Compiegne and its surrounding forest was once the favorite haunt of Kings and Emperors. The forest, covering today some 35,800 acres, is but a remnant of a vast forest that stretched from the Ile de France to the Ardennes. Filled with stately beech and oak, it is a delightful haven of calm just one hour from the center of Paris. The armistice ending the First World War was signed on 11th November 1918 in a railway carriage in a clearing just to the north of Compiegne and the site and its little museum is an essential visit. Upon exiting the Forest of Compiegne, you enter Pierrefonds, which is dominated by its stupendous castle overlooking a lake, which was once the residence of Napoleon. The bicycling route continues east through tiny hamlets, ancient churches, and monmuents to the soldiers killed in World War One, towards St Jean aux Bois before returning to the start in Compiegne.

Package Includes

4-night accommodations with private facilities.

Daily breakfasts

2 dinners

Daily luggage transfers

Detailed route notes and maps (one set per room)

Bike rental

Local contact for questions and emergencies

Vacation Package Itinerary

Day 1: Compiegne

Individual arrival in Compiegne, easily reached by train from Paris Gare du Nord. Shop in the old quarter and settle into your hotel. A self-guided tour (enclosed with your route notes or easily obtainable from the tourist office) shows some of the historic buildings scattered throughout this lively little university town and helps you to become familiar with Compiegne. Overnight, Compiegne.

Day 2: Compiegne to Chelles Distance: 14-16 miles

Your bike will be delivered to your hotel. You have a choice of two initial routes, you can follow the broad River Oise along a cycle path past its confluence with the River Aisne. Alternatively, you can bike out past the magnificent Palace of Louis XV on a broad straight road. Both routes take you to the Clairi?re de l'Armistice. Pierrefonds is dominated by its stupendous castle overlooking a lake. Allow an hour for visiting this remarkable edifice. Originally a medieval fortress, it was modified by Viollet le Duc to become a residence of Napoleon. Your hotel is in the tiny village of Chelles, 3 miles further on. Dinner is included tonight. Overnight, Chelles.

Day 3: Chelles to St Jean aux Bois Distance: 19 miles

Today's bike ride takes you by twisting lanes and by-roads through tiny hamlets, mainly of ancient one-story houses in a pretty grey stone, with names such as Hautefontaine, Montigny-Lengrain, Ste Etienne Roilaye. Their churches dominate the gentle rolling countryside, where larks sing high above the meadowland. Heading South towards Villers-Cotterets you pass wayside monuments to Allied soldiers killed in September 1914. Return Eastwards along an ancient ridge road, the Route de Faite. Your hotel is in the forest at St. Jean aux Bois. Dinner is included tonight. Overnight: St. Jean aux Bois.

Day 4: St Jean aux Bois to Compiegne Distance: 15 miles

The ancient Priory of St. Jean-aux-Bois is unrivalled in France for its grisaille or 13th Century grey stained glass, and part of the fortified walls still stand. There is also a pretty lavoir, where a captured spring runs through a series of stone troughs, and where the village washing was done until not so long ago. On the way to the village you pass a particularly massive oak tree, centuries old. Leave this peaceful place and head deeper into the peaceful Compi?gne forest, where magnificent beeches tower overhead, and you may surprise literally dozens of large roe deer, browsing quietly in the forest glades. Return to Compi?gne via a cycle path alongside the river and see more of the town, visit the museums of the Palais de Louis XV. Don't miss the cloisters, or the tiny Parc de Songeons, with its garden of fragrant plants, overlooking the River Oise. Overnight Compi?gne.

Day 5: Compiegne

Explore Compiegne. It was in the church here that Joan of Arc attended Mass before the French allowed her to be captured by the Burgundian and English forces in 1430; there is a commemorative statue to her in one of the squares. Tour ends after breakfast.