2-hour trip by TER / I think the Norman TER trains are great, they are very comfortable, there is an electrical outlet per person, space for luggage, and even a phone holder in the headrest of the seat in front of you so you can watch your show or movie quietly during the trip, which is very well thought out)
- Return to Paris from Flers: Flers station to Paris Montparnasse station (2.5-hour trip)
- Rent our electric bikes through Locvélo
- If you want a travel guide, know that the Guide du Routard has released a special edition on the Vélo Francette (€13)
Vélo Francette
Table of Contents
Step 1: Ouistreham
This seaside resort is also the town where the start (or finish, depending on which way you take the route) of the Vélo Francette is located! The town of Ouistreham was heavily destroyed by the Germans during the war. It is also one of the places where you can take the ferry to go to England.
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Where to have lunch in Ouistreham? La Moulerie Restaurant
This restaurant, located facing the sea, offers seafood and mussel specialties (with over a dozen ways to enjoy them), and they also make buckwheat crepes, of course.
We tasted: the Norman-style mussels (€16); mussels with Camembert (€16), both served with fries; for dessert, we tried the crepes (prices between €3.50 and €9.90), but personally, I wasn’t very excited about the one I had, which was a bit dry.
La Moulerie
5 place Alfred Thomas 14112 OuistrehamGreat deal: La Moulerie menu at €22.90 with mussels or buckwheat crepe + dessert + a drink
Step 2: Caen la Mer
This was our first time in Caen, but this quick discovery really made us want to come back because it’s a green city where life seems good. It is, in fact, ranked the 8th greenest city in France. It is also a bike-friendly city that facilitates travel by bicycle with the development of shared lanes and greenways. In the Caen la Mer territory, there are 400km of bike paths, including the Vélo Francette and Vélo Maritime routes. This makes it a sustainable destination for slow tourism.
The city of Caen was 35% destroyed during the Second World War, yet it is a city with significant heritage and numerous historical monuments. Some of these structures were built using Caen stone, a limestone with blond highlights that “tans in the sun,” as they say here. The development of the city of Caen took place in the early years of the 11th century, and the first mention of Caen (then called Cadomum) appears in 1025 in the charter of the Abbey of Fécamp. The city will therefore celebrate its millennium in 2025. The history of the city is also closely linked to William the Conqueror. The latter, born in Falaise in 1027, became Duke of Normandy at age 8, and 20 years later, he decided to make Caen a strategic site and his preferred place of residence. Part of his body is actually buried in Caen.
Also to see (though we didn’t have time to do it during our quick pass): the Château de Caen; the Abbaye aux Dames; go for a stroll on the Caen marina which hosts open-air guinguettes in the summer; see the Place Saint Sauveur, the oldest square in the city.
Caen la Mer Tourist and Convention Office
12 place Saint-Pierre 14000 Caen
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Visiting the Abbaye aux Hommes
The Abbaye aux Hommes is accessible for self-guided tours (without a guide) or guided tours. For our part, we opted for the tour with a guide. During this “Exceptional Heritage” guided tour, we discovered the gardens, the cloister, the former monastery, the monks’ refectory, the wedding hall, the guard room, the abbey church, the ceremonial staircase dating from 1760, and more.
We also learned a lot about an important figure of the city: William the Conqueror. Indeed, he was born in Falaise (not far from Caen) in the 11th century. His father was the Duke of Normandy and died when William was only 8 years old. After the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047, he obtained the title of Duke of Normandy. To seek forgiveness for his marriage to his distant cousin Matilda of Flanders in 1050, he founded several abbeys and hospitals in Caen: an abbey for women (in 1060) and a Benedictine abbey for men (in 1063), which offers a fine example of Norman Romanesque and Gothic architecture. He was then crowned King of England in 1066.
The current buildings of the abbey are from several periods. Today, we mostly visit the 18th-century monastery (made of Caen stone), and in fact, the Chapter House contains beautiful woodwork from that period by the craftsman François Poche. The Saint-Etienne abbey church houses the tomb of William the Conqueror, but due to numerous pillages, only his femur is still kept here. After the French Revolution, the last monks were expelled from the abbey, and the town hall has been housed in the building since 1965.
During our visit, we also had the opportunity to discover the temporary exhibition “Robert Doisneau” (which runs until October 2, 2023). And you can also go visit the permanent exhibition “Caen, a Summer of ’44, Life Goes On,” which speaks about the Second World War period in Caen.
L’Abbaye aux Hommes
Esplanade Jean-Marie Louvel, 14000 Caen
Guided tour of the Abbaye aux Hommes “Exceptional Heritage”
Check schedule according to the seasons
Duration of the guided tour: 1 hour
Guided tour prices: €8 with the exhibit / €6 without the exhibit / discount possible via the tourist office / free for under-18s, job seekers, and RSA beneficiariesPrices for self-guided discovery tour: €5 / €3 outside of temporary exhibition periods / free for under-18s, job seekers, and RSA beneficiaries
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Where to have dinner in Caen? At Le Royal restaurant
This establishment is adjacent to the hotel where we stayed (see just below), and so it is a very good option for a meal if you are staying at the Royal Hôtel, which I talk about right after. The warm and cozy setting of the restaurant was recently renovated. On the plates, you find a revisited version of traditional French dishes.
We tasted: for appetizers, the tuna tataki (€11.50) and the fish ceviche (€12.50), or the soft-boiled egg with eggplant caviar, mozzarella cream, and pesto (€9.50); for main courses, the langoustine risotto (€20) and the Chateaubriand with pepper sauce (€27); the beef tartare (€15); for dessert, I recommend the pineapple-apple Pavlova with a yuzu sorbet (€8.50).
Restaurant Le Royal
3 place de la République 14000 Caen
Great deal: lunchtime (lunch only) with appetizer + main course or main course + dessert for €18, and appetizer + main course + dessert for €24
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Where to stay in Caen in an Accueil Vélo certified accommodation? Best Western Royal HOTEL
This 3-star hotel is the only hotel in Caen to have received the Clef Verte label, the leading sustainable tourism label for tourist accommodations and restaurants. It is also “Accueil Vélo” certified (the label I mentioned in the introduction). It is very well located in the city center, and the room we had was located at the back of the establishment and was particularly quiet.
Best Western Royal Hôtel
1 place de la République 14000 Caen
Room rates: between €80 and €205
Step 3: Suisse Normande on the Calvados side
This tourist region of Suisse Normande is a territory in the heart of Normandy, shared between the departments of Calvados and Orne. It owes its name to its rugged relief. It is a region conducive to outdoor activities and therefore perfect for nature lovers. In this first part, I am telling you about our exploration of the Suisse Normande on the Calvados side, along the Vélo Francette.
Distance: Caen-Clécy 40 km
Cycling advice: it’s fairly flat between Caen and Thury-Harcourt, and you’re on a greenway almost the entire time
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Where to stop for lunch not far from the Vélo Francette? Le P’tit Cardinal Restaurant in Thury-Harcourt-le-Hom
For lunch on the road, I recommend stopping after the old train station of Thury-Harcourt, at the P’tit Cardinal restaurant. This address is well known in the region and is often full at lunchtime, even on weekdays. If the weather permits, the restaurant offers a terrace by the road (where you can keep an eye on your bikes). Here, the dishes are prepared with fresh, seasonal products, and the restaurant sources from local producers for its family-style cooking.
We tasted: the Norman salad with Camembert, creamed apples, and Pavé de Vire (€16.80 as a main dish); the Norman-style veal chop (€22); for dessert, a Norman specialty, the Teurgoule du père (order it at the start of the meal if you want to be sure to get one – €5.50); for a drink, I recommend testing the cider from the Cave de la Loterie, an organic cidery in Clécy (€12.50 for a bottle of organic brut cider).
Great deal: the restaurant also has a vending machine located in front of the restaurant and accessible 24/7 that offers the restaurant’s products to take away in jars, accessible at any time!
Le p’tit Cardinal
8 Le Hom, 14220 Le Hom
Great deal: lunch menu (from Tuesday to Friday) with appetizer + main course or main course + dessert for €13.50, and appetizer + main course + dessert for €16
itinerary info: at the old Thury train station, turn right onto the road; at the exit of Thury, turn right onto the road (direction Goupillières / Ouffières), then the Auberge le P’tit Cardinal is on this road (200m after the Tranchée du Hom)
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Make a stop at the La Lie brewery
On the route of the Vélo Francette, you can make a very short detour to visit the craft brewery La Lie, which is located along the course and produces 300,000 liters of organic beer per year (60% of production in bottles and 40% in draft kegs). This craft brewery has been around for 15 years and now employs 7 people who work on-site. It is certified in organic agriculture and has also obtained the Bio, Nature and Progress Label (which is an even more demanding label than the standard organic one). In addition to its classic range, it also offers seasonal beers depending on the season and the brewer’s recipes.
On-site, you will find a shop where it is possible to buy all the brewery’s products. This includes a fairly varied range with seasonal beers and also a collaboration with a local cheesemaker to make a beer-rubbed cheese. The site also has a project for a larger visitor space for 2024/2025, with the possibility of setting up a bar and snack service.
La Lie Organic Craft Brewery
400, rue de l’Orne, ZI, 14570 St Rémy
shop open Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm
Bottle prices on-site: €3 for a 33cl bottle / €6 for a 75cl bottle; bottle gift set with 3x75cl or 6x33cl for €18
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Stop over in Clécy
This village of character in Calvados has the feel of a mid-mountain resort. Indeed, the village is located in the heart of a natural setting and is surrounded by rocky massifs. The village is also an artists’ village and offers several open-air exhibitions throughout the year. It is a good place to stop for the evening and sleep locally. You will see that there are also quite a few nature activities if you want to stay there a little longer.
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Do a Via Ferrata in Clécy
This via ferrata has existed since 2013, and it is practiced autonomously over 2,500 meters. It is actually the only Via Ferrata in this northern part of France. Its route crosses the rocky escarpments of the cliff with a succession of beams and footbridges, and it ends with a giant zipline of 400m, crossing the valley to arrive at the foot of the viaduct (the latter is not always open depending on the period, and in our case, for example, it was closed at the time of our visit, but there is a path that allows you to walk back down).
With the photographer, we are fans of via ferrata, so we naturally loved this activity. I would say that the level of this via ferrata is quite accessible and that it can be a good initiation if you have never done one before. Know that this activity is accessible even if you are not a big athlete; the main thing is not to be too sensitive to heights and to be cautious. You can rent your equipment right at the bottom of the start, at Vertig’.
Vertig’
Les bords de l’Orne 14 570 Clécy
from 10am to 5pm
Prices: via ferrata (250-meter course) access + equipment rental in the morning €14.50 (under 16) and €16.50 (over 16) / in the afternoon €16 (under 16) and €18 (over 16)
access conditions: must be taller than 1.40m; have closed-toe sports shoes
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Where to stay and dine in Clécy? Le Site Normand
Once again, this hotel is “Accueil Vélo” certified. It also has a spa with a wellness area, but we didn’t test it because it was an extra charge. In any case, the hotel is well-equipped to accommodate bikes, and we found the welcome to be very friendly and attentive. The hotel has the Logis Cosy and Table Savoureuse labels. In the evening, we also dined on-site at the hotel restaurant. The latter is open from Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner. We started with a very pleasant house aperitif, and we were then won over by the quality of the restaurant’s food. We discovered inventive cuisine with Norman flavors, prepared with fresh, local products.
We tasted: poached asparagus, light hollandaise and country ham (€15); beef chuck; the dessert trolley (€13)
Hôtel restaurant spa Le Site Normand
2 rue des Châtelets 14 570 Clécy
Room rates: between €90 and €195 per night
Restaurant prices: unique menu for lunch served from Tuesday lunch to Friday lunch at €22.50
Step 4: Suisse Normande on the Orne side
We then continue our route in Suisse Normande, but this time in the part that is located in the Orne department. It’s the opportunity to discover picturesque sites, landscapes with hilly terrain, winding gorges, and sunken valleys.
Distance: departure from Clécy in the direction of La Roche d’Oëtre via Pont d’Ouilly (Vélo Francette / approx. 23.5 km)
Distance: departure from Roche Oëtre in the direction of La Boderie (approx. 20 km) via Bréel, Notre-Dame-du-Rocher, then Taillebois (possibility to take a break at the bucolic site of the Chant des Cailloux)
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Hiking the Roche d’Oëtre site
The La Roche d’Oëtre site is one of the most iconic classified natural sites in the Orne; it’s called the Norman Grand Canyon. It is a rocky viewpoint 118 meters high that overlooks the Rouvre gorges, which meander below through a forest of oak, alder, and linden trees. The place, located in the heart of the Armorican massif and Suisse Normande, is ideal for walks and hikes. The site also offers a grandiose panorama of the surroundings and wild nature. It is classified as a Sensitive Natural Area.
We followed the gorge trail, which offers 2 walk variations (1.8 km for a 45-minute walk or 2.8 km for about a 1-hour walk). This hike takes you down and then along the Rouvre, which is a very pure river where you can find salmon, otters, and freshwater mussels that make pearls.
Don’t hesitate to go to the Tourist Information Office of the La Roche d’Oëtre Site to get information on hikes and also to enjoy the shop that sells regional products. Finally, the place also offers free temporary exhibitions.
Cycling tip: in front of the tourist information office, you will also find places to lock your bikes, and the site also offers toilets that are accessible for free.
Tourist Information Office of the La Roche d’Oëtre Site
61430 Saint Philbert sur Orne
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Where to eat at the La Roche d’Oëtre site? Café du Caillou
This place, open since 2019, is very nice, and it offers simple cuisine made with organic and local products. Everything is homemade and mainly from local products (there is actually a map in the restaurant to locate the different Norman producers the address works with). There is also a choice of vegetarian dishes. The decor of the address is very cozy inside, and outside there is also a pretty terrace for sunny days. If you want to eat inside, however, it is better to book, as it is often full.
We tasted: the pizza of the moment, the Dame Blanche with a cream mozzarella base, ham, truffle oil, toasted cashews, and burrata (€15.90); the Alex burger with fresh goat cheese (€13.90); the desserts are very good too and change regularly (prices between €4.90 and €7.90); I recommend you taste the beers; the address works with Les Travailleurs de l’Amer, a brewery we discovered in Cherbourg in the Cotentin and which makes a beer specifically for the venue (“la spéciale du Caillou” €4.40 for 33cl). Otherwise, you can also discover the Brasserie de l’Odon, a local business (amber draft at €4.90 for 33cl); the venue also makes very good mocktails (€6.90).
Café du Caillou
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Where to stay in Suisse Normande on the Orne side? At the Domaine de la Boderie
This charming gite de France is located about 6km from the Vélo Francette and is “Accueil Vélo” certified (normal at the same time, because we are in the family of the cyclist Guillaume Martin). It is set in an old 16th-century stronghold that overlooked a busy road at the time and still preserves a beautiful Manor at its heart, where the owners of the domain live. It offers 4 different accommodations with a total capacity of 35 people. In addition to the 10 hectares of the domain, the venue has a theater inaugurated in 2002 and offers several varied activities: room rentals, cooking classes, hiking with donkeys, or even a 2km walking path to take a nature and heritage walk on the domain’s trail. And finally, the icing on the cake, Marie, the hostess, will welcome you with communicative kindness and generosity.
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The Japanese Pavilion
For our part, we stayed in the Japanese Pavilion, an unusual eco-gite accommodation that uses the Japanese ryokan model. Entirely made of wood, this accommodation with a very romantic setting also has a small terrace installed on the traditional walkway that goes around the pavilion, similar to tea pavilions in Japan, and overlooks a pond. I must say that we were completely charmed by this cottage, its beauty, and the tranquility that reigns there. For an evening and a night, we took a trip to Japanese lands, and it was a very refreshing and exotic change of pace.
Domaine de La Boderie
61430 Ste Honorine la Chardonne
Rates for the Japanese Pavilion: €190 per night for 2 people on weekends with breakfast included (+ €30 per additional person) and €170 during the week / possibility to book a Japanese meal (€29 per person)
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Do a cooking workshop/class with Sophie Champaux at the Domaine de la Boderie
During this “back from the market” workshop, Sophie proposed that we make recipes essentially based on local and seasonal products. We cooked with her, then we shared the dinner at the end of the workshop with Sophie and Marie, our hostess. Sophie and Marie have been collaborating for over a year now. Based in the Manche department, this traveling chef, as she defines herself, offers dishes with local products, bought as close as possible to the place where she is cooking.
cooking workshop/class with Sophie Champaux
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Visit the village of La Carneille
The charming village of La Carneille is located about 10 km and 30 minutes by bike from the Domaine de la Boderie. The small city also possesses a rich and ancient history. I advise you to walk through the village following the 1.7 km route (free and accessible) named “La Carneille en Histoire” (online version here), which is marked by 11 panels explaining the major stages of the city’s evolution, from the Celts to the beginning of the 20th century.
During our visit, it was the “Artists’ Day,” the La Cavée festival (which takes place every 1st weekend in July), on the theme of Mosaics of Peace, with 50 artists exhibiting in private and public spaces. For the occasion, we had lunch at the food truck Au Vert Festin.
Great idea: take advantage of the small market of producers that takes place every 1st Sunday of the month under the small covered market of this picturesque village.
Step 5: Departing from Flers
We finished our itinerary in Flers, a city with a rich and varied architectural heritage and a strong industrial history in the 20th century. This is still in Normandy, in the Orne, but we have left the territory of Suisse Normande. We didn’t have much time to discover the city, but that’s where we returned the bikes and took the train back to Paris at the Flers station (Rue Nationale – 61100 Flers).
Distance: route toward Flers from La Carneille, along the Vélo Francette (about 14 km)
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Thanks to the tourist offices of Calvados Attractivité, Orne, Caen la mer Tourisme, Suisse Normande Tourisme, Montagnes de Normandie Tourisme, and the Vélofrancette for organizing this super stay in Normandy to discover the Vélo Francette. And thanks also to Sylvie and Christine for this discovery proposal!
I hope that with all this, I have made you want to follow the Vélo Francette, and if you also have your own great addresses and advice for this cycling route, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free; the photographer's authorization is mandatory before any use
