Veloroute Littorale · Cycling Road

A 3-day trip from Toulon back to Nice following the Véloroute Littorale (translated literally as the coastal cycling route).

The Plan

A lil mini vacation to Nice for some bike touring. The Véloroute Littorale caught my eye as an alternative to the EuroVelo routes, and I knew the logistics of getting our bikes into town and around France in the offseason would be relatively stress-free in comparison to somewhere like Japan. The route officially starts to the west of Toulon a bit, but we decided to leave directly from the train station there.

The plan was a relatively easy first day, a big second day, and then limp back into Nice on the third day feeling exhausted. We rented an Airbnb for the week in Nice instead of doing two separate hotel stays, so this reduced the logistics burden on us somewhat for figuring out what to do with luggage, bike bags, etc. The price of a weekly Airbnb ended up being roughly the same as two separate stints in a hotel (Nice is $$$$) with the added perk of a balcony and much larger space.

The Gear

We brought a Tailfin setup with 2 10L panniers, some top tube bags, and a single Outer Shell seatpack. Everything was waterproof, as the weather can be a little iffy in October in Nice. For a short trip, this felt more than sufficient.

Because the route has some gravel on it, a gravel bike is definitely necessary. Day 2 would have been rough for 10 miles on a road bike around Lac de Saint-Cassien. We rode a Trek Checkpoint and Canyon Grizl.

Day 1 - Toulon to Port Grimaud

The first day was supposed to be easy for the most part. Relatively little climbing, mostly coastal, following bike paths just about the whole way. In hindsight, it was still a pretty decent chunk of riding for the first day because of slow Sunday traffic and many bike path traverses.

We thought the hardest part would be waking up early, figuring out train logistics, and making our way to Toulon for the start of the journey. However, it ended up being quite easy. In off-summer months, reserving a bike is not required for many of the TER trains, and they have dedicated bike areas that are labeled on the outside of the train. Each car had room for 3 bikes, so it is still a relatively tight space. Thankfully, you can sit close by so you don’t have to get too anxious about the bikes. Nice is the starting point of this particular train, so by leaving early we were guaranteed a spot and did not have to disassemble the bikes or anything. It’s worth noting that further down the train it started to fill up, but this was on a Sunday. I assume a midweek early morning train would have been largely empty.

After getting off the train at Toulon, we hit a patisserie and made our way out of the city towards the coast. It was not particularly easy following the bike paths through the city in some spots, but it was low traffic. Roundabouts in particular were a frequent occurrence that added some confusion and risk for us. Really, my only complaint about the bike infrastructure in France is that it feels particularly dangerous making your way through roundabout exits with cars that are going quite fast. Not knowing the roads or traffic patterns of course added to that effect. You don’t know what streets are busy, where the turns are, etc.

Overall though, it was quite fun seeing the Sunday morning traffic out and about. Old dudes zipping way too fast on their road bikes, a children’s bike race where we were rushed through with a guy yelling “Roulez! Roulez! (ride on),” other bike tourers on e-bikes. Such a potpourri of riders and bike trail users would not have been possible on a weekday, I think. For that, I was thankful to see what local life looked like.

Making our way to Port Grimaud was largely uneventful in the second half of the ride. It cleared out, the bike paths showed us many beautiful locations, and we soaked in all of the views with a belly full of croissants, lemon tarts, and waffles. In hindsight, some more salt instead of sugar would probably have been advisable!

Our arrival in Port Grimaud was interesting, as it’s a pedestrian-only town that mimics Venice in some capacity. Personally, I didn’t like it very much. Restaurants were limited, we experienced our only rude waiter of the whole trip, and it just felt like a rich person’s playground (not that much of the French Riviera doesn’t feel this way!). I would continue on to Sainte-Maxime or divert to Saint-Tropez if doing this again.

Day 2 - Port Grimaud to Tourrettes-sur-Loup

Day 2 was the dreaded long day. We stocked up the night before with snacks and headed out the door around 8 a.m. knowing full well we would be exhausted by the time we reached Tourrettes-sur-Loup. The town itself is named this way because it is close to the Loup River, so you will see many towns with similar names. We purposely kept ourselves ignorant of the route because of the fun of exploration, but we knew 5k feet of vert, a gravel section, and 65 miles in a country you are unfamiliar with would be a tough day.

The first 20 miles were mostly relaxing, but the traffic around Sainte-Maxime was particularly bad. In hindsight, following up Sunday cycling in a popular area with Monday morning traffic was perhaps not the wisest decision! That’s life though. Our first stop was at a roadside bakery along the bike trail where we stocked up on croissants and pains au chocolat. An easy choice, as they’re always fresh and cheap. We rolled through the various towns making easy work of the miles eagerly waiting for the gravel section.

The gravel arrived, and we realized it was going to be an even harder day than expected. We rode some ~12% grades at the beginning and were stopped midway by a nice gentleman who taught bike classes in the area. He was surprised to see us on gravel bikes, I think, and suggested some alternate routes if we wanted. “C’est plat” was one of the things he mentioned (“it’s flat”), but we ultimately decided to stay the course for fear of getting lost! I was able to understand about 50% of what he said, but it’s the exact kind of experience and kindness you hope to receive from locals on a trip with bikes. I was greatly appreciative of the efforts after our less than stellar experience the night before with our waiter. It emphasized the beauty of connection through bikes, being outside, and exploring the unknown for me.

As we made our way around Lac de Saint-Cassien, we started to drag a bit. Only halfway done, 10 miles of gravel, and eating the same stuff over and over. The midpoint of a long day with an unknown destination can always feel daunting. I tried to keep the stoke high for the rest of our day knowing that the bulk of the climbing was still ahead of us, and we would need the stamina.

The second half of day 2 would be the prettiest riding of the trip, with expansive views, tucked in bike paths through tiny towns, and very little traffic. While the climbing put a little damper on our mood, you couldn’t be too upset about it. When picturing a bike ride through Southern France, this route would give you exactly that and more. Each town we entered had its own picturesque charm before clearing back out to the countryside. Up and down we went knowing our final destination was not far off.

The climb into Tourrettes-sur-Loup is a big final push, and we decided to just fully send it up. By the time we reached the main road, we were sweaty, tired, and eagerly looking forward to a shower. Thankfully, the hotel we booked was literally the first spot in the town on the right side. Auberge (meaning inn) de Tourrettes in hindsight was a fantastic choice. Very few people were staying in midweek offseason, so we got a beautiful corner room. It is worth noting the hotel did not have air con, so I would probably avoid it in the summer months. Nevertheless, it felt like paradise to us at the time.

We cleaned up, got a bottle of wine, relaxed, and eventually made our way to a relatively fancy restaurant called Clovis. I think nothing in this town was particularly cheap, but we treated ourselves to a fancy dinner that night. We both got “la formule,” which is essentially a fixed set of dishes that are offered. In our case, we ordered the entree, main, and dessert to split. Fish, beef, bread, wine, and various other things filled us to our contentment, appreciating the hard work of the day.

Auberge de Tourrettes — Our bike propped up in front of the hotel

Day 3 - Back to Nice

Day 3 was meant to be easy, but it ended up being quite the grind for the last 20 miles because of a nasty headwind. The route itself, continuing through small towns for the first 15 miles, was perfect for heavy legs outside of a few steeper climbs. We took our time, soaked in the views, and stopped for a number of pictures along the way knowing we were in no rush.

Around mile 13 or so was one of the best descents I have ever had the privilege to do. You cap out at a small town, roll through its narrow streets, and then blaze through many, many switchbacks on the way down. For me, it was the best part of the entire bike ride. We initially thought of skipping some of this and just beelining down to the coastal bike path, but that would have been a massive mistake. Do not miss this descent.

Almost done — One of many stops along the way back on day 3

Upon finishing the descent, we had a bike path almost the entire way back to Nice, save for a few miles with busy traffic to the north of the airport that was no fun. The headwind was grueling, however, so it was slow going. What would have normally been an easy 20mph spin slowed us down to 15mph and kept us grinding.

Upon reaching Nice, we sat on a bench and soaked up the picturesque blue water appreciating what we had accomplished over the last 3 days. The denouement of months of planning, learning French, prepping bikes and gear, and plenty of miles on the legs. A journey well worth taking. After having surgery for my foot in January, the sense of accomplishment fully took effect. Our first international trip together since March 2023 after a few years of surgeries, hospital visits, and many low points. It felt like turning a page and reinvigorating some of the spark of getting out there again.

Fin — A very tired, accomplished-feeling girl

Thoughts

I would give this route a solid 7.5/10. Some spots with traffic felt a little dangerous, and I would not suggest this route to someone who is not experienced riding with traffic. It’s probably best split up over four days, but it was fun pushing ourselves to 3.

Points are deducted for:

Cost - Southern France is very expensive. If doing this with no job, I would pack the bike in a cardboard box instead of bike bags and immediately try to find spots to camp. Every hotel was over $200 USD per night, which is prohibitively expensive to many.
Roundabouts on bike paths - it really felt dangerous in some spots intermingling between bike paths and the traffic. This is possibly the only infrastructure downside of the bike paths I can think of. France definitely knows what they are doing there.
Exceptionally touristy in some areas - if you’re looking to get off the beaten path, I do not think this is the route. Even the small towns are still very touristy. In the offseason, it is less so, but be aware it’s not truly getting away. Everywhere on this trip for the final destinations will speak English. It’s in towns like Sainte-Maxime and Toulon where knowing some French is useful.