Places to visit by electric bike in BrittanyA collection of great bike rides for easy pedalling

Places to visit by electric bike in Brittany

Enjoy cycling without tiring yourself out! Electrically-assisted bikes are perfect for seeing Brittany’s varied countryside in a fun, eco-friendly way. You’ll find plenty of rental outlets all over the region, with suggestions for great bike rides to enjoy at your own pace. Here’s our selection.

A spin through the countryside along the Pink Granite Coast

In the north of the Côtes d’Armor department, the Trégor district has two sides to it: the wonderful Pink Granite Coast and the hinterland, more rural and away from the beaten track. From Perros-Guirec in Lannion Bay you’ll find a wild and ever-changing landscape along a coastline strewn with fantastic rock formations. Inland, you’ll come across old granite farmhouses, little chapels and megaliths. Explore them from the cycleway, ‘La Littorale’, one of the stages on the Tour de Manche route. Electric assistance is invaluable on this very hilly section. 250 Velek’tro bikes are available for hire at 40 rental points in the region. And an extra option… a ‘one-way’ service that allows you to pick up the bike at one location and drop it off at another.

Vélek’tro

Nature getaway in La Gacilly

La Gacilly is known for its shale-built houses, flower-filled alleys, arts and crafts community and its photo festival, a ‘must-see’ event. For the duration of the exhibition, Dutch electric bikes are available to rent and three trails are laid out around this village of character and the surrounding countryside. The waymarks will guide you from the Yves Rocher Botanical Gardens, which is home to 1,100 plant species, to Saint-Jugon Chapel in the middle of the Black Forest (Forêt-Noir) and to the vast expanse of water known as the Mortier de Glénac. You can cycle beside the Nantes-Brest Canal to the high cliffs of the Île-aux-Pies (Magpie Island). On your way back from the chapel of Saint-Laurent, you’ll find yourself riding in the shade of tall Mediterranean pines. Quite a change of scenery! Bike hire is available every day between 2 June and 30 September, and on request during the rest of the year.

Holland Bikes

From canals to chapels, in the Pontivy and Blavet area

Rent an electric bike from Pontivy Tourist Office and cycle along the towpath of the Nantes-Brest Canal. Going to Rohan, you’ll pass 54 locks. At the Etangs du Roz, one amazing work of engineering follows another: it’s quite spectacular. Dotted along the route you’ll see some remarkable trees (black walnuts, Turkey oaks, sycamore maples etc.), and the prettily-renovated lockkeepers’ cottages are good places to stop for a rest. From July to September, during the ‘Art in the Chapels’ festival, there are four trails to take you around 12 of the sacred buildings dotted along the Blavet Valley. Some of these are amazing, such as Saint-Gildas chapel, which seems to be wedged under an immense rock, in Bieuzy.

Pontivy Tourist Office

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Reach the Armorica Regional Natural Park in no time

Heather-covered moorland, hillsides covered in typical ‘bocage’ landscape of fields and hedges, rocky coastlines shaped by the sea, peaceful estuaries etc. One quick spin of the pedals will take you deep into the wild landscapes of the Armorica Regional Natural Park. This covers an area of 125,000 hectares between Brest harbour and the Monts d’Arrée range. With a fleet of 40 electric bikes in operation, you can make the most of this quintessential Brittany. Explore all the twists and turns of the Aulne estuary area, from Rosnoën to Landévennec. Or take a gentle ride round the Cap de la Chèvre headland on the Crozon Peninsula. Three circuits have been signposted, with others to follow. Out of season, you can opt for a long-distance cycle tour with a long-term rental.

Armorica Regional Natural Park

A magic bike ride in Brocéliande

Set off through moorland and forest, undulating countryside and pleasant little towns on one of the yellow bikes rented out by the Brocéliande Bike Tour network, in partnership with Destination Brocéliande. In this land of legends, you never know who you might meet: fairies, elves or the little Breton imps called korrigans! Quiet roads lead you to the Breton forest. There, you can wander around iconic sites and ancient trees such as the Guillotin Oak, with its impressive 9.65m circumference. Other sites not to be missed include the Château de Trécesson with its walls of reddish shale, and the Giants’ Tomb. Several routes are signposted starting from Tréhorenteuc, Paimpont, Josselin, Ploermel and Malestroit.

Brocéliande Bike Tour