France: Vineyards of Beaujolais

Depart home for France. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary.

Upon arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport, make your independent travel arrangements to the center of Paris. For details, refer to your VBT Handbook.

VBT provides you with city information that includes information and recommendations for what to see and do in Paris. Enjoy the rest of the day to relax or to begin exploring the City of Light on your own.

See for yourself why Paris has inspired poets, lovers, emperors, and artists for centuries. Start with a stroll along the legendary Champs-Élysées, site of the final grueling yards of the Tour de France and the shopping boulevard of the city. Ascend the mammoth Arc de Triomphe if you wish, then follow the world’s most famous street to the Place de la Concorde, punctuated by the Egyptian obelisk, a gift from Egypt in 1829. The Louvre and its world-class art collection are another delightful walk away, through the Jardin des Tuileries, studded with statuary and 17th-century gardens.

Make your own independent travel arrangements from Paris to Mâcon. For details, refer to your VBT Handbook.

Today’s ride into the Beaujolais region – nestled in South Burgundy – provides a preview of this scenic area renowned for its culinary splendors and rich viniculture of light-bodied red wines and bright whites. This is the least crowded wine region of France, despite that it boasts one of the nation’s highest concentrations of vineyards, a world-renowned gastronomy, endless charming villages, a Mediterranean-like climate and gently rolling hills. It all makes for some of the most rewarding cycling in Europe, as you’ll soon discover.

You set out from your Mâcon hotel and follow the Saône River bike path. This stunning region rests between Burgundy to the north and the Rhône valley to the south. Romans arrived here in the 1st century, cultivating vast vineyards; some of their original plantings remain to this day. Later, Benedictine monks oversaw the wineries until the Duchy of Burgundy took them over in the 15th century. Mâcon is celebrated as the birthplace of Alphonse Lamartine, 19th-century poet and diplomat. Today, a pastiche of pastel-hued buildings line the Saône, made even more magnificent each spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. Your riverside ride introduces you to all its beauty and charm.

This evening, savor your first experience of Burgundian cuisine, perhaps sampling the famed beef bourguignon in its birthplace, accompanied by a light Gamay or Pinot gris.

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon loop — 27 km (17 miles)

What to Expect:

This ride will give you the opportunity to become familiar with your bike as you cycle the fairly flat bike lanes of city streets and pedal out of Mâcon through some lower elevation wine villages and vineyards to the west bank of the Saône River. You encounter two ascents, one at the 4-km point (2.5 miles) and the next at the 8.3-km point (5 miles). Cross the Saône River and follow the fairly flat, low-traffic bike path back (a dirt road) to the center of Mâcon.

Included Meals: Breakfast

If you wish, take today to explore the Burgundian city of Mâcon. Stroll its cobbled streets, stopping at any of its inviting cafés to drink up the old-world atmosphere. The city is home to an array of churches of all sizes, from the Old Mâcon Cathedral to the newer Cathedral of Saint-Vincent. Or cross the Pont Saint-Laurent to the small village of Saint-Laurent-Sur-Saône.

On the bike, we have a couple of ways for you to, as the locals say, follow the grape! Pedal the flat Voie Bleue bike path, tracing the banks of the Saône. Varied birdlife keeps you company on this tranquil route. You leave the river behind to cycle into the wine country where the Chardonnay grape is grown and soon get to Viré. This charming hamlet was put on oenophiles’ maps after it partnered with its neighbor, Clessé, to create the Viré-Clessé appellation, today a producer of one of the region’s finest wines.

Today’s longer option takes you past vistas of massive rocky outcrops to a small village whose name is synonymous with one of the world’s most popular white wines: Chardonnay. The earliest record of Chardonnay wine dates to 1330, likely around the time when local Cistercian monks created the variety and distributed it throughout France. To protect their vineyards, the monks constructed stone walls; soon, a village of stone houses emerged around the lavoir, a stream-fed wash-house, and several domaines (wine producers).

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon to Viré short loop — 40 km (25 miles) | Mâcon to Chardonnay long loop — 59 km (37 miles)

What to Expect:

Depart Mâcon in the morning, following the La Voie Bleue bike path north along the Saône River to the wine-making town of Viré. The long loop continues through rolling vineyards into the town of Chardonnay. Both loops return south on country roads and through villages to Mâcon, where you join bike lanes and encounter some busier traffic as you return to your city-center hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you depart Mâcon on a dedicated bike path, heading west on a gentle uphill out of the Saône River Valley. Your destination is the historic town of Cluny, the center of Christianity in the Middle Ages. The former abbey here was established by William I of Aquitaine in 910 AD and grew into the largest Christian complex in the world, until the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It was pillaged by the Huguenots in 1562 and later dynamited. Its richly carved stones were sold by an unscrupulous local priest. Today, some ten percent of the original structure remains, a haunting echo of its former self.

There’ll be time to explore the abbey and the town before following one of three routes (ranging from easy to challenging) to the enchanting village of Igé, and your next hotel set in a beautifully manicured, 10-acre park. At its center, you find a magical 13th-century manor house whose property includes a chapel, orchard and heated swimming pool. This splendid accommodation and fine-dining restaurant is overseen by the Michelin-starred chef Georges Blanc, celebrated for his award-winning cuisine and dedication to the region’s culinary heritage. Once you settle in, take time to explore the small village, then there is time to relax and indulge in the hotel’s swimming pool and grounds.

Savor a very special dinner this evening in the hotel’s eye-catching dining room. Georges Blanc earned his stripes in the kitchen as a “saucier” – a master sauce maker – a crucial skill in French cuisine. Your menu includes locally sourced products seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon to Cluny — 30 km (19 miles) | Cluny to Igé short option — 23 km (14 miles) | Cluny to Igé via Cormatin long option — 40 km (25 miles)

What to Expect:

Depart Mâcon on town streets for about 4 km (2.5 miles) before joining a packed gravel bike path on a former railway line designated a greenway, or voie verte in French. The path gradually ascends out of the Saône River valley past small towns, villages and vineyards, with views of the castle of Berzé-le-Châtel at about kilometer 19 (mile 12). You soon enter a long, well-lit tunnel for 1.6 km (.99 miles) and emerge at the other end in Cluny. Please note, if the Bois Clair tunnel is closed, please use the route “D3 Mâcon to Cluny when tunnel is closed” (32 km (19.9 miles)).

For the short option to your hotel, retrace the voie verte (greenway) to kilometer 15 (mile 9), then turn north onto rolling country roads through small villages, fragrant forest and open fields.

The long option via Cormatin is flat for the first 15 km (9 miles) until you arrive in the small town of Cormatin. Pause to visit its 17th-century castle, surrounded by a moat and beautifully maintained French gardens. A gradual climb is followed by a rolling descent to the Château d’Igé in Igé.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Depart Igé and pedal into the heart of the finest vineyards of Beaujolais. Choose an easy or a more challenging ride, each one delivering you to the appellations and villages. Ride into Pouilly-Fuissé, whose only grape variety is the Chardonnay. And pass through the tiny valley village of Juliénas. No matter your route, you also have the chance to gaze upon the impressive Rock of Solutré, a breathtaking limestone escarpment offering stunning views of the Beaujolais region and its many vineyards. The protected natural area and its impressive rock not only oversees a distinctive grassland; it also hosted the Solutrean paleolithic culture some 52,000 years ago. Today, a fascinating prehistoric site and an illuminating museum chronicle the primitive people. What’s more, the trails around the rock proved a favorite walking route of President François Mitterand. This is one of France’s most beloved treasures.

Continue cycling through scenic, rolling vineyards, passing through delightful villages like Le Moulin à Vent and Romanèche-Thorins, with its scenic windmill. Later, you arrive at your accommodation for the next two nights.

For dinner on your own, you may choose to dine at your hotel’s fine-dining restaurant (dinner is included here tomorrow night) or take the short taxi ride into the nearby historic town of Belleville-en-Beaujolais. Here, you can view the 12th-century Notre Dame church and choose from suggested restaurants.

Today’s Ride Choices

Château d’Igé to Villa Alexandre short option — 49 km (30 miles) | Château d’Igé to Villa Alexandre long option — 53 km (33 miles)

What to Expect:

The route rolls out of Igé on a gentle descent. Crossing the route to Cluny, you ascend on narrow roads, weaving in and out of vineyards and villages that have been producing wine for centuries.

The short option stays closer to the Saône Valley floor and may see a bit more traffic as it rolls through vineyards and villages to your hotel in Régnié-Durette.

The long option rises higher in the vineyards with total elevation gain of 2,200 feet. Your efforts are rewarded with sweeping views over vineyards and the entire Saône Valley. Enjoy exhilarating descents, twisting through villages and hamlets to your hotel in Régnié-Durette.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Spend today as you wish, taking advantage of the amenities and vinicultural offerings at your hotel, exploring more of Belleville or heading out on your choice of several exhilarating rides.

If you choose to cycle, select from two routes. This part of southern Beaujolais contains 39 villages of Golden Stone, or Pierres dorées, a charming cluster of stone hamlets surrounded by vistas of rolling hills and fertile vineyards that many have compared to Tuscany. The buildings get their warm golden hue from the locally quarried limestone tinged with iron oxide. This luminous stone was used in the construction of Lyon and other parts of Beaujolais, taken from a quarry that has been abandoned since World War I.

A shorter ride keeps you “close to home,” ideal if you’d like an easy, mellow outing just to keep your legs moving. You cross the Saône and ride along a riverside bike path, then enjoy gentle hills through vineyards and villages. To get in more miles, follow a challenging spin on the voie verte, or greenway, to a bike path with a gradual ascent to 2,520 feet and a nice coast past more wineries and hamlets.

An elegant dinner is included in the fine-dining restaurant of your hotel, a fitting end to celebrate your exploration of Beaujolais.

Today’s Ride Choices

Hotel Villa Alexandre southern Beaujolais easy loop — 40 km (25 miles) | Hotel Villa Alexandre to Beaujeu challenging option — 46 km (29 miles)

What to Expect:

This varied route rolls south out of your hotel to the nearby town of Belleville and crosses the Saône to a riverside bike path. You follow this for a few miles (between 8 and 10 km), just north of the Pierres dorées villagesthen cross back over the Saône and gently ascend through vineyards and villages. You reach your maximum elevation of approximately 1,000 feet at the 26-kilometer mark (15 miles), then gently roll back to the Ardiere River Valley, joining the Beaujolais Greenway back to your hotel.

The challenging option follows the voie verte (greenway) to Saint-Didier-sur-Beaujeu. You then trace a bike route with one gradual climb to the highest point of 2,520 feet at about kilometer 25.8 (16 miles). A gradual descent brings you back through Quincie-en-Beaujolais, on the northern edge of the Pierres dorées villages, and into an easy coast through vineyards and villages to your hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Enjoy the amenities at your hotel located in the Beaujolais countryside in Régnié-Durette. Complimentary transportation to the Lyon airport is provided on Saturday morning.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast this morning, allow yourself a minimum of 3 hours prior to your flight departure to get to Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS); for details, refer to your VBT Handbook. Please note, in September and October 2023, your hotel is located in the Beaujolais countryside in Régnié-Durette, and complimentary transportation to the Lyon airport is provided on Saturday morning.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Depart home for France. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary.

Upon arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport, make your own independent travel arrangements to the center of Paris.

VBT provides you with city information that includes information and recommendations for what to see and do in Paris. Enjoy the rest of the day to relax or to begin exploring the City of Light on your own.

See for yourself why Paris has inspired poets, lovers, emperors, and artists for centuries. Start with a stroll along the legendary Champs-Élysées, site of the final grueling yards of the Tour de France and the shopping boulevard of the city. Ascend the mammoth Arc de Triomphe if you wish, then follow the world’s most famous street to the Place de la Concorde, punctuated by the Egyptian obelisk, a gift from Egypt in 1829. The Louvre and its world-class art collection are another delightful walk away, through the Jardin des Tuileries, studded with statuary and 17th-century gardens.

Make your own independent travel arrangements from Paris to Mâcon.

Today’s ride into the Beaujolais region—nestled in South Burgundy—provides a preview of this scenic area renowned for its culinary splendors and rich viniculture of light-bodied red wines and bright whites. This is the least crowded wine region of France, despite that it boasts one of the nation’s highest concentrations of vineyards, a world-renowned gastronomy, endless charming villages, a Mediterranean-like climate, and gently rolling hills. It all makes for some of the most rewarding cycling in Europe, as you’ll soon discover.

You set out from your Mâcon hotel and follow the Saône River bike path. This stunning region rests between Burgundy to the north and the Rhône valley to the south. Romans arrived here in the 1st century, cultivating vast vineyards; some of their original plantings remain to this day. Later, Benedictine monks oversaw the wineries until the Duchy of Burgundy took them over in the 15th century. Mâcon is celebrated as the birthplace of Alphonse Lamartine, 19th-century poet and diplomat. Today, a pastiche of pastel-hued buildings line the Saône, made even more magnificent each spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. Your riverside ride introduces you to all its beauty and charm.

This evening, savor your first experience of Burgundian cuisine, perhaps sampling the famed beef bourguignon in its birthplace, accompanied by a light Gamay or Pinot Gris.

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon Loop — 27 km (17 miles)

What to Expect:

This ride will give you the opportunity to become familiar with your bike as you cycle the fairly flat bike lanes of city streets and pedal out of Mâcon through some lower elevation wine villages and vineyards to the west bank of the Saône River. You encounter two ascents, one at the 4-km (2.5-mile) point and the next at the 8.3-km (5-mile) point. Cross the Saône River and follow the fairly flat, low-traffic bike path back (a dirt road) to the center of Mâcon.

Included Meals: Breakfast

If you wish, take today to explore the Burgundian city of Mâcon. Stroll its cobbled streets, stopping at any of its inviting cafés to drink up the old-world atmosphere. The city is home to an array of churches of all sizes, from the Old Mâcon Cathedral to the newer Cathedral of Saint-Vincent. Or cross the Pont Saint-Laurent to the small village of Saint-Laurent-Sur-Saône.

On the bike, we have a couple of ways for you to, as the locals say, follow the grape! Pedal the flat Voie Bleue bike path, tracing the banks of the Saône. Varied birdlife keeps you company on this tranquil route. You leave the river behind to cycle into the wine country where the Chardonnay grape is grown and soon get to Viré. This charming hamlet was put on oenophiles’ maps after it partnered with its neighbor, Clessé, to create the Viré-Clessé appellation, today a producer of one of the region’s finest wines.

Today’s longer option takes you past vistas of massive rocky outcrops to a small village whose name is synonymous with one of the world’s most popular white wines: Chardonnay. The earliest record of Chardonnay wine dates to 1330, likely around the time when local Cistercian monks created the variety and distributed it throughout France. To protect their vineyards, the monks constructed stone walls; soon, a village of stone houses emerged around the lavoir, a stream-fed wash-house, and several domaines (wine producers).

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon to Viré short loop — 40 km (25 miles) | Mâcon to Chardonnay long loop — 59 km (37 miles)

What to Expect:

Depart Mâcon in the morning, following the La Voie Bleue bike path north along the Saône River to the wine-making town of Viré. The long loop continues through rolling vineyards into the town of Chardonnay. Both loops return south on country roads and through villages to Mâcon, where you join bike lanes and encounter some busier traffic as you return to your city-center hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you depart Mâcon on a dedicated bike path, heading west on a gentle uphill out of the Saône River Valley. Your destination is the historic town of Cluny, the center of Christianity in the Middle Ages. The former abbey here was established by William I of Aquitaine in 910 AD and grew into the largest Christian complex in the world, until the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It was pillaged by the Huguenots in 1562 and later dynamited. Its richly carved stones were sold by an unscrupulous local priest. Today, some ten percent of the original structure remains, a haunting echo of its former self.

There’ll be time to explore the abbey and the town before following one of three routes (ranging from easy to challenging) to the enchanting village of Igé, and your next hotel set in a beautifully manicured, 10-acre park. At its center, you find a magical 13th-century manor house whose property includes a chapel, orchard and heated swimming pool. This splendid accommodation and fine-dining restaurant is overseen by the Michelin-starred chef Georges Blanc, celebrated for his award-winning cuisine and dedication to the region’s culinary heritage. Once you settle in, take time to explore the small village, then there is time to relax and indulge in the hotel’s swimming pool and grounds.

Savor a very special dinner this evening in the hotel’s eye-catching dining room. Georges Blanc earned his stripes in the kitchen as a “saucier” – a master sauce maker – a crucial skill in French cuisine. Your menu includes locally sourced products seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon to Cluny — 30 km (19 miles) | Cluny to Igé short option — 23 km (14 miles) | Cluny to Igé via Cormatin long option — 40 km (25 miles)

What to Expect:

Depart Mâcon on town streets for about 4 km (2.5 miles) before joining a packed gravel bike path on a former railway line designated a greenway, or voie verte in French. The path gradually ascends out of the Saône River valley past small towns, villages and vineyards, with views of the castle of Berzé-le-Châtel at about kilometer 19 (mile 12). You soon enter a long, well-lit tunnel for 1.6 km (.99 miles) and emerge at the other end in Cluny. Please note, if the Bois Clair tunnel is closed, please use the route “D3 Mâcon to Cluny when tunnel is closed” (32 km (19.9 miles)).

For the short option to your hotel, retrace the voie verte (greenway) to kilometer 15 (mile 9), then turn north onto rolling country roads through small villages, fragrant forest and open fields.

The long option via Cormatin is flat for the first 15 km (9 miles) until you arrive in the small town of Cormatin. Pause to visit its 17th-century castle, surrounded by a moat and beautifully maintained French gardens. A gradual climb is followed by a rolling descent to the Château d’Igé in Igé.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Depart Igé and pedal into the heart of the finest vineyards of Beaujolais. Choose an easy or a more challenging ride, each one delivering you to the appellations and villages. Ride into Pouilly-Fuissé, whose only grape variety is the Chardonnay. And pass through the tiny valley village of Juliénas. No matter your route, you can’t miss the impressive Rock of Solutré, a breathtaking limestone escarpment offering stunning views of the Beaujolais region and its many vineyards. The protected natural area and its impressive rock not only oversees a distinctive grassland; it also hosted the Solutrean paleolithic culture some 52,000 years ago. Today, a fascinating prehistoric site and an illuminating museum chronicle the primitive people. What’s more, the trails around the rock proved a favorite walking route of President François Mitterand. This is one of France’s most beloved treasures.

Continue cycling through scenic, rolling vineyards, passing through delightful villages like Le Moulin à Vent and Romanèche-Thorins, with its scenic windmill. Later, you arrive at your accommodation for the next two nights, a château wine estate surrounded by 200 acres of vineyards and a 17th-century garden designed by Le Nôtre, the celebrated landscape architect of Versailles. Once settled into your comfortable room, you are welcome at an extra expense to follow the château’s self-guided wine trail, interesting for both wine aficionados and novices.

For dinner on your own, you may choose to dine at your hotel’s fine-dining restaurant (dinner is included here tomorrow night) or take the short taxi ride into the nearby historic town of Belleville. Here, you can view the 12th-century Notre Dame church and choose from suggested restaurants.

Today’s Ride Choices

Château d’Igé to Château de Pizay short option — 43 km (26 miles) | Château d’Igé to Château de Pizay long option — 51 km (32 miles)

What to Expect:

The route rolls out of Igé on a gentle descent. Crossing the route to Cluny, you ascend on narrow roads, weaving in and out of vineyards and villages that have been producing wine for centuries.

The short option stays closer to the Saône Valley floor and may see a bit more traffic as it rolls through vineyards and villages to your hotel in Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

The long option rises higher in the vineyards with total elevation gain of 2,200 feet. Your efforts are rewarded with sweeping views over vineyards and the entire Saône Valley. Enjoy exhilarating descents, twisting through villages and hamlets to your hotel in Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Spend today as you wish, taking advantage of the amenities and vinicultural offerings at your château, exploring more of Belleville or heading out on your choice of several exhilarating rides. Or enjoy a little of each!

If you choose to cycle, select from two routes. This part of southern Beaujolais contains 39 villages of Golden Stone, or Pierres dorées, a charming cluster of stone hamlets surrounded by vistas of rolling hills and fertile vineyards that many have compared to Tuscany. The buildings get their warm golden hue from the locally quarried limestone tinged with iron oxide. This luminous stone was used in the construction of Lyon and other parts of Beaujolais, taken from a quarry that has been abandoned since World War I.

A shorter ride keeps you “close to home,” ideal if you’d like an easy, mellow outing just to keep your legs moving. You cross the Saône and ride along a riverside bike path, then enjoy gentle hills through vineyards and villages. To get in more miles, follow a challenging spin on the voie verte, or greenway, to a bike path with a gradual ascent to 2,520 feet and a nice coast past more wineries and hamlets.

Back at the château, immerse yourself in the wine culture of Beaujolais. Enjoy a relaxing stroll along the vineyard’s walking trails, perhaps following the romantic “wine history walk in the park.” At an additional expense, attend a wine initiation course or a self-guided wine educational tour and tasting in the onsite Oenotheque. You might also take a dip in the heated outdoor swimming pool, get in a match at the tennis court and (at additional cost) treat yourself to a massage or other spa treatment.

An elegant dinner is included in the fine-dining restaurant of your château, a fitting end to celebrate your exploration of Beaujolais. Depending on the weather, enjoy the stylishly decorated historic dining room or dine al fresco in the castle’s courtyard.

Today’s Ride Choices

Château de Pizay southern Beaujolais easy loop — 35 km (22 miles) | Château de Pizay to Beaujeu challenging option — 46 km (30 miles)

What to Expect:

This varied route rolls south out of your château to the nearby town of Belleville and crosses the Saône to a riverside bike path. You follow this for a few miles (between 8 and 10 km), just north of the Pierres dorées villagesthen cross back over the Saône and gently ascend through vineyards and villages. You reach your maximum elevation of approximately 1,000 feet at the 26-kilometer mark (15 miles), then gently roll back to the Ardiere River Valley, joining the Beaujolais Greenway back to your hotel.

The challenging option follows the voie verte (greenway) to Saint-Didier-sur-Beaujeu. You then trace a bike route with one gradual climb to the highest point of 2,520 feet at about kilometer 25.8 (16 miles). A gradual descent brings you back through Quincie-en-Beaujolais, on the northern edge of the Pierres dorées villages, and into an easy coast through vineyards and villages to your hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Check-out is at 10:00 a.m. when complimentary transportation of about 45 minutes is provided to the Hotel Carlton Lyon MGallery by Sofitel, in the heart of Lyon. Your hotel is located on the Presqu’île, where the city’s major sites of interest are found. VBT provides you with city information and recommendations for what to see and do in Lyon. Use the rest of the day to relax or to begin exploring.

France’s gastronomic capital is renowned for its coq au vin, or chicken with wine, and quenelles de brochet, or pike mousse. Lyon’s 1,235 acres (500 hectares) have been named a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its streets and their stately structures reveal the city’s 2,000 years of urban development. The heart of the city lies on a thin peninsula between the Rhône and Saône rivers. It’s easy to imagine canuts, or silk merchants of old, zigzagging through the maze of Old World streets, cutting through the purpose-built narrow passageways known as traboules. Much of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned as an urban “site of great commercial and strategic significance.” After exploring these intimate warrens of Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), you might ascend Fourvière Hill, where the splendid Basilique de Notre Dame gazes out over the city.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast this morning, allow yourself a minimum of three hours prior to your flight departure to get to Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport.

Included Meals: Breakfast

We suggest arriving in France at least one day prior to the tour start date. Make your independent travel arrangements to Mâcon. For details, refer to your VBT Handbook.

Today’s ride into the Beaujolais region – nestled in South Burgundy – provides a preview of this scenic area renowned for its culinary splendors and rich viniculture of light-bodied red wines and bright whites. This is the least crowded wine region of France, despite that it boasts one of the nation’s highest concentrations of vineyards, a world-renowned gastronomy, endless charming villages, a Mediterranean-like climate and gently rolling hills. It all makes for some of the most rewarding cycling in Europe, as you’ll soon discover.

You set out from your Mâcon hotel and follow the Saône River bike path. This stunning region rests between Burgundy to the north and the Rhône valley to the south. Romans arrived here in the 1st century, cultivating vast vineyards; some of their original plantings remain to this day. Later, Benedictine monks oversaw the wineries until the Duchy of Burgundy took them over in the 15th century. Mâcon is celebrated as the birthplace of Alphonse Lamartine, 19th-century poet and diplomat. Today, a pastiche of pastel-hued buildings line the Saône, made even more magnificent each spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. Your riverside ride introduces you to all its beauty and charm.

This evening, savor your first experience of Burgundian cuisine, perhaps sampling the famed beef bourguignon in its birthplace, accompanied by a light Gamay or Pinot gris.

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon loop — 27 km (17 miles)

What to Expect:

This ride will give you the opportunity to become familiar with your bike as you cycle the fairly flat bike lanes of city streets and pedal out of Mâcon through some lower elevation wine villages and vineyards to the west bank of the Saône River. You encounter two ascents, one at the 4-km point (2.5 miles) and the next at the 8.3-km point (5 miles). Cross the Saône River and follow the fairly flat, low-traffic bike path back (a dirt road) to the center of Mâcon.

If you wish, take today to explore the Burgundian city of Mâcon. Stroll its cobbled streets, stopping at any of its inviting cafés to drink up the old-world atmosphere. The city is home to an array of churches of all sizes, from the Old Mâcon Cathedral to the newer Cathedral of Saint-Vincent. Or cross the Pont Saint-Laurent to the small village of Saint-Laurent-Sur-Saône.

On the bike, we have a couple of ways for you to, as the locals say, follow the grape! Pedal the flat Voie Bleue bike path, tracing the banks of the Saône. Varied birdlife keeps you company on this tranquil route. You leave the river behind to cycle into the wine country where the Chardonnay grape is grown and soon get to Viré. This charming hamlet was put on oenophiles’ maps after it partnered with its neighbor, Clessé, to create the Viré-Clessé appellation, today a producer of one of the region’s finest wines.

Today’s longer option takes you past vistas of massive rocky outcrops to a small village whose name is synonymous with one of the world’s most popular white wines: Chardonnay. The earliest record of Chardonnay wine dates to 1330, likely around the time when local Cistercian monks created the variety and distributed it throughout France. To protect their vineyards, the monks constructed stone walls; soon, a village of stone houses emerged around the lavoir, a stream-fed wash-house, and several domaines (wine producers).

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon to Viré short loop — 40 km (25 miles) | Mâcon to Chardonnay long loop — 59 km (37 miles)

What to Expect:

Depart Mâcon in the morning, following the La Voie Bleue bike path north along the Saône River to the wine-making town of Viré. The long loop continues through rolling vineyards into the town of Chardonnay. Both loops return south on country roads and through villages to Mâcon, where you join bike lanes and encounter some busier traffic as you return to your city-center hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you depart Mâcon on a dedicated bike path, heading west on a gentle uphill out of the Saône River Valley. Your destination is the historic town of Cluny, the center of Christianity in the Middle Ages. The former abbey here was established by William I of Aquitaine in 910 AD and grew into the largest Christian complex in the world, until the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It was pillaged by the Huguenots in 1562 and later dynamited. Its richly carved stones were sold by an unscrupulous local priest. Today, some ten percent of the original structure remains, a haunting echo of its former self.

There’ll be time to explore the abbey and the town before following one of three routes (ranging from easy to challenging) to the enchanting village of Igé, and your next hotel set in a beautifully manicured, 10-acre park. At its center, you find a magical 13th-century manor house whose property includes a chapel, orchard and heated swimming pool. This splendid accommodation and fine-dining restaurant is overseen by the Michelin-starred chef Georges Blanc, celebrated for his award-winning cuisine and dedication to the region’s culinary heritage. Once you settle in, take time to explore the small village, then there is time to relax and indulge in the hotel’s swimming pool and grounds.

Savor a very special dinner this evening in the hotel’s eye-catching dining room. Georges Blanc earned his stripes in the kitchen as a “saucier” – a master sauce maker – a crucial skill in French cuisine. Your menu includes locally sourced products seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon to Cluny — 30 km (19 miles) | Cluny to Igé short option — 23 km (14 miles) | Cluny to Igé via Cormatin long option — 40 km (25 miles)

What to Expect:

Depart Mâcon on town streets for about 4 km (2.5 miles) before joining a packed gravel bike path on a former railway line designated a greenway, or voie verte in French. The path gradually ascends out of the Saône River valley past small towns, villages and vineyards, with views of the castle of Berzé-le-Châtel at about kilometer 19 (mile 12). You soon enter a long, well-lit tunnel for 1.6 km (.99 miles) and emerge at the other end in Cluny. Please note, if the Bois Clair tunnel is closed, please use the route “D3 Mâcon to Cluny when tunnel is closed” (32 km (19.9 miles)).

For the short option to your hotel, retrace the voie verte (greenway) to kilometer 15 (mile 9), then turn north onto rolling country roads through small villages, fragrant forest and open fields.

The long option via Cormatin is flat for the first 15 km (9 miles) until you arrive in the small town of Cormatin. Pause to visit its 17th-century castle, surrounded by a moat and beautifully maintained French gardens. A gradual climb is followed by a rolling descent to the Château d’Igé in Igé.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Depart Igé and pedal into the heart of the finest vineyards of Beaujolais. Choose an easy or a more challenging ride, each one delivering you to the appellations and villages. Ride into Pouilly-Fuissé, whose only grape variety is the Chardonnay. And pass through the tiny valley village of Juliénas. No matter your route, you also have the chance to gaze upon the impressive Rock of Solutré, a breathtaking limestone escarpment offering stunning views of the Beaujolais region and its many vineyards. The protected natural area and its impressive rock not only oversees a distinctive grassland; it also hosted the Solutrean paleolithic culture some 52,000 years ago. Today, a fascinating prehistoric site and an illuminating museum chronicle the primitive people. What’s more, the trails around the rock proved a favorite walking route of President François Mitterand. This is one of France’s most beloved treasures.

Continue cycling through scenic, rolling vineyards, passing through delightful villages like Le Moulin à Vent and Romanèche-Thorins, with its scenic windmill. Later, you arrive at your accommodation for the next two nights.

For dinner on your own, you may choose to dine at your hotel’s fine-dining restaurant (dinner is included here tomorrow night) or take the short taxi ride into the nearby historic town of Belleville-en-Beaujolais. Here, you can view the 12th-century Notre Dame church and choose from suggested restaurants.

Today’s Ride Choices

Château d’Igé to Villa Alexandre short option — 49 km (30 miles) | Château d’Igé to Villa Alexandre long option — 53 km (33 miles)

What to Expect:

The route rolls out of Igé on a gentle descent. Crossing the route to Cluny, you ascend on narrow roads, weaving in and out of vineyards and villages that have been producing wine for centuries.

The short option stays closer to the Saône Valley floor and may see a bit more traffic as it rolls through vineyards and villages to your hotel in Régnié-Durette.

The long option rises higher in the vineyards with total elevation gain of 2,200 feet. Your efforts are rewarded with sweeping views over vineyards and the entire Saône Valley. Enjoy exhilarating descents, twisting through villages and hamlets to your hotel in Régnié-Durette.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Spend today as you wish, taking advantage of the amenities and vinicultural offerings at your hotel, exploring more of Belleville or heading out on your choice of several exhilarating rides.

If you choose to cycle, select from two routes. This part of southern Beaujolais contains 39 villages of Golden Stone, or Pierres dorées, a charming cluster of stone hamlets surrounded by vistas of rolling hills and fertile vineyards that many have compared to Tuscany. The buildings get their warm golden hue from the locally quarried limestone tinged with iron oxide. This luminous stone was used in the construction of Lyon and other parts of Beaujolais, taken from a quarry that has been abandoned since World War I.

A shorter ride keeps you “close to home,” ideal if you’d like an easy, mellow outing just to keep your legs moving. You cross the Saône and ride along a riverside bike path, then enjoy gentle hills through vineyards and villages. To get in more miles, follow a challenging spin on the voie verte, or greenway, to a bike path with a gradual ascent to 2,520 feet and a nice coast past more wineries and hamlets.

An elegant dinner is included in the fine-dining restaurant of your hotel, a fitting end to celebrate your exploration of Beaujolais.

Today’s Ride Choices

Hotel Villa Alexandre southern Beaujolais easy loop — 40 km (25 miles) | Hotel Villa Alexandre to Beaujeu challenging option — 46 km (29 miles)

What to Expect:

This varied route rolls south out of your hotel to the nearby town of Belleville and crosses the Saône to a riverside bike path. You follow this for a few miles (between 8 and 10 km), just north of the Pierres dorées villagesthen cross back over the Saône and gently ascend through vineyards and villages. You reach your maximum elevation of approximately 1,000 feet at the 26-kilometer mark (15 miles), then gently roll back to the Ardiere River Valley, joining the Beaujolais Greenway back to your hotel.

The challenging option follows the voie verte (greenway) to Saint-Didier-sur-Beaujeu. You then trace a bike route with one gradual climb to the highest point of 2,520 feet at about kilometer 25.8 (16 miles). A gradual descent brings you back through Quincie-en-Beaujolais, on the northern edge of the Pierres dorées villages, and into an easy coast through vineyards and villages to your hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Check-out is at 10:00 a.m. Your tour concludes here, and you may make your arrangements to your next destination. For details, refer to your VBT Handbook. If you are flying home, note that airline schedules might prevent you from departing for the U.S. today. Please check airline schedules carefully. If you plan to schedule return flights immediately following the tour’s conclusion, please call your airline directly for specific check-in requirements.

The Belleville-en-Beaujolais train station on the main train line between Paris and Lyon is a short taxi ride from your hotel, which can assist with arrangements.

Included Meals: Breakfast

We suggest arriving in France at least one day prior to the tour start date. Make your own independent travel arrangements to Mâcon.

Today’s ride into the Beaujolais region – nestled in South Burgundy – provides a preview of this scenic area renowned for its culinary splendors and rich viniculture of light-bodied red wines and bright whites. This is the least crowded wine region of France, despite that it boasts one of the nation’s highest concentrations of vineyards, a world-renowned gastronomy, endless charming villages, a Mediterranean-like climate and gently rolling hills. It all makes for some of the most rewarding cycling in Europe, as you’ll soon discover.

You set out from your Mâcon hotel and follow the Saône River bike path. This stunning region rests between Burgundy to the north and the Rhône valley to the south. Romans arrived here in the 1st century, cultivating vast vineyards; some of their original plantings remain to this day. Later, Benedictine monks oversaw the wineries until the Duchy of Burgundy took them over in the 15th century. Mâcon is celebrated as the birthplace of Alphonse Lamartine, 19th-century poet and diplomat. Today, a pastiche of pastel-hued buildings line the Saône, made even more magnificent each spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. Your riverside ride introduces you to all its beauty and charm.

This evening, savor your first experience of Burgundian cuisine, perhaps sampling the famed beef bourguignon in its birthplace, accompanied by a light Gamay or Pinot gris.

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon loop — 27 km (17 miles)

What to Expect:

This ride will give you the opportunity to become familiar with your bike as you cycle the fairly flat bike lanes of city streets and pedal out of Mâcon through some lower elevation wine villages and vineyards to the west bank of the Saône River. You encounter two ascents, one at the 4-km point (2.5 miles) and the next at the 8.3-km point (5 miles). Cross the Saône River and follow the fairly flat, low-traffic bike path back (a dirt road) to the center of Mâcon.

If you wish, take today to explore the Burgundian city of Mâcon. Stroll its cobbled streets, stopping at any of its inviting cafés to drink up the old-world atmosphere. The city is home to an array of churches of all sizes, from the Old Mâcon Cathedral to the newer Cathedral of Saint-Vincent. Or cross the Pont Saint-Laurent to the small village of Saint-Laurent-Sur-Saône.

On the bike, we have a couple of ways for you to, as the locals say, follow the grape! Pedal the flat Voie Bleue bike path, tracing the banks of the Saône. Varied birdlife keeps you company on this tranquil route. You leave the river behind to cycle into the wine country where the Chardonnay grape is grown and soon get to Viré. This charming hamlet was put on oenophiles’ maps after it partnered with its neighbor, Clessé, to create the Viré-Clessé appellation, today a producer of one of the region’s finest wines.

Today’s longer option takes you past vistas of massive rocky outcrops to a small village whose name is synonymous with one of the world’s most popular white wines: Chardonnay. The earliest record of Chardonnay wine dates to 1330, likely around the time when local Cistercian monks created the variety and distributed it throughout France. To protect their vineyards, the monks constructed stone walls; soon, a village of stone houses emerged around the lavoir, a stream-fed wash-house, and several domaines (wine producers).

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon to Viré short loop — 40 km (25 miles) | Mâcon to Chardonnay long loop — 59 km (37 miles)

What to Expect:

Depart Mâcon in the morning, following the La Voie Bleue bike path north along the Saône River to the wine-making town of Viré. The long loop continues through rolling vineyards into the town of Chardonnay. Both loops return south on country roads and through villages to Mâcon, where you join bike lanes and encounter some busier traffic as you return to your city-center hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you depart Mâcon on a dedicated bike path, heading west on a gentle uphill out of the Saône River Valley. Your destination is the historic town of Cluny, the center of Christianity in the Middle Ages. The former abbey here was established by William I of Aquitaine in 910 AD and grew into the largest Christian complex in the world, until the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It was pillaged by the Huguenots in 1562 and later dynamited. Its richly carved stones were sold by an unscrupulous local priest. Today, some ten percent of the original structure remains, a haunting echo of its former self.

There’ll be time to explore the abbey and the town before following one of three routes (ranging from easy to challenging) to the enchanting village of Igé, and your next hotel set in a beautifully manicured, 10-acre park. At its center, you find a magical 13th-century manor house whose property includes a chapel, orchard and heated swimming pool. This splendid accommodation and fine-dining restaurant is overseen by the Michelin-starred chef Georges Blanc, celebrated for his award-winning cuisine and dedication to the region’s culinary heritage. Once you settle in, take time to explore the small village, then there is time to relax and indulge in the hotel’s swimming pool and grounds.

Savor a very special dinner this evening in the hotel’s eye-catching dining room. Georges Blanc earned his stripes in the kitchen as a “saucier” – a master sauce maker – a crucial skill in French cuisine. Your menu includes locally sourced products seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Today’s Ride Choices

Mâcon to Cluny — 30 km (19 miles) | Cluny to Igé short option — 23 km (14 miles) | Cluny to Igé via Cormatin long option — 40 km (25 miles)

What to Expect:

Depart Mâcon on town streets for about 4 km (2.5 miles) before joining a packed gravel bike path on a former railway line designated a greenway, or voie verte in French. The path gradually ascends out of the Saône River valley past small towns, villages and vineyards, with views of the castle of Berzé-le-Châtel at about kilometer 19 (mile 12). You soon enter a long, well-lit tunnel for 1.6 km (.99 miles) and emerge at the other end in Cluny. Please note, if the Bois Clair tunnel is closed, please use the route “D3 Mâcon to Cluny when tunnel is closed” (32 km (19.9 miles)).

For the short option to your hotel, retrace the voie verte (greenway) to kilometer 15 (mile 9), then turn north onto rolling country roads through small villages, fragrant forest and open fields.

The long option via Cormatin is flat for the first 15 km (9 miles) until you arrive in the small town of Cormatin. Pause to visit its 17th-century castle, surrounded by a moat and beautifully maintained French gardens. A gradual climb is followed by a rolling descent to the Château d’Igé in Igé.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Depart Igé and pedal into the heart of the finest vineyards of Beaujolais. Choose an easy or a more challenging ride, each one delivering you to the appellations and villages. Ride into Pouilly-Fuissé, whose only grape variety is the Chardonnay. And pass through the tiny valley village of Juliénas. No matter your route, you can’t miss the impressive Rock of Solutré, a breathtaking limestone escarpment offering stunning views of the Beaujolais region and its many vineyards. The protected natural area and its impressive rock not only oversees a distinctive grassland; it also hosted the Solutrean paleolithic culture some 52,000 years ago. Today, a fascinating prehistoric site and an illuminating museum chronicle the primitive people. What’s more, the trails around the rock proved a favorite walking route of President François Mitterand. This is one of France’s most beloved treasures.

Continue cycling through scenic, rolling vineyards, passing through delightful villages like Le Moulin à Vent and Romanèche-Thorins, with its scenic windmill. Later, you arrive at your accommodation for the next two nights, a château wine estate surrounded by 200 acres of vineyards and a 17th-century garden designed by Le Nôtre, the celebrated landscape architect of Versailles. Once settled into your comfortable room, you are welcome at an extra expense to follow the château’s self-guided wine trail, interesting for both wine aficionados and novices.

For dinner on your own, you may choose to dine at your hotel’s fine-dining restaurant (dinner is included here tomorrow night) or take the short taxi ride into the nearby historic town of Belleville. Here, you can view the 12th-century Notre Dame church and choose from suggested restaurants.

Today’s Ride Choices

Château d’Igé to Château de Pizay short option — 43 km (26 miles) | Château d’Igé to Château de Pizay long option — 51 km (32 miles)

What to Expect:

The route rolls out of Igé on a gentle descent. Crossing the route to Cluny, you ascend on narrow roads, weaving in and out of vineyards and villages that have been producing wine for centuries.

The short option stays closer to the Saône Valley floor and may see a bit more traffic as it rolls through vineyards and villages to your hotel in Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

The long option rises higher in the vineyards with total elevation gain of 2,200 feet. Your efforts are rewarded with sweeping views over vineyards and the entire Saône Valley. Enjoy exhilarating descents, twisting through villages and hamlets to your hotel in Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Spend today as you wish, taking advantage of the amenities and vinicultural offerings at your château, exploring more of Belleville or heading out on your choice of several exhilarating rides. Or enjoy a little of each!

If you choose to cycle, select from two routes. This part of southern Beaujolais contains 39 villages of Golden Stone, or Pierres dorées, a charming cluster of stone hamlets surrounded by vistas of rolling hills and fertile vineyards that many have compared to Tuscany. The buildings get their warm golden hue from the locally quarried limestone tinged with iron oxide. This luminous stone was used in the construction of Lyon and other parts of Beaujolais, taken from a quarry that has been abandoned since World War I.

A shorter ride keeps you “close to home,” ideal if you’d like an easy, mellow outing just to keep your legs moving. You cross the Saône and ride along a riverside bike path, then enjoy gentle hills through vineyards and villages. To get in more miles, follow a challenging spin on the voie verte, or greenway, to a bike path with a gradual ascent to 2,520 feet and a nice coast past more wineries and hamlets.

Back at the château, immerse yourself in the wine culture of Beaujolais. Enjoy a relaxing stroll along the vineyard’s walking trails, perhaps following the romantic “wine history walk in the park.” At an additional expense, attend a wine initiation course or a self-guided wine educational tour and tasting in the onsite Oenotheque. You might also take a dip in the heated outdoor swimming pool, get in a match at the tennis court and (at additional cost) treat yourself to a massage or other spa treatment.

An elegant dinner is included in the fine-dining restaurant of your château, a fitting end to celebrate your exploration of Beaujolais. Depending on the weather, enjoy the stylishly decorated historic dining room or dine al fresco in the castle’s courtyard.

Today’s Ride Choices

Château de Pizay southern Beaujolais easy loop — 35 km (22 miles) | Château de Pizay to Beaujeu challenging option — 46 km (30 miles)

What to Expect:

This varied route rolls south out of your château to the nearby town of Belleville and crosses the Saône to a riverside bike path. You follow this for a few miles (between 8 and 10 km), just north of the Pierres dorées villagesthen cross back over the Saône and gently ascend through vineyards and villages. You reach your maximum elevation of approximately 1,000 feet at the 26-kilometer mark (15 miles), then gently roll back to the Ardiere River Valley, joining the Beaujolais Greenway back to your hotel.

The challenging option follows the voie verte (greenway) to Saint-Didier-sur-Beaujeu. You then trace a bike route with one gradual climb to the highest point of 2,520 feet at about kilometer 25.8 (16 miles). A gradual descent brings you back through Quincie-en-Beaujolais, on the northern edge of the Pierres dorées villages, and into an easy coast through vineyards and villages to your hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Check-out is at 10:00 a.m. Your tour concludes here, and you may make your arrangements to your next destination. If you are flying home, note that airline schedules might prevent you from departing for the U.S. today. Please check airline schedules carefully.

The Belleville-en-Beaujolais train station on the main train line between Paris and Lyon is a short taxi ride from your hotel, which can assist with arrangements.

Included Meals: Breakfast