Electric bike tour: the best weekend destinations

Electric bicycles, and more specifically electric mountain bike allow you to enjoy long rides with minimum fatigue. Recharge your batteryget on board helmet and backpack and set off to discover some magnificent scenery. Here's our selection of e-bike tours for all levels, for a weekend in France or Belgium.

Visit the island of Ré by electric bike

With its 2,600 hours of sunshine a year, its mild climate, its 100 km of cycle paths, its unspoilt seascapes, its salt marshes and its colourful harbours, the island of Ré is a little nugget among the islands of the French Atlantic coast. The flat terrain makes it possible for even those less accustomed to exertion to go on very long electric bike rides and completely abandon their cars for a weekend. ATV enthusiasts will be able to ride through the woods and dunes.

In fact, the best way to get to the Ile de Ré without paying to cross the only bridge leading to it is to leave your car in the car park just before it. Bicycles can then cross the bridge free of charge, thanks to its 3 km cycle path, which includes a good deal of downhill riding on the way out. On the way back, the assistance of your electric bike will support you in your effort. 

Once you arrive on the island, there are many routes to choose from. The cycle paths are well signposted and there is also a cycle map of the island which you can easily find in the local tourist offices. You can cycle along the sea, but also between seafood restaurants, oyster bars and vineyards.

Escape to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley by bicycle

The Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers bike rides that will appeal to history buffs. Thanks to the assistance of your electric bike, embark on a weekend in the heart of the castles of the Loire, starting from Blois. You will be able to cycle from castle to castle, passing from Blois to Chambord, Cheverny, Amboise and Chaumont. In total, 400 kilometres of paths, tracks and small roads are available to you. 12 different loops have been designed and signposted to enable you to discover the Loire Castles in complete safety, on board your electric bike and away from car traffic. 

If you have a long weekend ahead of you, why not opt for a route of around 130 kilometres, allowing you to visit 7 of the most beautiful châteaux of the Loire in 5 days? Your journey will also allow you to discover the villages of the Loire Valley as well as the many wine estates in the region. This cycling weekend will be an opportunity to marvel at the preserved landscapes and rich historical heritage. 

Travelling through the Ardèche at MTB

Enjoy the rugged charm of the Ardèche region with the help of your electric mountain bike or your MTB electric. The region offers magnificent, often well-preserved landscapes. Discover Vallon Pont d'Arc, its gorges and emblematic natural bridge, as well as the reconstruction of the Chauvet cave, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Your EV ride will also take you between picturesque villages such as Balazuc, Labeaume or Saint-Montan, stopping at your whim to visit one of the many local markets and sample regional specialities such as chestnuts.

The more sporty, armed with their MTBelectric bike, will appreciate the pronounced relief of the Monts d'Ardèche natural park where the water of the rivers has left gorges and limestone cliffs in the rock, but also pools with turquoise water. In the Ardèche, you can also take advantage of your bike by riding the Dolce Viaa 90 km long route which allows you to discover the great natural spaces of the department.

VTTAE weekend in the Vercors

The Vercors, a mountainous massif in the Pre-Alps, is an ideal terrain for planning beautiful electric bike rides! Depending on what you want to do, you can discover trails and paths that are more or less rugged, unspoilt places and a green setting. Before embarking on your outing, remember to check the route you intend to take and in particular its difficulty: even with the help of your E-bike, the Vercors offers a wide variety of landscapes and some of them can be particularly steep and therefore rather reserved for those used to electric MTBand enduro raids.  

In the Vercors, you will find many marked routes, in particular the Via Vercors, which links the various villages of the plateau in 38 km, but also the Grandes Traversées du Vercors. The walks in this region offer grandiose views, inaccessible by any other means than by bike. 

E-bike trip in the Belgian Ardennes

Get on your electric bike for a weekend in the Belgian Ardennes, between forests, old railway lines, authentic Walloon villages and the banks of the Meuse. Sportsmen and women will find as much to do here as cyclists. You will be able to discover Dinan, a small Ardennes town with colourful houses on the banks of the Meuse, as well as Ciney, a town known for its famous beer, whose production secrets you can discover. 

You will also find Hotton and its impressive caves inviting you to discover the underground world, but also Modave, its castle and its French gardens. In Namur, it is impossible not to stop at the Vauban Citadel, which overlooks a hilly and wooded environment.

The most athletic and trained cyclists can take their MTBelectric bikes on the most difficult cycling tour in Belgium, La Conquête des Ardennes. This route takes you into the depths of the Belgian Ardennes and then through the Famenne and Condroz regions. You will ride your bike up and down all kinds of climbs with up to 9,000 m of positive difference in altitude, which is more than Mount Everest! Enough to make all those who speak of "flat country" lie!

The VAE: your ally to visit Bruges

Driving in Bruges is not practical. This is a very good reason to visit "The Venice of the North" and its surroundings with your electric bike. It will allow you to move around the narrow streets with very few differences in height. In fact, most people in Bruges use their bikes to get to work. In the city, some parts of the road network are dedicated to cyclists and others have shared pedestrian/bike areas, especially when you are near the canals that border the city. 

There are a number of local professionals who offer cycling tours around the city. You can also go on your own, thanks to several picturesque routes, some of which are designed for MTB. You can visit the city in a different way, discovering the charm of its canals, the Flemish countryside or the medieval villages. The green hinterland of Bruges, one of the most beautiful tourist regions in Flanders, also contains several green axes, straight canals, polders and forests. Along your EV ride you can stop to visit charming villages, historical buildings, but also enjoy a good drink in typical pubs and cafés. 

Weekend ebike on the Belgian coast

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned cyclist, you can ride your electric bike along the Belgian coast! 67 kilometres of kite flying, swimming and crabbing are on offer. The Belgian coast stretches from De Panne in the south to Knokke-le-Zoute in the north. There are cycle paths along a large part of the coast, making it possible to ride safely, even with the family. The terrain is relatively flat, but the wind can disrupt your ride. If you are planning a weekend e-bike trip in the summer, avoid the dike, where traffic is difficult due to the large number of tourists. 

Along your electric bike route, you can see the remains of the Atlantic Wall in Raversydea hamlet in the town of Ostend. This is a historical site, a German defence from the Second World War with bunkers and trenches, partially restored to their original state. If you feel like it, you can also stop off and take a surfing lesson in Koksijde, where the powerful waves of the North Sea are as popular with surfers as those in the south of France.