THE ROAD TO FRANCE
Written by MOTORBIKE EUROPE Road Writers -
FRANCOPHILE ON A MOTORCYCLE
Take a little bite of France each time you visit the country, otherwise the experience will overwhelm you, and you won’t have time to contemplate the great stories, you dig up. France contains infinite amounts of European cultural history. The ancient Roman roads. The great cathedrals erected through the Middle Ages. The Sun King. Napoleon. Revolution. Two world wars. The good food, and not least the fantastic wines of all kinds.
France has many scars on the soul and body. Maybe also a little diabetes, after producing so much good food and wine. France has everything you’d want as a motorcycle tourist. The vast and beautiful surroundings make it a unique experience. In this article, we stay away from big cities and beach towns along the French Riviera. It's a whole other story in itself.
When you think about ideal motorcycle countries, France is always high on the list. It’s coastlines border the Atlantic, the English Channel, the North Sea and the Mediterranean. To the south, it borders onto Spain and Andorra, to the east, it touches Italy, Monaco, and Switzerland, and to the northeast, it rubs up against Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. France is easily travelled, and has great motorbiking roads everywhere.
CAESAR AND THE GAULS
France was once known as Gaul. The Gauls, part of the Celtic culture, were conquered by Ancient Rome (Julius Caesar) in the first century B.C. The Gauls were then slowly assimilated into the Roman language and culture, with a few notable exceptions, for example Brittany kept a strong Celtic influence.
TWO WHEELS ON THE NORTH FACE
France has many kinds of landscape, from the coastal plains in the north and west, out by the North Sea and Atlantic, to the great mountain chains in the south and east, the Pyrenees and the Alps. Here you’ll find the tallest mountain in the Europe, Mont Blanc (4,808 Metres). Inland you’ll find the Massif Central, the Jura and Vosges mountains. It’s always a great experience to reach the top of France’s mountains. Peaks like Mont Blanc in The Alps, (4,808m), Mont Ventoux, (1,912m), Crêt de la Neige, Jura (1,720m), Grand Ballon, Vosges, (1,424m), Puy de Sancy, Massif Central, (1,886m), all of which should be seen on two wheels.
MISTRAL AND SIROCCO
The climate in the north of France is cool and damp, while in the south, you have an arid and warm Mediterranean climate. The legendary winds of Mistral and Sirocco, blow through the area between the Massif Central and the Mediterranean Sea. With the exception of the Alps, France is spared of extreme climatic differences. The south of France has a subtropical climate.
GASTRONOMICAL EXPLORATION
Lose your helmet, and go exploring in Paris, Besançon, Bordeaux, Cannes, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Avignon, Le Mans, Rouen, Tours, Le Havre, Rennes, Quimper, Brest and Montpellier. If you need to expand your horizon, go to France and expand it culturally and gastronomically.
