This one’s a must for wine aficionados! Burgundy, France, offers so much beauty: its serene, sun-bathed landscapes will have you feeling like you’re inside of a painting. For five days, you will be cycling through vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see, follow quiet pathways along a river, and rolling hills with ever-changing colors. Every now and then a charming historical village, an iconic castle, or a Romanesque church will pop up, giving you a chance to discover sites that played a key role in European history. Taste the world-famous French cuisine and, of course, exquisite wines. With this self-guided tour, you get to pedal at your own pace and savor every moment of the timeless riches in the gentle Burgundian sun.
Hop on a bike and pedal your way through some of the most beautiful cycling paths in Europe—Voie Verte and Vote Bleue, lovely greenways going through Burgundy. This 6-day tour will have you cycling through the landscapes of the Côte Chalonnaise on an old railway, passing quaint villages, historic castles, and Romanesque abbeys. You will cruise along the banks of Saône and discover the historically significant Cluny (and lots of other villages and towns!). This is a self-guided adventure, meaning that you have the freedom to move at your own pace, but you also get the perks of already arranged accommodation, luggage transfers, routes and maps. There’s nothing stopping you from spending your next vacation in Burgundy, cycling through the French countryside and tasting the world-famous cuisine.
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
Optional:
Should you need to make any changes to your booking after confirmation, please be aware that a €50 administrative fee applies to each modification.
If you’re looking for a carefree holiday, there’s nothing better than this. Your guiding company thought of everything: the route, the accommodation, luggage transfers, and breakfasts, so all that’s left to do is enjoy the journey. Cycle at your own pace, stop whenever you want to, and marvel at serene landscapes surrounding you as long as you’d like.
Prior to the start of the Burgundy bike tour, you will receive a digital travel pack with documents sent by email (in German, French, or English) as well as access to your phone travel app for routes and maps. The app is in English only. If you wish to have a printed version with you (with paper roadbook in German, French, or English + maps), let us know upon booking (there is an additional cost). The printed travel pack will be given to you at the first accommodation of the tour.
If you join this Burgundy bike tour, you can expect easy to moderate cycling. You will mostly follow walking/cycling paths on an old railway, rolling hills, and shared-use lanes on quiet roads.
Daily distances will range between 28 and 52 km (17.5-32 miles) with easy to moderate ascents in elevation throughout the rides.
Please no cotton hiking or cycling clothing! Synthetic clothing is very efficient in drying quickly. Merino wool material clothing is also efficient in drying quickly, it’s comfortable to wear, and has the advantage of not developing a bad odor after use.
Clothing checklist (required for the trip, think layers!)
Gear checklist
Optional items
First aid kit
Anything can happen and it’s best to carry your own personal first aid kit. What you need may not be available in the destination you are visiting, so we recommend being well prepared. Here’s a basic list of what makes a good personal travel first aid kit:
Got everything you need? Grab your gear through Active Junky and earn cash back on top outdoor brands — plus a $10 bonus on your first $25+ purchase. Shop now at Active Junky!
Indeed you can! If you choose to rent a bike (hybrid bikes and e-bikes offered), it will be delivered at your first hotel of the itinerary. You will be asked to give a deposit to hold during the rental. At the end of the tour, you will leave the rental bike at last night’s hotel.
All bikes are equipped with a side stand, a mudguard, a pannier rack, and lights. They also come with a bike lock, a toolkit (inner tube, pump, and basic tools), a helmet, and saddlebags.
If you choose to bring your own bike, make sure you’re aware of (flight) transport costs and that everything is working well before setting off.
You will only have to carry the essential things for the day, such as your packed lunch, water, and other personal items. For this, you will need a saddle bag (comes with the rental). If you don’t have one, bring a 30-40L backpack with a waist strap to carry what you need for the day. A small backpack is always recommended for visiting attractions along the route.
The rest of your travel luggage will be transported for you from hotel to hotel each day—it will be there in the evening. Please limit your luggage to a maximum of 20 kg / 44 lbs per person. One piece of luggage per person allowed.
Accommodation will be arranged for you, so all you’ve got to do is show up. You will be staying in double / twin bedrooms in B&B, in 3-star and 4-star hotels or in guesthouses with the same level of comfort. Single rooms are subject to availability and require a supplement fee.
Please note that in Europe, more and more hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses are refusing to take part in the star-rating system. This doesn’t mean that they are of a lesser quality, in fact far from it. If your guiding company indicates that an accommodation is ‘3-star or equivalent to’, this means that the establishment may have chosen not to receive an official classification, but they believe the level of comfort provided is equal to that of a traditional 3-star establishment.
Group sizes and prices:
Burgundy bike tours can be arranged for bigger groups. Contact us prior to booking.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has riders under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
Your Burgundy bike tour begins in Mâcon, France. If you’re flying in, the closest airport is Lyon Airport Saint-Exupéry (LYS), and then an additional hour or two, depending on the mode of transport (car or bus). Another option is the Geneva Airport (GVA), 2-2.5 hours away from Mâcon.
There’s also the possibility of using a train or a car if you’re already in Europe!
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.
Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.
We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to. For more information on travel recommendations and restrictions in France, please refer to France foreign travel advice.
If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!
Deposits
You can secure one of the set dates with a 30% deposit upon booking. The remaining 70% of the trip price is to be paid 90 days prior to departure, at the latest.
Cancellations
Booking fees are non-refundable in all cases. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options:
Basic
Flexible
Super Flexible
Check your inbox.
Schedule a call with our adventure experts and let us help planning your dream adventure.
Interesting circuit with its route on the blue lane along the banks of the Saône, on small country roads and the green lane (former railway line) on the return, passing through the towns with a rich past of Mâcon, Tournus, Chalon and Cluny and through other more small but worth the detour. Well created. Good balance between routes along the river, small roads and cultural visits. Route on greenway (Railway)