Cycling tours are a wonderful opportunity to access natural landscapes and areas of a country in a physically challenging and yet meditative fashion. Cycling tours are so popular now that they take on themes. A new theme on the market is cycling tours of French casinos. French landscapes are just as popular as some of their top-tier casinos. What’s more, France is recognized as one of the leading destinations for casino resorts with over 186 casino spread across 175 cities. You can find a directory of casinos to include in your French casino tour online narrowed down to the locations you prefer. When you visit the roulette capital of the world on your bike, you get the chance to ride through stunning countrysides or popular cultural hubs after which you can stay and play at the best French casinos.
Preparing For Your Cycling Tour
Tour preparation is imperative, even for casino tours. Firstly, you need to prepare yourself by cycling around your home, and practicing short trips that mirror the same length you plan for your Casino cycling tour in fronts. You certainly don’t want to get a brand new bike and then go from no cycling to a 7-day trip along the French Alps. Similarly you need to make sure you know what your expectations are as you prepare for your cycling tour. Is this to or supposed to prepare you for a cycling race? Is it meant to just be a fun time with friends? Will you have guided tours along the way? Have a rough outline for where you plan to stop, how long you plan to visit certain casinos, and how many miles you need to bike in between your visits. This level of preparation will go a long way toward preparing you for your French Casino cycling tour.
The Casinos of Monaco
While cycling through Monaco, nothing beats an evening (or weekend) stay at some of the best Monaco casinos.
Casino de Monte Carlo
Monaco is home to the Monte Carlo Casino, a name synonymous with Casino Royale and James Bond. The lavish decorations and the ornate ceilings house multiple types of baccarat games as well as remakes of Texas Hold’em Poker. While not actually the filming location of the James Bond Casino Royale picture, it did serve as the backdrop for GoldenEye, Never Say Never Again, and Oceans 12. This is the perfect place to gamble as long as you packed your evening gown or tuxedo with your luggage.
Sun Casino
Assuming you didn’t have room for cocktail attire, the Sun Casino is the perfect place for you to visit wearing bike shorts and tennis shoes if you have to. A more laid-back venue, you can enjoy a wide selection of blackjack and poker games over the course of your cycling holiday.
Monte-Carlo Bay Casino
A third option, for table games primarily, is the Monte Carlo Bay Casino. This casino is much newer compared to many famous Monaco casinos, having opened in 2006. It has a very wide hotel complex so what is the perfect place for you to relax during one leg of your trip.
Nice
You can head to Nice and stay at a luxury casino hotel along the seafront called Palais De La Méditerranée. The building itself is a historical monument, renowned for its Art Deco facade. This particular casino has seen a great many changes since 1929 and really stands out in terms of the grandeur it offers. There is no poker offered at this particular casino but that does not mean you won’t have a great time with over 200 slot machines, Blackjack, and Roulette tables. Staying at the hotel gives you access to the beach, a variety of dining options, a pool that looks out over the ocean, as well as a Turkish sauna and spa–the perfect place to unwind after a day (or week) of cycling the French countryside.
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
If you are headed to the Alps to truly challenge your physical stamina, Casino De Divonnes Les Baines is a Luxury Casino as well as a hotel and Golf Resort, located near the border with Switzerland. At this particular casino you will find the largest selection of games out of any French Ccasino with 245 slot games, English roulette, Blackjack, and multiple versions of Omaha Poker. After pushing yourself across serpentine mountainous trails and idyllic, hill-laden paths, you can relax at the cocktail bar where specialists are world renowned for their bar juggling.
Paris
Being in the center of French culture, the capital city of Paris is also home to the very popular Casino Barrière D’Enghien-Les-Bains. Cyclists can take multiple trips throughout the city of Paris and use it as their home base for multi-day trips into the nearby countryside, returning to the casino at the end of the evening to take in the views of Enghien Lake and the nearby Champs-Elysees. Local French baccarat is mixed with video poker, almost 500 gaming machines, and 38 table games.