We’re heading to Froggyland this summer for our family holiday so two adult bikes, one kid’s bike and maybe a trailer will be going with us.

We’re going by Ferry and I was planning to get a rear rack for the bikes.

All fine but we’re going to stop over midway through the trip across France for the night and I’m wondering what to do about the bikes as I don’t really want to leave them on the car which is pretty insecure.

Any suggestions – what do you do?

Put them in the car or your room.

Or book a hotel/B&B that will let you put them in a store room.

Personally, I travel with them in the car covered up and out of sight.

We did this last year and stayed in bandb’s that were slightly off the beaten track, rather than hotels.

Used a website called Stopoverconnections was quite handy and both places we used were very good. Travelled from Scotland so stayed near St Quentin and also nr Reims.
One place we put them in his garden and the other we just left on the car as it was a farm.

How much are you planning on spending on hotels? We stay at Etap/Formula 1/Campanille type places and leave them in the Caddy covered up. If they’re valuable you can take them into your room but not a lot of space.

Usual sort of rates I guess which for a family of four seems to be around £100-£120 per night.

Can’t really leave them in the car as that’ll be full (unless we take everything out which I don’t fancy…)

Can anyone recommend a hotel vaguely in the area of Le Mans (as that’s roughly half way).

“Can’t really leave them in the car as that’ll be full”

The seats won’t be when your in the hotel.

Put them there wrapped in old bedding(sheets/quilt covers etc)

They can go back on the rack in the morning.

I guess so – just seems a bit insecure and I don’t fancy starting the holiday with a smashed car window… 😕

Wellin the room they go or book some where off the beaten track and/or with a storage room.

FFS its not rocket science.

Book into a premiere classe, usually about 35€ per room for 3, a lot are accessed from the outside. book an extra room for the bikes.

In 2006 we spent one night in Calais (on street parking) and three nights in Saint Denis, Paris in semi-secure car park. Both hotels were Formule 1. We locked the bikes to a rear bike rack on the car and had no bother.

We used a couple of U-locks and a long Kryptonite wire rope. Backed against a lamp post and secured the bikes via the car tow bar (two bars underneath), the rack and the lamppost.

Like it 🙂

That sounds more practical

We stayed at Tour last year (near Le Mans) at an Accor hotel – plenty of people left bikes on the back of the cars locked to the carrier. This was in a fenced off car park but seems to be a realively safe area.

I’ve thought about this, was planning on putting the bikes in bike bags and strapping to roof bars. When you get to the hotel just take the whole bag in and prop it in a corner of the room. I’ve done it before in the uk but had space for the bike bag in the boot because it was just me. Keeps from getting the hotels grubby too.

+1 for Stopoverconnections. Used them several times to find nice out-of-the-way stop overs.

We regularly use Novotels, I always take the bikes into the rooms & never had a problem doing this but You’ll be amazed at the quantity (and quality) of bikes people leave on car racks overnight

We locked them to the chassis / tow bar mount

Done same trip to france with overnight stays a few times, always booked hotels with secure gated car parks.. 4 bikes on roof on Thule bars..secured with a cable and two heavy duty u locks

D locked and cabled to the towbar mounted Thule, with the car backed right up to the fence or a wall. Again, always stayed at Forme 1 or Accorhotels or similar and never had any problems. We did the lamp post thing in a town centre hotel in Dieppe.

Left them on the roof when parked at a Campanile. I think excluding the Thule locks, there were about five different locks holding the bikes and wheels on the roof. Best bike came in the room. Three others stayed out. I wasn’t in the least bit worried about theft. Done this several times, including leaving the bikes all day to watch the Tour at Chartres.

For the past couple of years on trips through France with some friends we’ve stayed in Calais for a night on the way down and just taken the bikes to the rooms. The staff didn’t bat an eyelid as we wheeled them through reception. They were clean though, it might not be the same story if the bikes were filthy!

And although I haven’t used stopoverconnections, I thought I recognised the name, and having just checked I do, I know the folks who run it, so hello Penny if you ever read this!

Took them inside in tiny formula one rooms. 3 people, 3 bike’s and if you farted too hard you would inflate your tyre. Still, we were doing London to Paris and were more interested in the Red wine at night.

On holiday, In rural areas, leave on the top of the car.

Downtown Paris, backed van against a wall and has 15 plus bikes in the back. Some took their bikes into a hotel room, but the hotel wasn’t happy to let them all in.