Motorbiking through France

Travelling through the Franche-Comté region by motorbike is all about being free and independent. About being free to stop and take in panoramic views of the countryside, to explore little lanes through the woods, to stop off next to a lake or a river and to enjoy a coffee, a piece of bilberry tart or a nice slice of Comté cheese in a local village.

You can choose between staying in gîtes, guest houses, hotels or the great outdoors. Many establishments have garages and safe places for your motorbikes and side-cars. Whether you're an experienced motorcyclist or a beginner, you can experience all the charms of the region thanks to the special dispensations in place. These enable you to get off the beaten track and to explore the countryside via the little country lanes. The variety of the landscapes is striking - they can change completely within the space of just a few kilometres!

The many picturesque motorcycle routes through the Franche-Comté include the Vallée de la Loue (home to the painter Gustave Courbet) and the Vallée du Doubs, which winds its way from Montbéliard to Dole, passing through the regional capital of Besançon. In the Jura, motorcyclists will adore the Revermont with all its vineyards and the exhilarating routes which run alongside the rivers and gorges, as well as the lakes of the Haut-Jura. As with the Ballons des Vosges regional park, the crests of the Jura massif offer picturesque motorcycle routes, exhilarating sensations and stunning views over the Alps.

Hop on your bike  - the Franche-Comté is taking you on an excursion...

It's a pretty autumn morning in the Haute-Saône region south of Vosges, in the northern part of the Franche-Comté. Beneath the awning of the cosy little gîte where we have spent the night, the motorbikes seem as raring to go as we are, ready to explore the picturesque little routes lined with russet-leaved trees, lakes, lazy rivers, waterfalls, rocky outcrops and vast meadows. That's what the day's road-book tells us is in store for us.

Our hosts have prepared us a copious and delicious breakfast, setting us up nicely for a good long morning excursion before we pause for lunch at a farmhouse inn in Maîche, located on the distinctive plateaux of the Haut-Doubs. For the time being, we're winding through the lakes, the heather and the ferns of the appropriately named Plateau des 1,000 Etangs (lakes), heading towards Miellin.

The forest presses in on us in this little, enclosed valley as we gradually climb for six kilometres. Then we set course for Belfahy, the highest hilltop village in the department ! And that's when we really begin to climb. But our bikes have plenty of torque and take the bends with gentle ease. The pleasure and the sensations are intense. To the left and the right, the trees seem to be parting to make way for us - pure motorbiking heaven! In Maîche, the sausages and potatoes are already cooking on the fire...