Day 1

Meet your Backroads Trip Leaders (the folks wearing Backroads T-shirts) at 11:30 a.m. at the Rennes train station in Rennes, France. Please arrive wearing your biking clothes with your rain gear handy, or come with your gear packed in a small separate daypack so you can change before the ride.

Shuttle to Dinan 1 Hour
Forêt du Mesnil Route 14 Miles (500-foot elevation gain)

Bienvenue en France! After meeting we shuttle to Dinan and get better acquainted during a classic Backroads picnic at the charming Breton manor home, Vue de la Rance. Perched high above the Rance Estuary, its garden boasts a full panorama of the surrounding valley and wetlands. Then your Trip Leaders fit your bike and give a brief talk on biking techniques and safety.
Your warm-up ride begins with an invigorating downhill to cross La Rance Canal. Leave the river to pedal through forests and past quiet villages—it’s a great introduction to the beautiful French countryside! Gentle terrain leads into the Forêt du Mesnil, where you’ll find an allée couverte, a Celtic megalith dating from 2500 B.C. Continue to Saint Malo Hotel, Golf & Country Club, our home for the next two nights.

This evening we gather for a trip orientation and wine reception featuring the Kir Breton (apple cider and cassis), an authentic Brittany aperitif, before heading to the dining room for our first French feast.

Lodging: Saint Malo Hotel, Golf & Country Club

Day 2

St-Malo Route 32 Miles with Shuttle (1,150-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Cancale 18 Miles with Shuttle (330-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: St-Malo Loop 54 Miles (1,480-foot elevation gain)

After a leisurely breakfast, start today’s ride along the Brittany seaboard. Enjoy fabulous views at Pointe de Grouin, where silver and sailor seagulls, cormorants and red-billed ducks find sanctuary. You’ll get glimpses of the Atlantic en route to Cancale, a small fishing town famous for huîtres (oysters)—you might even be lured away from your bike to sample a few. Stop for lunch on your own at a lovely seaside restaurant, or simply grab a sandwich and find a nice spot overlooking the ocean. Then continue on your bike past fields of heather and pastureland to the rock cliffs of Rothéneuf, where an eccentric monk spent decades sculpting figures of monsters and grotesque faces.

The next stop is St-Malo, a walled granite city perched on a peninsula that was once an island. A monastic settlement in the early 6th century, St-Malo later became a pirate haven. Today it’s one of Brittany’s most popular destinations, thanks to a plethora of outstanding seafood restaurants and great shopping. After spending time in St-Malo, hop in the shuttle for a lift back to the hotel. If you’re looking for more miles, return to the hotel on two wheels, relishing panoramas of the Rance estuary and calm stretches of country roads.

For dinner we head to Dinan’s main plaza for a fantastic meal at Mère Pourcel Restaurant, established in 1927. Dinan is considered one of the best-preserved (and some say, prettiest) towns in Brittany. After our meal we join a local historian for a sunset stroll by oil lamp on the ramparts and to the historic port and canal via ancient cobblestone streets.

Lodging: Saint Malo Hotel, Golf & Country Club

Day 3

Shuttle to Mont-St-Michel 45 Minutes
Shuttle to Normandy 1½ Hours
Pointe du Hoc Route 21 Miles (430-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Bessin de Cotentin 35 Miles (430-foot elevation gain)

This morning we shuttle to the island monastery and cathedral Mont-St-Michel, one of three main pilgrimage sites in Europe. Our early arrival means we can avoid the distraction of throngs of tourists, allowing us to really get a sense of the power of these hallowed grounds, which have attracted the faithful throughout Christendom for centuries. From here we drive into the département of Calvados in Normandy, a region known for its hedgerows, excellent cider and flavorful cheeses. Lunch is at Château du Pierre des Monts, a 16th-century manor in a tranquil setting.

In the afternoon we visit the World War II site of Pointe du Hoc, a vital German stronghold located on a clifftop between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach. Early on June 6, 1944, with Pointe du Hoc’s battery of artillery threatening Allied forces, 225 U.S. Army Rangers were presented with a daunting task: to scale the 100-foot cliffs and assume control of the position. After two days of fighting, only 90 survived. A memorial stands to honor those whom Ronald Reagan would describe 40 years later as ―the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.‖

If you’re up for more miles, continue on the longer option, which takes you on a beautiful flat loop through the marshlands and estuary of the Cotentin and Bessin Natural Preserve.Rugged cliffs and rambling beaches provide the backdrop for today’s ride along the Normandy coast and along Utah Beach, a landing location about two-and-a-half miles south of the Americans’ intended target. A fortuitous error, this navigational miscalculation kept American troops well out of range of the German guns positioned on the coastal batteries of Saint-Marcouf and Azzeville. Check out the museum if you have time.

Arriving in Colleville-sur-Mer, get settled into your room at the modern Domaine de l’Hostréière, located near the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach.

Lodging: Domaine de l’Hostréière

Day 4

Bayeux Route 40 Miles (330-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Port-en-Bessin 22 Miles (330-foot elevation gain)

Accompanied by a local historian, we head to Omaha Beach, where more than 3,000 American troops were killed or wounded on D-Day during their valiant attempts to reach shore. Standing on the broad peaceful beach, frequented by carefree beachcombers and sightseers, it’s hard to imagine the grim scene that earned this spot the nickname ―Bloody Omaha.‖ High above the beach, you’ll find the American Military Cemetery at St-Laurent-sur-Mer, where 9,386 white marble markers stand in perfect rows. A colonnaded memorial displays maps and accounts of the June 6 landings. Inscribed on a wall behind the memorial are the names of 1,557 soldiers whose remains were never recovered.

After lunch hop on your bike and head through the countryside to Port-en-Bessin. Then continue to Bayeux, which on June 7, 1944, became the first French town to be liberated from the Nazis. You can visit the market and Cathédral Notre-Dame, with origins dating from 1077. You may also want to check out the Bayeux Tapestry, a 203-foot-long piece of embroidery that portrays the Norman invasion of England in 1066, led by William the Conqueror. It turned out to be the most famous battle in English history. For the next 300 years, the rulers and nobility of England spoke French, not English.

Tonight enjoy dinner on your own at one of Bayeux’s restaurants.

Lodging: Le Lion d’Or

Day 5

D-Day Route 23 Miles (390-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Arromanches 14 Miles with Shuttle (70-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Juno Beach 39 Miles (430-foot elevation gain)

Set out on your bike after breakfast, pedaling along flat country roads to the Normandy coast and the town of Arromanches, where the remains of one of the artificial ports constructed to aid in the D-Day invasion still stand. After enjoying a typical Normand lunch, feel free to explore—between the D-Day museum, with its fascinating film and exhibits detailing the D-Day operation, the 360-degree cinema and the ruins of the Mulberry Harbor, there’s plenty to do.

If you’d rather spend less time exploring Arromanches and more time riding, take the longer option to historic Juno Beach, where Canadian troops landed on D-Day. Grab lunch on the way or wait until you arrive in Arromanches.

Back on your bike, prepare for a climb out of Arromanches but take heart, as your efforts will be richly reward with amazing views of the harbor and cliffs. Check out the batteries at Longues-sur-Mer and then ride on through the countryside, tackling one more challenging ascent to the hotel.

This evening we celebrate our unforgettable bicycling adventure over a festive farewell dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Le Lion d’Or

Day 6

Shuttle to Caen Memorial 45 Minutes
Shuttle to Caen Train Station 30 Minutes

We spend the morning at the award-winning Caen Memorial, a ―Museum for Peace,‖ which documents the events of World Wars I and II and the continued pursuit of world peace. After our tour we enjoy a final picnic lunch on the museum grounds before shuttling to the Caen train station.