Between Dijon and Lyon lie the fillets of the Rhône Valley. Travelling gourmets go into raptures. It's a good thing that cycling makes you hungry.
Our route
Start in Dijon. Via Nuits-St-Georges to Beaune. On small roads via Mersault to Chagny. On the "Voie Verte" along the Canal du Centre to Chalon-sur-Saône. Back on quiet roads through St-Loupde-Varennes and St-Cyr to Tournus. A constant up and down on winding country roads via Brancion and Chissey-lès-Mâcon to Cormatin. Now you cycle back on the "Voie Verte" to Mâcon. Here the cycle path runs along an old railway line via Cluny. The 1.6 km long former railway
Travelling through the "Tunnel du Bois Clair" railway tunnel. Cross the Saône in Mâcon. Past St-Cyrsur-Menthon and Vonnas to Saint-André. Continue to Lent, St-Nizier-le-Désert and the Notre-Dame-des-Dombes monastery. Through a fascinating lake landscape via Joyeux and Faramans to the historic town of Perouges. From there through the villages of Balan, Niévroz and Thil to Miribel. Already in the haze of Lyon through the Parc de Loisirs de Miribel-Jonage and along the Rhône to the city centre of Lyon. (320 kilometres in total)
Best time to travel
May to October. It can get crowded in August.
Worth seeing
Old town of Dijon with its beautiful shops; Hôtel Dieu in Beaune; many vineyards of the Côte d'Or offer wine tastings; city centre and photography museum in Chalon-sur-Saône; Nicéphore Nièpce's house in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes; abbey church in Tournus; Musée du Vélo near Cormatin; Tunnel du Bois Clair near Cluny; Mâcon; the historic town of Perouges, Lyon.
Character
Well-developed, mostly little-used roads or cycle paths. Only in or around the towns is there a lot of car traffic. The terrain is hilly, but the gradients are almost always very moderate.
Organiser
Several cycle tour operators offer tours. Rückenwind Reisen offers a guided or individual cycle tour almost exactly along the route we have described from Dijon to Lyon. A road book makes it easier for self-drivers to find their way. All hotels are booked in advance.
Journey
Dijon and Lyon can be reached by long-distance train via Strasbourg or Paris.
Literature/Maps
Cyklos cycle travel guide "Northeast France by bike, Burgundy - Alsace - Lorraine, Ernst Mitschke, Kettler Verlag, 320 p., 14.80 euros.
Leisure maps no. 37, 43, 44 of the Institut Géographique National, €5.00 each, to order at http://www.ign.fr
Information and Internet
French Tourist Office Maison de la FranceTel. 0900/ 1570025, Fax 0900/1599061 .
Burgundy Tourist Office (with German-language cycling brochure "Tour de Bourgogne à vélo" for download).
Information on opening hours of the bicycle museum in Cormatin Musée du Veló .
Photography museum in Chalon-sur-Saône
Information about the inventor of photography, http://www.maison.niepce.museum
