France Like You’ve Never Seen It – The Niçoise Section of the Olive Route

Benjamin Levin is the Content Creator on the 2025 Olive Route Cycling Tour.

The Eiffel Tower lit up at night along the Seine, the Louvre with its dozens of rooms brimming with priceless artwork, the French Riviera’s beautiful beaches…these are some of the amazing places people come to see in the world’s most popular tourist destination, France. These places, the experiences that you can have there, are certainly incredible and if all you see of France is places like these, then doubtlessly you will go home content, having seen some wonderful things. However, for the traveler who wants a more unique perspective, one that does not include such crowded spaces and frequently visited destinations, there is a new way to see France that we at TDA have come up with – seeing France by bicycle on the Olive Route Cycling Tour.

We began the Niçoise section of the Olive Route in Turin, Italy and set out towards the French border. This would be no soft introduction to France as we were headed for the Alps. We made our way through the last vestige of the Italian countryside, the mountains looming in the background. Soon we were climbing up and up and up towards the border and the French city of Briançon. Crossing into France through the Alps was spectacular. “The sights were inspiring; there were really stunning views,” said Steven Friedman, a first time TDA rider that joined for this section of the trip. Those first few days in France were some of the most spectacular days of the entire trip. “It felt like you were riding through a Game of Thrones set,” exclaimed Matty, a full tour Olive Route rider.

Anne at the top of the Col du Lautaret pass

Daunting, snowcapped peaks surrounded us as we carved our way through the mountain passes, crossing through the Col du Lautaret Mountain pass at 2,058 metres above sea level (6,752 feet). Notably, we were not alone. Hundredss of other cycling enthusiasts were out, taking on their own slice of the mountains and sending friendly smiles our way whenever the opportunity presented itself. “It’s fantastic to see the other cyclists out there. When you’re still struggling to climb up, and you can see the joy on their faces as their descending… that’s great,” Janice Lanyon noted as we chatted about cycling in the French Alps.

After an incredible set of days in the mountains, we made our way into France’s rolling hills and countryside. This environment was unique from the other scenery that we had seen in Greece and Italy in that it was incredibly lush and alive. As we dropped into the valleys, the environment changed into dense, damp, jungle-like ecosystems, wreathed in mosses. Then, just like that we were climbing into what felt like alpine rainforest, surrounded by towering pine trees and fern laden undergrowth. “You get so many different terrains, so many different landscapes… so every day is just different,” Britt added thoughtfully.

Healthy, happy farm animals often dotted the landscapes to our left and right as we rode, with the cows often coming right up to the fence to say hi to us (or ask us for snacks!). “The cows… we just fell in love with the cows,” Britt mused. “There was a day where I saw brown cows, white cows, donkeys, horses… it was amazing, they look so relaxed and happy,” added his partner, Gina. The weather during this set of days, while maybe not considered the ideal cycling weather because of some on and off rain, brought the environment to life. As the rain saturated the earth, the landscapes lit up with different hues of greens. Birds and insects sung as we cycled by… it felt almost refreshing to be in such a vibrant environment.

During the four riding days between Lyon and Limoges we had everything that your ideal French countryside experience could offer except for one thing… wine, notably vineyards. We were in France, to some people the wine capital of the world, but there were no vineyards. However, once we got closer to Bordeaux, vineyards began to blanket the landscape and in Bordeaux, we had the chance to do what everyone that comes to this region of France should do: go wine tasting. A group of 14 TDA riders took to the chateaus for a guided tour and tasting of the Saint Emilion section of Bordeaux’s famous wine growing region.

So, if you come to France and only get to see Paris or the country’s other phenomenal tourist hotspots, then no doubt you will have some beautiful photos to show off. But if you are looking for more than photos, if you are looking for stories, and to see France in a way that gets to the heart of the country, then consider cycling the Niçoise section of the Olive Route.

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