Vercors Natural Park

Several difficulty levels are possible, suitable for intermediate to experienced cyclists. The route is much easier on an electric hybrid bike than on a standard hybrid bike. Entirely on roads, with 25 to 45km per cycling day. There are no particular technical difficulties apart from the elevation gain on a standard hybrid bike; an electric bike makes the route more manageable.

You only carry what you need for the day, including your lunch, in a small bag or pannier.

Your luggage will be waiting for you at the hotel each evening: it is transported by taxi from one stop to the next, with a limit of one bag per person.

From 2 people.

5 days, 4 nights, 4 days of cycling.

An option of 6 days, 5 nights and 5 days of cycling is also available.

Start on a date of your choice from mid-April to late October.

A self-guided tour, without a guide. We provide a digital travel pack that includes access to our smartphone navigation app, a list of your accommodation, any vouchers required and all the information you need for your trip to run smoothly.

If you wish, we can provide a printed travel pack with maps, a route guide and a travel wallet, for a supplement of 35 € per pack. For printed travel packs requested less than 45 days before departure, and for travellers living abroad, the packs will be sent to the first hotel.

Accommodation

In 2* hotels or equivalent accommodation (or guesthouses), in rooms for two with a private bathroom.

Hotel ratings

In France, an increasing number of hotels and guesthouses choose not to have an official rating, including establishments that were still rated a year or two ago. This does not mean their quality has declined—far from it. Many guesthouses offer charming rooms.
If we indicate, for example, a comfort level of “3* or equivalent”: this means that the establishment may not have an official rating, but offers a level of comfort comparable to a 3* hotel.

Meals

Half board, except on Day 2, when breakfast only is included.

Lunches are at your own expense. It is generally possible to order packed lunches from the hotels: please enquire directly with them. Alternatively, you can buy picnic supplies at one of the grocery shops in the villages along the route. You will also find a few farms selling cheese and meat directly, including the famous Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage cheese with its protected designation of origin (AOP).

Please let us know about any food allergies or special dietary requirements when booking; we will do our best to adapt your meals.

Please note: accommodation photos are for illustrative purposes only. Accommodation may change. Depending on availability, we may book other hotels offering an equivalent standard and level of comfort.

Start

On Day 1 in the afternoon in Villard de Lans.

Finish

On Day 5 in the late afternoon in Villard de Lans.

Additional nights are available at the beginning or end of your stay (or along the route).

We recommend extending your stay with an extra night in Villard de Lans. This will give you an additional day on the Vercors plateau to ride the Tour du Canton des 4 Montagnes: a circuit linking the villages of Méaudre, Autrans, Lans en Vercors and Villard de Lans, via the Méaudret gorges and the Col de la Croix Perrin. The shortest circuit is 33km, but you can add some pleasant minor roads, such as the old road from Méaudre to Autrans or the old road linking Lans en Vercors to Villard de Lans. 33 to 50km, +470 to 550m, -470 to 550m.

Bike hire

We offer hybrid electric bikes for hire. Hybrid bike hire includes a pannier, a helmet and a repair kit.

We will also provide a helmet and a repair kit.

A deposit is required for bike hire.

By plane

Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport is a one-hour drive from Grenoble. A bus service runs daily, with one departure every hour.

By train

There are frequent trains to Grenoble (TGV) from Paris Gare de Lyon, either direct (approximately three hours) or via Lyon. From Grenoble, regular Transisère coaches run to Villard de Lans. The coach station is next to the SNCF railway station. The same connections are available for the return journey.

Information: visit the SNCF website or call 3635; for buses, visit www.transisere.fr or call 0820083838.

Please check these timetables; we cannot accept responsibility for their accuracy.

By bus

Villard de Lans is easy to reach from Grenoble on the Transisère buses, which run at regular intervals.

Route T64 between Grenoble and Villard de Lans

By car

Take the A48 motorway from Lyon towards Grenoble, leave at exit 14 for Saint-Egrève, then follow signs for Villard de Lans via Sassenage.

Consult the ViaMichelin website.

Many of our trips offer opportunities to swim along the way or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; any swimming is therefore undertaken under your own responsibility and at your own risk.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips—on foot, by bike and on snow—to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As members of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the tourism sector adopt more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we focus on:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also share the values of the Traveller’s Ethical Charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and enjoy meaningful encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible environmental, ethical and sustainable management practices, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, recognises our practical actions to support responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

For cycling

• Short or long cycling shorts or tights, depending on the season
• Cycling gloves
• Helmet (provided with bike hire)
• Sunglasses (for protection from the sun, wind and small flies)
• Windproof jacket
• T-shirts or cycling jerseys

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. Merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of resisting sweat odours (brands include Icebreaker, Ruka, etc.)!
As a general rule, avoid cotton, which makes you cold when wet.

For your lunchtime picnic

• Plastic bowl or plate
• Cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)

For protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen and sunglasses
• Hat, cap or bucket hat (helmet)
• A windproof jacket
• A rain poncho or Gore-Tex jacket

After your ride

• A jumper or fleece
• Comfortable trousers for walking
• A pair of shorts
• A tracksuit or change of clothes
• A lightweight, long-sleeved cotton shirt
• A pair of running-style trainers for the evening
• Spare clothes and underwear
• Toiletry bag
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, Elastoplast, Biogaze or “2nd skin” dressings, gauze, disinfectant, arnica granules and aspirin for minor aches and injuries…

• If your bike does not have panniers, bring a comfortable small 40-litre backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic during the day. If you have a luggage rack, you can secure your bag to it with bungee cords. Bikes hired through the option offered by Grand Angle come with panniers
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack or travel bag in good condition

Country: France

Capital: Paris

Travel documents

Travellers, including minors, must carry a national identity card or passport (EU nationals).

Health

Bring your Carte Vitale health insurance card and enough of your usual medication for the duration of your stay.

Maison du Parc

Vercors Regional Nature Park

255 chemin des Fusillés

38250 Lans-en-Vercors

Tel: 0476943826

Dialling code for calling France from abroad: +33.

No time difference: GMT +1.

• Vercors Regional Park

Established: October 1970

Area: 206208 hectares, including 17000 hectares designated as a nature reserve

Forest area: 125000 hectares

Altitude: 180m to 2453m (Le Rocher Rond)

Population: 46000 inhabitants

Municipalities: 85 in the departments of Isère (48 municipalities) and Drôme (37 municipalities)

Gateway towns: Grenoble, Crest, Romans, Saint-Marcellin and Vinay

8 natural regions: Quatre-Montagnes, Trièves, Vercors Drômois, Royans Isère, Royans Drôme, Gervanne, Diois and Piémont Nord.

• Nature

Flora

This area is home to exceptional flora. Examples include a wide variety of orchids, such as lady’s slipper orchids, vanilla orchids, bee orchids, purple orchids and helleborines … There are also edelweiss, gentians, saxifrages, wild tulips (the Park’s emblem), and more.

Fauna

The full range of local wildlife is present, with the exception of bears (which lived in the area until 1936), alongside spectacular reintroductions such as the ibex (now well established, with nearly 400 individuals) and the vulture (a success). Even the wolf has returned …