Frequent asking questions

The earlier will be the best !

It’s true we all want to know befor e hiking or cycling what the wheather would like … We all want to wait before deciding … But  the hiking or cycling season is relatively short and the stages on the routes, especially if they are renowned, are limited (especially in a personal room)!

By anticipating your reservation you make sure you can go and hike or ride in good conditions.

To guarantee you the quality of your trip, we ask for a minimum period of 20 days between the date of your reservation and the date of your departure. This period allows us to prepare your travel program, your route and have the time to send it to you (especially for hikes since we send you the topo guide by post). So if you want to go for a kike or bike trip, don’t wait, the preparation of your tour will be easier.

Ok, you have chosen your bike trip or your hike … To book, go to the website and click on the departure day of your choice. Your reservation request is validated, however, this process cannot guarantee the availability of accommodation during your stay.

Why ? It’s simple, our agency offers self-guided stays without a predefined date (on request), which allows you to leave on the day you want. On the other hand, we do not have already booked rooms. In fact, as soon as you have validated your trip, we immediately check availability on guesthouses and hotels. Usually we always succeed in it, sometimes we have to adapt the route and in few cases where the attendance is high, unfortunately we cannot confirm your stay (of course, we offer other dates or refund your deposit). To avoid this type of disappointment, the easiest way is to book your stay in advance, but we know it is not always easy!

You are wondering how to reach Le Puy? Don’t panic, the city is fairly well served!

By train

There is a train station in Le Puy-en-Velay. It is located right into the center of the city near your first hotel and all the places to visit and shops. It is very pleasant to take the train from home to come and start a hike or a cycling holiday in Le Puy. Psst, even if the journey can seem long, when you arrive via Saint-Etienne, the tracks run along the wild Loire Valley, it’s a very nice show and you can make new friends in the wagons!

By car

Le Puy is accessible by road in particular by two roads, the RN88 from Saint-Etienne / Lyon or Aubenas / Mende or via the RN 102 (Clermont-Ferrand). Su rplaces you have adapted car parks, but we will explain everything to you in your travel diary!

• Paris: 515km
• Lyon: 134km
• Marseille: 300km
• Toulouse: 350km
• Montpellier: 250km

By plane

• Le Puy-Loudes airport serving Paris
• Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport
• Clermont-Ferrand Airport

And now, it’s up to you to choose your means of transport to reach your starting point!

Our electric bikes are recent to offer you the best comfort for your trip. If, however, you wish to take your bike, you will of course benefit from a reduction, but above all, we invite you to check certain points. If the bicycle is electrically assisted, the battery should have a minimum power of 400 watts.
It is imperative that it is in perfect working order before departure. Don’t hesitate to have it revised before you go.
Our routes combine small roads and paths, your bike must be of the hybrid bike, mountain bike or gravel type with suitable tires. Please no city bikes on the trail – Any doubt, call us!

To ensure your safety, wearing a helmet is strongly recommended for adults and compulsory for children. L’Autre Chemin offers you new generation Specialized helmets combining safety and comfort. Our helmets are cleaned and disinfected after use. If you have a personal headset, please take it.

That’s a good question ! With the bikes offered by the L’Autre Chemin agency for stays departing from Le Puy, you benefit from insurance covering damage to the bike made available to you and its theft (under certain conditions – Everything you need to know about our insurance breakage & theft, excess and general conditions)

Note: This guarantee does not apply for when you travel with your personal bike or with a bike offered by one of our partners for stays whose departure is not made from the agency (Corsica, Réunion, Vendée…)

Insurance for:

• The damage caused to the bike during your stay, whether it is repairable or irreparable
• The theft of L’Autre Chemin’s bicycle either by assault or break-in.

So ride serene with L’Autre Chemin!

L’Autre Chemin has a fleet of electrically assisted and unassisted bicycles that we reserve only for our organized trips for several reasons:

• Because we offer organized cycling trips and we need our park to take you to discover beautiful things
• Because we need a safe and well-maintained fleet of bikes to take you far!
• So that our bikes always remain comfortable, enjoyable to offer you the best cycling travel experience
• Because we are a specialized travel agency

L’Autre Chemin offers luggage transport solutions.

Luggage transport is understood to be at the rate of one piece of luggage weighing up to 13kg / person. The baggage must be in one piece and must not exceed the weight limit. Any exceeding of the number of bags and the weight of each bag will result in additional invoicing.

Luggage is transported from stage to stage and must be clearly labeled and available every morning from 8 a.m. in the reception hall of the accommodation.

Tip: In order to limit the risk of damage, we suggest that you use non-fragile, flexible and low-value luggage.

Advise: To reduce the risk of damage, we suggest you use non-fragile luggage with limited value.

You can pay for your booking in several different ways:

• By bank transfer, using the account details sent out with your contract
• By bank card on our website
• In cash, within the legal limit for cash payments (€1,000)

When you reserve your trip, a deposit of 30% will be taken to confirm your booking.

Any request for cancellation or modification must be addressed to L’Autre Chemin by e-mail or by post. Below you will find the fee schedule for cancellation fees. If you have opted for the Europ Assistance travel insurance offered by the Other Way, you will have to inform the insurance company (whose details appear on the contract) by letter with acknowledgment of receipt. Depending on the circumstances of cancellation contained in these clauses (or not) and according to the documents you provide, the date and circumstances giving rise to your cancellation will govern the acceptance of the refund of cancellation fees or not and any deductibles.

Schedule of cancellation fees:

• Till 30 days before departure: 30% of the price of the tour (first deposit)
• From 29 to 15 days before departure: 50% of the price of the tour
• From 14 days before departure: 100% of the price of the tour

Particular cancellation fées for bike trips in VendéeCas particulier des séjours à vélo proposés en Vendée

• Till 30 days before departure: 50% of the price of the tour (first deposit)
• From 30 days before departure: 100% of the price of the tour

Nota : In all cases, the administration fees will remain with L’Autre Chemin. For  a bank transfer refund, fees may be applied and supported by the customer.

^{Updated for every booking from April, 28th 2022}

We imagine our trips where the bike becomes an extraordinary means of discovery that will allow you to stop when and where you want. Cycling offers the pleasure of meeting people also on the paths, in the villages … Our trips can be accessible to as many people as possible and can also be more sporty, the electric assistance of the bikes helps enormously but does not replace pedaling. Some tours can be more technical than others in terms of driving, do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

To calculate the length of a cycle stage offered by L’Autre Chemin, count an average of between 10km and 15km / hour. It depends on the frequency of your stops, the difficulty of the paths, the height difference. You can of course go faster but with this average, you will never be surprised …

If you wish to interrupt your trip prematurely, fore any reasons (Physical conditions, family reasons …). The full amount of the trip remains due and no refund will be offered.

Nota : the optional multi-risk cancellation insurance can offer in some cases( Terrorist attack on your vacation spot, natural disaster, death of a relative , home damage …), the refund for the costs not used during your tour – Learn more about cancellation insurance

In the event that the interruption requires a transfer, note that it will remain to your charge. 

L’Autre Chemin offers luggage transport solutions.

Luggage transport is understood to be at the rate of one piece of luggage weighing up to 15kg / person. The baggage must be in one piece and must not exceed the weight limit. Any exceeding of the number of bags and the weight of each bag will result in additional invoicing.

Luggage is transported from stage to stage and must be clearly labeled and available every morning from 8 a.m. in the reception hall of the accommodation.

Tip: In order to limit the risk of damage, we suggest that you use non-fragile, flexible and low-value luggage.

You can pay for your reservation with your choice:

• By bank transfer to the account whose contact details are provided to you when sending your contract
• By credit card when booking on our website with the booking module and then by a secure payment link which will be sent to you on request.

When booking the stay, a deposit of 30% will be requested so that your reservation becomes final.

You don’t have a travelling companion and you want to hike or travel by bike?

Each year we organize tours for people who travel solo and we pay particular attention to these stays with in particular:

• The guarantee of staying in individual and personal rooms to guarantee your peace and comfort
• We provide a hotline to accompany you if necessary during your journey and to allow you to enjoy your trip serenely.
• Before your departure, you will receive the GPX track of your route which allows you to easily find your way along your route

Whether you are worried before your departure or not, we are at your disposal to answer your questions and facilitate the organization of your solo trip and whether it is an adventure in the great outdoors or an unforgettable experience!

Once the registration has been accepted and validated, the customer may request any changes to his stay (except in the special cases described in the section below). These modifications, if they are possible in agreement with the various service providers concerned by the stay, will result in the invoicing of a flat rate of €50 / travel file. In the event that the requested modification is impossible, the initial stay will prevail.

Note: The cancellation of a service (or its non-performance) is not considered as a modification. This cancellation of service will be managed according to the schedule of cancellation fees specified above.

Special cases of contract modification

Downsizing the group of travelers is covered by the cancelation conditions for the person who cancels their trip (see cancellation fee schedule) and may incur costs for other participants (see partial cancellation section).

The modification of the departure date, the modification of which is subject to the rule described below. 
Modification fees: Due to its complexity, changing the departure date will result in modification fees set at 10% of the total amount of the tour.

The modification of the departure date can be proposed only once* by meeting the following 3 conditions (*beyond, the modification would be considered as a cancellation and the cancellation fees would apply):

1. That it is clearly formulated by email with a postponement date fixed and later than the initial date of travel and that it remains in the current season
2. That it occurs more than 45 days before the originally scheduled departure date
3. That the availability of the service providers necessary for the successful completion of the stay is effective for the new date chosen (Note: maintaining the accommodation initially provided for in the initial contract is not guaranteed for the new departure date and cannot constitute a substantial modification of the travel contract).

In the event these conditions does not occur and the modification impossible, the terms of the initial contract will be maintained and will be governed by article 7 of the general conditions of sale of L’Autre Chemin and more particularly the scale of cancellation fees.

If you wish to prematurely interrupt your trip, for any reason whatsoever (weather, weariness …) the entire stay remains due.

For your trip, a sanitary pass will be required, in particular to allow you access to dining in the dining room and on the terrace of your accommodation. As all our stays are offered on a half-board basis, the accommodation providers will ask for your sanitary pass to be presented during your stay and we thank you for complying with these new measures **.