Bicycling in France
France has a population equivalent to Italy, but double the land area, in other words the population density is half that of Italy; this creates an ideal situation for the cyclist; there are many departmental roads with very little traffic and therefore optimum for cycle-tourism.
True and dedicated bike paths are less frequent than in the countries of central Europe, in particular Austria and Germany; but where they do exist, they are well equipped and signed, and almost always paved. I single out, having tried them, the bike path from Bordeaux to Lacanau, on the Atlantic Ocean, following the route of a decommissioned railroad, and one along the French side of the Rhine, which is very fine, but still incomplete; part of them follow parcours cyclable, roads with very little traffic where motor vehicles are required to maintain a low speed (see photo to the side).
Much less favorable is the situation in the large cities starting with Paris, where things are not that much different from Italy.
Probably the best resource for traveling by bike in France remains the Michelin map at 1:200,000, which, although certainly not designed for cyclists, is very detailed and up to date.
