Questions about round-trip to North Cape

Hi, can anyone give us some tips on how to get to North Cape from Lyon Gerland? What’s the best route to join the EuroVelo 7? How many kilometers is it from Lyon to North Cape via EuroVelo 7? The best month to leave—we’re thinking early May. Thanks for any advice!

Hi, I asked an AI this question, here’s its answer.

Via Germany (The smoothest and most direct option – Recommended)

From Lyon Gerland to Basel: Take the ViaRhôna (EV17) from Gerland Park or the city center heading northeast, then follow the Saône/Doubs cycle route and EuroVelo 6 (which runs along the Rhône-to-Rhine canal via Besançon and Mulhouse) to Basel (Switzerland). From Basel to EV7: Head north along the Rhine (EuroVelo 15) toward Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, and Mainz. Junction: From Mainz/Frankfurt or via the Fulda Valley, cut northeast to connect with EV7 in Germany (for example, along the routes linking Hanover/Magdeburg/Berlin).

https://fr.eurovelo.com/

https://fr.eurovelo.com/

https://fr.eurovelo.com/ev17

On this link, you can click on the EuroVelo section you’re interested in to identify and zoom in on it. To see all the EuroVelo sections in Europe, just search "eurovelo" on Google.

Hi there,

I tried to create a route on mapping and navigation platforms like OpenRunner or Locus Map, but they don’t automatically choose the EuroVelo paths. So, I had to work out the journey step by step. The ideal scenario would be if someone—or even you—could create a route from Lyon to Nordkapp and turn it into a GPX file, so you can track your location during the trip.

Here’s what my research came up with:

EuroVelo 17, from Lyon to Andermatt in Switzerland

https://fr.eurovelo.com/route-planner?route=1049,187

EuroVelo 5, from Andermatt to Basel (Basel in German), located at the border between Switzerland, France, and Germany.

https://fr.eurovelo.com/route-planner?route=187,2171

EuroVelo 6, starting from Basel to Linz, you follow EuroVelo 6 eastward along the Rhine and then the Danube through Germany and Austria.

https://fr.eurovelo.com/route-planner?route=2171,126

EuroVelo 7, from Linz to Rostock in northern Germany to take the ferry to Norway.

https://fr.eurovelo.com/route-planner?route=126,143

How to reach Norway from Germany with bikes

Ferry 1: from Rostock Port (Germany) to Gedser, Denmark

EuroVelo 7, from Gedser to Helsingør, Denmark by bike to take the second ferry

https://fr.eurovelo.com/route-planner?route=833,2690

Ferry 2: Helsingør, Denmark to Helsingborg, Sweden

Now you’ve arrived in Norway

EuroVelo 7, from Helsingborg to Nordkapp—2,200 kilometers.

May is the ideal time to leave because in Norway, it’s the thawing period. If you leave Lyon in early May at a classic travel pace (around 100 to 120 km per day), you’ll reach northern Scandinavia (Lapland, northern Norway) by mid-June or early July. The total distance from Lyon to Nordkapp is about 4,200 to 4,600 km.

It seems like you can find plenty of cyclists' stories online about reaching the North Cape, some of which appear on VF.

Personally, I won’t be going because of my age and the tunnels, if I can believe the accounts.

clauidio

Thanks for your tips

I just realized this, but on https://fr.eurovelo.com you can download a GPX track.

Hey Smopy, you didn’t mix up Basel to Linz—you sent me the EuroVelo 6 route, but I only see the EV15 following the Rhine. Thanks for all your tips!

Hi Michel,

You're right, the route I suggested is longer if we take the EuroVelo 6.

I ran an AI query, here's its response:

https://gemini.google.com/app/b3fb56f09e0cc4c4

This way, you avoid going through Austria (and the mountains), but you'll have to take the D-Route 11 (cycle network in Germany) from the E15 to the E7.

https://gemini.google.com/app/9b5d6b26e66ff2b6

https://gemini.google.com/app/9ea43207222723fd

After double-checking, the AI (Gemini) was wrong—there’s no D-Route 11 connecting the E15 to the E7.

However, Germany does have a cycling network:

https://www.radroutenplaner-deutschland.de/

Alternatively, the EuroVelo 4 runs from the E15 to the E7.

Watch out for AI Sure, it can help, but as an old-school traveler (73 years young), Claudio recommends the old-fashioned method. On the web and on VF, you’ll find countless stories that can help—it’s up to us to synthesize them. Otherwise, do you have paper maps or not? Tools like Brouter can also be useful. After that, it’s up to us to extract the real essence of the info.

claudii

Hello, two guys from Annecy left Annecy for North Cape in 2026. They just got back. Philippe and Fabrice.

https://www.ledauphine.com/sport/2026/06/05/ages-de-61-a-74-ans-ils-vont-traverser-l-europe-du-nord-au-sud-a-velo-soit-7-700-km

Claudio noted this in his database