Frenchtown has the good luck to be small, handsome, and on a river that has not been spoiled. It sits on the New Jersey bank of the Delaware, in Hunterdon County, with a main street of well-kept brick buildings, a handful of cafes and galleries, and a bridge across the water to Pennsylvania. The name comes from a Swiss-French settler who bought the land in the late eighteenth century and set up a ferry, and the town grew around that crossing.
On a bike, the draw is the road. Route 29 runs south along the river toward Lambertville, and the stretch near Frenchtown is among the prettiest of the whole byway, with the water close on one side and wooded slopes on the other. The corners are open and flowing, the surface is generally good, and the speed limits are low enough to make it a relaxed ride rather than a race. In the morning, mist can hang over the river and the whole valley seems hushed. Anglers stand in the shallows, and in good years you may see an eagle sitting in a tree above the water.
The town itself is easy to enjoy on foot. A few hundred metres of walking takes you past antique shops, a small park by the river, and the old bridge. There is a plain, friendly feel to the place that you do not always find in a weekend destination, and the cafes tend to be good without being fussy. Milford, a short ride upriver, is a sleepier cousin, with a similar small-town layout and a quiet riverside spot or two.
For fuel, do not count on Frenchtown itself. It is a small place, and the larger towns inland and down the river are the safer bet, so top up in Lambertville or one of the bigger communities before you commit to the river road. The river floods occasionally, and old marks on some buildings show the high-water lines. Spring is lovely when the dogwoods bloom, but autumn colours and clear light make October the best month. Summer weekends can be busy with cyclists, kayakers, and tubers, so take extra care on the bends.