MENU
A couple would like to spend a cycling holiday with their two children aged 4 and 14. Évasion à vélo created a fully customized 8-day trip for this family, balancing fun activities around the Arcachon Bay and discovery of the wines of Médoc.
Here's how it could work...
At the chosen time, Thibaut called us and we built our circuit together in less than three quarters of an hour. He asked us the right questions while letting us express our desires, including those of the children... he was very patient!
We opted for the Médoc and the Arcachon Bay destination, a good compromise between fun activities for children and wine discovery for parents.
We decided to leave at the end of August for a period of 8 days with stages of around 50 km/day, knowing that the entire route would have to be practically flat.
We asked Evasion à vélo to focus our tour on two themes: family activities and wine discovery, Médoc making this a must!
Thibaut advised us to take a roving tour by staying two days in the same place twice to change the pace and also to rest the children, which seemed to us to be a very good idea.
For accommodation, we chose 3* services in guesthouses or charming hotels.
In the evenings, we wanted to be able to dine in the city freely and as often as possible with the children, following the recommendations of Évasion à vélo.
The following week we received the description with the quote by e-mail. This was in line with our conversation, and after having checked a detail by email on the activity planned in Soulac, we approved the estimate and paid the deposit... and it was off for the holidays!
Two weeks before departure we received all the useful elements for our trip by e-mail and by post: the highlighted map and its protective cover, a support for smartphone, a very complete travel journal and even three Evasion à vélo saddle covers to protect our bicycles in case of rain, even if, in the Médoc or around the Arcachon basin, they were not needed in principle... at least we hoped not! A link received by e-mail also allowed us to have the route on our smartphone to complete the map.
Day 1 10 km
After dropping off our car in the parking lot at Bordeaux station, a taxi awaited us and took us to pick up the bicycles from the rental company, including a child bike and a child seat. Then he drove us to our superior 3* hotel located in Margaux where we enjoyed the pool with the children, delighted!
From there we went by bike to a Margaux appellation family château and took a guided walk in the estate's vineyards with an electric cart, followed by a tasting: very interesting and fun at the same time.
We had dinner at the hotel.
Day 2 48 km 200 m + (1)
We followed the beautiful route of vineyards and castles crossing Moulis-en-Médoc, Fort-Médoc, Bages, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe among others. We stopped to visit a very nice castle in Saint-Estèphe, with of course a wine tasting planned in advance.
We spent the night in Saint-Yzan in a guesthouse with swimming pool and table d'hôtes, the atmosphere was very friendly.
(1) This is the sum of the elevations of all the climbs of the course
Day 3 48 km 90 m +
We reached Soulac, a cute little seaside resort, via Blaignan and its famous hazelnuts, Richard's lighthouse and the port of Saint-Vivien-de-Médoc on the estuary.
We spent the night in a guesthouse with a swimming pool and close to the beach, and chose to dine at one of the restaurants recommended by Evasion à vélo.
Day 4 20 km
From Soulac we went to Pointe de Grave to take the boat to the Cordouan Lighthouse. On the spot, a treasure hunt awaited us, to the delight of the children!
We spent the night in the same guesthouse and had dinner in town.
Day 5 60 km 180 m +
We rode along the cycle paths through the forest and swam at Hourtin-Plage halfway through the circuit; an opportunity for us to admire beautiful views of Lac d'Hourtin as far as Maubuisson.
We spent the night very close to the beach in a guesthouse with a swimming pool and we had dinner in town.
Day 6 60 km 240 m + 60 km
We reached Lac de Lacanau, then the beach of Grand Crohot, the village of l'Herbe and its charming oyster farmers' huts, the Cap Ferret lighthouse and finally the tip of the Cap. We went on to Bélisaire pier to cross the bay by boat to the Moulleau pier.
We spent the night there in a very welcoming 3* hotel near the beach. For dinner, we enjoyed the tapas at Le Moulleau in a very good atmosphere.
Day 7 30 km 100 m +
We started the day by heading for the Dune du Pilat by bike path: a very nice little excursion and with almost no one about in the morning at that time of year. Then we visited the zoo of the Arcachon bay located at La Teste-de-Buch, for the greater pleasure of the children... and parents!
We ended the day by quietly riding the bike paths along the shore, and enjoyed a well-deserved swim and ice cream tasting.
We spent the night at the same hotel and had dinner near the pool.
Day 8 10 km
We strolled through the winter city of Arcachon and its Moorish Park, and then climbed to the Observatoire Sainte-Cécile to admire a superb view of the bay.
In the early afternoon, the taxi took us from the hotel to Arcachon station; we reached Bordeaux in less than an hour. Evasion à vélo, on the other hand, took care of transferring the bicycles to Bordeaux.
This family trip allows you to discover the Médoc and its vineyards on the one hand, and the ocean and the Arcachon bay on the other hand: a perfect balance between land and sea.
Price (excluding equipment rental): €980 /adult and €650 /child
Equipment rental price: €100 /adult bike, €55 /child bike, €25 /child seat
Tempted by these travel tales? Like to try a cycling adventure and have fun? Well, yes, you can! Customize your next cycling holiday by simply going to create your customized holiday. Even if you only have the vaguest idea, we are here to guide you.
