This 400 km cycling path takes you from Paris to Normandy

Do you enjoy cycling? Do you like to get lost in nature and admire the cultural heritage that France has to offer? If that’s the case, this 400 km-cycle path might be something for you.

La Seine à Vélo starts in the center of Paris, at Notre-Dame cathedral, and takes you through more 130 towns along the Seine River, all the way into Normandy. You’ll be able to see beautiful towns such as Giverny, Les Andelys, Deauville and the picturesque Honfleur.

Works on the path started back in 2015 with planners making sure every detail of the route was properly set to make sure cyclists could enjoy the best the area has to offer: the scenery and its history. The path takes visitors through all kinds of landscapes, urban and rural alike, with unusual bends passing through industrial areas. Many artists and personalities chose this part of France as their residence. Claude Monet, Edgar Degas Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Victor Hugo, among many others once called home this part of France.

According to Travel + Leisure, the cycle path has been a collaboration among 15 French territories. The route is just one among the increasing number cycling paths that have recently been set up as people rush to welcome the spring outdoors. They want to spend more time in nature and forget, even if for a moment, about the confinement rules that still apply in much of Europe.

Here are some of La Seine à Vélo’s highlights

1. Claude Monet’s home

This unique place offers a fabulous introduction to Normandy’s gardens and attracts visitors passionate about painting and flowers Claude Monet’s garden, famed for its water lily ponds, its Japanese bridge and further exuberant features, reveals its many secretive aspects to its visitors. In spring, the tulip begins to blossom, followed by irises, then roses in June.

2. Château de Malmaison

Acquired by Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress Josephine in 1799, the building was refurbished by architects Percier and Fontaine into a unique example of Consular-style architecture. Between 1800 and 1802, the Château de Malmaison became, along with the Tuileries in central Paris, a place of power. Major political decisions concerning France’s future were taken here. In one of the bedrooms you’ll be able to imagine where Josephine lay in peace before she died on 29 May 1814.

3. Museum of Impressionism

The museum explores the origins, history and geographical variety of Impressionism, the revolutionary art movement that challenged formal academic painting in the late-19th-century. Visitors will be able to see the work not only of Impressionist artists, but also of the precursors and followers, going from the late 19th century to the present day.

4. Victor Hugo Museum

The museum is housed in the former residence of shipping merchant Auguste Vacquerie, an experienced seaman. His son Charles married Léopoldine, Victor Hugo’s daughter. On the 4th of September 1843 tragedy struck the two families. Charles, Léopoldine and two other family members drowned here as a result of a river tidal wave. Personal family details such as this are presented in great detail at the museum, along with samples of Victor Hugo’s work and sources of inspiration. The life of the Seine shipping merchant is also covered.

5. Château Robert le diable

The original fort is said to have been ordered by Richard the Lionheart, but the castle was repeatedly destroyed, then rebuilt. The current building dates back to the start of the 20th century. Acquired by Rouen Métropole in 2007, the site has been undergoing a major restoration campaign. Visitors will be able to enjoy placid views of the Seine River.