RIVER SEINE, FRANCE
CYCLE FROM PARIS TO THE ENGLISH CHANNEL
La Seine à Vélo is a picture perfect new cycling trail
worthy of French painter Monet, whose former house and
famous water lilies in Giverny can be visited en route.
But the 270-mile Paris-to-the-sea path, which opened
in October 2020, offers lesser-known masterpieces, too,
such as the colourful street art that brightens the Canal
Saint-Denis in Paris.
Along the trail’s 15 stages, bikers also pass through
protected natural areas, including Normandy’s Grande
Noë Bird Reserve, located along a major migratory flyway.
While rolling across Normandy, they can visit the ruins
of Jumièges Abbey, founded around 654, and take a
Benedictine monk-led tour of Abbey of St Wandrille, a
centuries-old working abbey. The tearoom and gardens
of Château de Bizy, a royal residence built in 1740, offer a
moment’s respite from the two-wheeled trek.
And, while Monet isn’t the only reason to ride the trail,
pedal-pushers who love paintings should allow extra
time for the Giverny Museum of Impressionism, which
explores the revolutionary 19th-century art movement.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER (FRANCE)
COSTA RICA
GO ON A COAST-TO-COAST TREKStretching across Costa Rica from the Caribbean to the
Pacific, El Camino de Costa Rica is a 174-mile window into
life far off the well-trodden tourist path. The 16-stage hiking
route primarily follows public roads as it passes through
remote villages and towns, indigenous Cabecar lands and
protected natural areas. It’s designed to spark economic
activity in rural districts: local families, nonprofits and
a network of micro-entrepreneurs provide most of the
lodging, food, tours and other amenities on the trail,
such as Ecomiel honey and La Cabaña sustainable
coffee micro-mill.
Due to the remoteness and the patchwork of tourism
services, Mar a Mar (‘sea to sea’) — the nonprofit partnership
formed in 2016 to develop, promote and help sustain El
Camino — recommends hiking the trail with a guide. Ticos
a Pata, Urri Trek Costa Rica and ViaLig Journeys are among
the tour operators offering guided experiences, which range
from single-day hikes to multi-week, coast-to-coast treks
that feature river crossings and rambles through ranch
lands, rainforests, cloud forests and sugarcane plantations.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER (KOREA)Adventure
Cycle path on the two-level Pont de
Bir-Hakeim in Paris, France
FROM RIGHT: Mural in downtown
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smokehouse shed, Seal Cove, Grand
Manan Island, New Brunswick, Canada;
drone view of dramatic landscape in
the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in the
Rocky Mountains, Colorado, US
84 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
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