identify many official campsites but these are not exhaustive. Camping may be possible in other locations with the permission of local landowners.
Food and drink
Where to eat
There are thousands of places where cyclists can eat and drink, varying from snack bars, crêperies and local inns to Michelin-starred restaurants. Locations of many places to eat are listed in stage descriptions, but these are by no means exhaustive. Days and times of opening vary. When planning your day, try to be flexible, as some inns and small restaurants do not open at lunchtime. An auberge is a local inn offering food and drink. English-language menus may be available in big cities and tourist areas, but are less common in smaller towns and rural locations.
When to eat
Breakfast (petit déjeuner) is usually continental: breads, jam and a hot drink. Traditionally lunch (déjeuner) was the main meal of the day, although this is slowly changing, and is unlikely to prove suitable if you plan an afternoon in the saddle. Most restaurants offer a menu du jour at lunchtime; a three-course set meal that usually offers very good value for money. It is often hard to find light meals/snacks in bars or restaurants, and if you want a light lunch you may need to purchase items such as sandwiches, quiche Lorraine or croque-monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) from a bakery.
For dinner (dîner) a wide variety of cuisine is available. Much of what is available is pan-European and will be easily recognisable. There are, however, national and regional dishes you may wish to try. Historically, French restaurants offered only fixed-price set menus with two, three or more courses. This is slowly changing and most restaurants nowadays offer both fixed-price and à la carte menus.
What to eat
France is widely regarded as a place where the preparation and presentation of food is central to the country’s culture. Modern-day French cuisine was first codified by Georges Escoffier in Le Guide Culinaire (1903). Central to Escoffier’s method was the use of light sauces made from stocks and broths to enhance the flavour of the dish in place of heavy sauces that had previously been used to mask the taste of bad meat. French cooking was further refined in the 1960s with the arrival of nouvelle cuisine, which sought to simplify techniques, lessen cooking time and preserve natural flavours by changing cooking methods.
By contrast, traditional cooking of the Auvergne is rustic fare, mostly combining cheaper cuts of pork with potatoes and basic vegetables, including soupe aux chou (cabbage, pork and potato soup), potée Auvergnate (hotpot of pork, potatoes and vegetables) and truffade (cheese, garlic and potato pancake). The crisp mountain air of the higher parts of the Auvergne is perfect for drying hams and sausages. One particular speciality is lentilles vertes, green lentils from Le Puy-en-Velay used in soup or served with duck, goose or sausage dishes. Local cheeses include bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal and St Nectaire, while tarte aux myrtilles is a traditional dessert made with bilberries from the mountains.
Burgundy in central France is famous not only for its eponymous red wine but also for beef from Charolais cattle, poultry from Bourg-en-Bresse, mustard from Dijon and cheese made with the milk from Salers cattle. This is reflected in regional cuisine, particularly bœuf Bourguignon (beef slow-cooked in red wine) and coq au vin (chicken casseroled in red wine). Other specialities include escargots à la Bourgogne (snails in garlic and parsley butter) and lapin à la moutarde (rabbit in mustard sauce).
Creamy coloured Charolais cattle graze the Charolais hills (Stage 9)
The food of Pays de la Loire is more elegant, reflecting perhaps the regal history of the region. Freshwater fish (including pike, carp and salmon), often served with beurre blanc (white wine and butter sauce), is plentiful inland, while sea fish and shellfish, particularly oysters, abound near the Atlantic. Châteaubriand steak (a thick cut from the tenderloin filet) is named after a small village. Other meat dishes include rillauds d’Anjou (fried pork belly) and muscatel sausages. Caves in riverside cliffs are widely used to cultivate mushrooms, which appear in many dishes. Desserts include gâteau Pithiviers (puff pastry and almond paste tart). A long history of sugar refining and biscuit making has given Nantes such specialities as berlingot Nantais (multi-coloured pyramid-shaped sugar sweets), shortbreads and Petit Beurre biscuits.
What to drink
The lower and middle Loire Valley hosts a string of wine-producing districts, many producing VDQS and good vin de pays wines, but there are some well-known appellations. Most wine is white but there are some areas producing non-appellation soft red wines from gamay or pinot noir grapes. There is a wide contrast in styles, with dry (often very dry) whites being produced in the east and west while sweeter whites, rosés and softer reds are produced in the central part between Orléans and Angers.
The first appellations encountered are Pouilly and Sancerre, two villages that face each other across the middle Loire (Stage12). Here, sauvignon blanc grapes are used to produce flinty dry white wines recommended to be drunk with shellfish. Further downriver between Amboise and Tours are the Touraine appellation districts of Vouvray and Montlouis (Stage 19) where chenin blanc grapes produce dry, sweet and sparkling white wines. In the districts of Chinon and Bourgueil (Stage 21), cabernet franc grapes are used to make soft Beaujolais-style red wine, usually served chilled. Slightly downriver, Saumur (Stage 21) is a light and fruity red. Anjou wine comes from an area just south of Angers (Stage 23). Here again chenin blanc grapes produce mostly sweet white wine, although the district is best known for rosé wine and vin gris (white wine made from red grapes) using cabernet franc grapes. The largest of the Loire’s wine-producing appellations is that of Muscadet between Ancenis and Nantes (Stages 24–26). Muscadet is the name of a grape, unique to this area, which produces a very dry white wine with low acidity, perfect for serving with fish or seafood.
Particular apéritifs and digestifs from the Loire include yellow gentiane from Auvergne and green verveine du Velay made near Le Puy from verbena. The blackcurrant liqueur Crème de Cassis comes from Burgundy, while orange-flavoured Cointreau is distilled near Angers (Stage 22). Chambord is a blackberry and raspberry liqueur produced in the Loire Valley since 1982, based upon a favourite drink of Louis XIV.
The green verbena-flavoured verveine du Velay liqueur is made in Le Puy-en-Velay
Although central France is predominantly a wine-drinking region, beer (bière) is widely consumed. Draught beer (une pression) is usually available in two main styles: blonde (European style lager) or blanche (partly cloudy wheat beer).
All the usual soft drinks (colas, lemonade, fruit juices, mineral waters) are widely available. In the Auvergne, mineral water naturally filtered through the volcanic rocks of the Massif Central is a major industry with well-known brands including Badoit, Volvic and Vichy.
Amenities and services
Grocery shops
All cities, towns and larger villages passed through have grocery stores, often supermarkets, and most have pharmacies. Almost every village has a boulangerie (bakery) that is open from early morning and bakes fresh bread several times a day. Shop opening hours vary and in southern France many shops close in the afternoon between 1300 and 1600.
Cycle shops
The route is well provided with cycle shops, most with repair facilities. Locations are listed in the stage descriptions, although this is not exhaustive. Many cycle shops will adjust brakes and gears, or lubricate your chain, while you wait, often not seeking reimbursement for minor repairs. Touring cyclists should not abuse this generosity and always offer to pay, even if this is refused.
Currency and banks
France switched from French francs to €uros in 2002. Almost every town has a bank and most have ATM machines which enable you to make transactions in English. However, very few offer over-the-counter currency exchange. In major cities like Orléans, Tours and Nantes, there are commercial exchange bureaux, but in other locations the only way to obtain currency is to use ATM machines