Cycling to Paris

It was mid-July, and Garry had only been home for a week after his first long-distance cycle ride from Bilbao to Bognor. But he was already missing being on the road and started to get itchy feet. Not having a lot of time due to work commitments, Garry wondered where to cycle to that wasn’t too far away and was achievable over a weekend. Remembering his time in France and how much he had enjoyed it, Garry decided to go on a bicycle tour to Paris, then cycle home again afterwards.

After making his mind up where he was going to go, Garry booked the first available crossing to France; it was a night crossing from Portsmouth to Le Havre.

Garry arrived in Le Havre at 8 o’clock on a Friday morning and immediately started on his ride into Paris.

So as not to worry too much about maps, Garry decided to follow the River Seine. Which from his geography lessons many years ago, remembered that it flowed all the way into the centre of Paris. Although he didn’t realise that it had so many twists and turns on it.

After reaching Paris, Garry headed for the Eiffel Tower. He wanted to get his photo taken, standing in front of it. Which Garry never actually achieved. But he did manage to get a picture of Passepartout in front of it instead.

Time To Cycle Home

Once Garry had reached the Eiffel Tower and got his photos, he headed out of Paris. But he wasn’t going back the way he had come. Instead, he was going to head towards the port of Dieppe and get the ferry home from there.

After a night of wild camping in a field, Garry reached Dieppe. And jumped on the ferry back to England.

Garry was only away from home for four nights and was back at work on Monday, despite walking in his house in the early hours of the morning.

Total miles cycled: 336.

Bicycle Tour Photos

Garry’s route

YouTube Video

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Follow & Support

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel Garry’s next mile, you can always support him by buying him a beer. Or subscribe to his blog and follow him as he travels around on his bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow Garry on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. Garry’s also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all his tours, along with regular photo updates that he generally publishes each month.

If you want to find out if Garry’s away touring at the moment and check his location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And after thousands of miles on the road, Garry’s condensed everything he’s learned into one place. So if you’re planning your own cycling adventure, read his reality check on long-distance touring.

Garry McGivern is a solo, self-supported bicycle tourist and the creator of Travelsonabike2. Having cycled over 70,000 miles worldwide on his trusty bike, Passepartout, Garry documents the reality of long-distance travel. Follow along for updates, gear insights, and the daily highs and lows of bicycle touring, whether he’s camped beside the road or in the luxury of a hotel. Join Garry on the road, and be inspired to start your own adventure. Read more.