I've biked France twice along w/20 other European countries. France is the best country in general to bike. As long as you stay off the N roads (red roads if you use the Michelin map), you should be fine. Most towns of size have a tourist office. I second the suggestion of going to see Mt. St. Michel. As I recall, I was only impressed by the visual of it as I road away - the place itself wasn't anything impressive and the crowds in April were bad. Paris will cost you 4x as much as the rest of the country and knowing even the basic words will help. Perhaps it's changed in the 18 yrs since I've been there, but I found that the French didn't speak English because they didn't know English. But those who want to communicate always make it work.
