exploring southwest france & beyond

The Voie Verte de l’Armagnac: A Car-Free Bike Route Through the Gers

Yes, it’s called Condom. Isn’t that great? I made commemorative t-shirts. But Condom is also a genuinely lovely town in the Gers with a cathedral, a river port, and a weekly market, and it happens to be the starting point for one of the best easy bike rides in southwest France.

The Route

The Voie Verte de l’Armagnac is a 33 km paved path running from Condom to Eauze, the two historic capitals of Armagnac country. It’s built on an old railway line, so it’s flat, smooth, shaded for most of the way, and completely car-free. No traffic, no stress. It’s open to bikes, walkers, rollers, horses, and dogs on leash.

Map highlighting tourist attractions, restaurants, and parks in the Gers region of France, showing key locations and routes.

The first section opened in 2009, and it was completed in stages over the following years, with the full Condom-to-Eauze route inaugurated in 2023. There are parking areas and rest stops along the way at Mouchan, Lauraët, and Lagraulet, so you can do as much or as little as you want. The whole thing takes about 2–3 hours one way by bike at a relaxed pace. Or 66 km return if you’re feeling ambitious.

A dog standing on a leaf-covered pathway surrounded by trees on a cloudy day.

Nearby: La Romieu

A short drive from Condom (or a stage on the GR65 walking path), La Romieu is a small village with a disproportionately impressive 14th-century collegiate church. Cardinal Arnaud d’Aux, a local boy who did well, had it built in 1318. Two towers, a Gothic cloister, original frescoes with black angels, and a UNESCO World Heritage listing as part of the Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. You can climb one of the towers for a wide view over the Gers countryside.

View of a stone cloister through an arched window, featuring a lush green courtyard and a tall medieval tower in the background.

Next to the village are the Jardins de Coursiana, a 6-hectare botanical garden with an arboretum, a medicinal plant garden, and an English garden, all with views back toward the collegiate church. It’s a nice place to slow down for an hour. When we visited, the garden hosted a vintage car show.

La Romieu is also covered in cat sculptures, which is a whole thing involving a medieval legend about a girl named Angeline who saved the village from rats. Look it up when you get there.

A classic yellow Volkswagen Beetle parked next to a light blue convertible car in an orchard with trees and blue sky in the background.

If You Go

Two tall green plants with bright yellow flowers against a clear blue sky.