- Air fare
- Entrance fees to the various mentioned attractions
- Lunches
- Beverages
- Travel/Cancellation insurance
6 Days / 5 Nights
Type: Self-Guided
Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Burgundy is home to some of France’s most prestigious vineyards, with a beautiful, hilly landscape punctuated with picturesque villages and remarkable chateaux. It also offers exquisite French food! On your self-guided tour over 6 days and 5 nights, you’ll discover why Burgundy is so loved by tourists, especially bikers. The tour starts in the charming capital of Burgundy, Dijon. Accommodations are in charming three and four-star hotels in rooms with private facilities.
Green = Open | Yellow = Limited | Red = Full
Prices are per person in US$ – inclusive bike rental *This tour can be guided upon request
Choose your own Start Date | Accommodation | Double | Single |
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March to October | Hotels | $ 1,780 | $ 2,450 | Book now |
Day 1: Arrival in Dijon
Welcome to the Capital of Burgundy! Walk around in the medieval streets, have a drink on a café terrace on Place du Bareuzei to taste a Kir with blackcurrant cream. You will be amazed by the numerous old buildings all over the city: Medieval houses, private mansions, imposing town house, places, parks and gardens.
Day 2: Dijon – Beaune – 30 miles (49 km)
The excursion today is devoted to discovering the famous area “Côte de Nuits,” well known for the “Grands Vins de Bourgogne” and more especially the red wines: Chambolle Musigny, Vosne Romanée and the most expensive wine of Burgundy: Romanée Conti. Visit the exceptional castle of Clos Vougeot. In the afternoon you will arrive in your destination. Beaune is one of France’s prettiest towns, a source equally of art and of history: the Hotel-Dieu, crowned by a roof of glazed tiles, is known throughout the world, and its wine museum is a must.
Day 3: Beaune – Chalon-sur-Saône – 29 miles (47 km) + optional “Nolay” excursion (9 miles)
Ride in the middle of the “Côte de Beaune” vineyards, passing Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Pommard, following the “Voie Vert”. It will lead you through the vines in this beautiful Burgundian countryside to Chalon- sur-Saône. We suggest a nice detour in the direction of ‘le château de la Rochepot’, a wonderful Medieval fortress, with glazed roof tiles, as well as the typical and charming village of Nolay surrounded by the ‘Hautes Côtes de Beaune’ vineyards.
Day 4: Chalon-sur-Saône – Cluny – 31 miles (50 km)
On the last two days of biking you’ll be impressed by the beautiful landscapes of Southern Burgundy as you ride further along the “Voie Verte.” You’ll reach the magnificent Chateau de Cormatin with famous gardens dating from the time of Louis XIII (1628). Then you’ll continue on to beautiful Cluny. You’ll have time to visit the Romanesque Abbey (founded in 910) and the medieval center as you’ll overnight in this town.
Day 5: Cluny – Mâcon – 19 miles (30 km) (or 23 miles total with optional Vineyard excursion)
You will conclude your vacation with a delightful ride to Berzé-le-Chatel. There you find a mediaeval chateau overlooking the vineyards and the beautiful landscapes that the French poet Lamartine used to admire. There is the possibility to leave the “Voie Verte” to ride along the small country roads to enter the heart of Burgundy, riding through charming villages, the ‘chateau de Pierreclos’, and the amazing overview point from ‘La Roche de Solutré’. You will continue to Mâcon following the voie vert.
Day 6: Tour Ends
You’ll depart this morning after breakfast. Mâcon has a train station and the train back to Paris (transfer in Dijon) takes about 4 hours.
Bikes are included in the price of the tour. Bikes are well-maintained 27-speed men’s and ladies bikes, equipped with two saddlebags, a high visibility jacket, map holder, repair kit, and lock. Bike helmets are included. Bikes are delivered to your hotel and you can test them at your convenience.
Electric bikes can be rented for this tour ($150 per person).We advise you only to rent an electric bike if you have first tried one at home. They’re heavier than regular bikes and therefore can be difficult to maneuver. In addition, you can rent children’s bikes, child seats, and bike trailers.
The hotels listed below are examples of those usually used on the tour. Depending on availability, you may be booked in a different hotel of equal quality.
Hôtel Wilson is located in the Burgundy region a 3-minute bike ride from the centre of Dijon. It is housed in a 17th-century post house.
The Hotel Abbaye de Maizières is ideally situated in the historical center of Beaune, a picturesque town, in a pretty cobbled street. The Entrance of the hotel is in the cellar through a beautiful vaulted door with Cistercian glasses. Abbaye de Maizieres is just a few steps from the Notre-Dame Basilica and 350 m from the Hospices de Beaune.
Saint-Georges is the ideal address, in Chalon-sur-Saône at the heart of Burgundy. The cosy and unique rooms; a table signed by Georges Blanc … a delicious alchemy for a successful Burgundy getaway!
At the heart of Cluny, the Potin Gourmand is an eighteenth century mansion with historic charm. Each guest is invited to share the spirit of the place, contemplate the beauty of a sculpture Maia Lena, a drawing of Caesar to the Chief, or read on the walls traces of the past …
Located on the banks of the river Saone in the very heart of Macon, Hôtel d’Europe et d’Angleterre immerses you in the history of the capital of southern Burgundy. In the peace and tranquility of your room, you can gaze out over the Saone and admire the magnificent architecture of the Pont Saint Laurent.
This tour was a great way to travel the Burgundy wine route with some direction but not in a guided tour. Denise was terrific to work with and responded quickly to all of our questions. The bikes were delivered to our hotel and were well-maintained and comfortable. They included panniers and handlebar packs. The route was beautiful and mostly on bike trails/vineyard access roads so the traffic was minimal. We cycled through the vineyards and small towns and the distance for us was just right (around 50 km) so we could arrive at our destination in time to explore the town before dinner. We were pleased that our bags were at the hotels when we arrived, and sometimes had even been brought up to our rooms. The hotels were all different and unique and having dinner vouchers made it easy to go out to eat as we didn’t have to make any restaurant decisions! We had some excellent meals on the trip, in a variety of restaurants and all with great wine. I would highly recommend getting the route app to follow the route on your phone, as the written directions (especially getting in and out of towns) are hard to follow while actively biking. This is a wonderful do-it-yourself kind of tour for people who are familiar with cycling and are okay with a few wrong turns along the way. We loved it!
Dee & Robert Varnell, March 2022
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Van Gogh Tours
Hoorn, The Netherlands
+1(781)646-0096
Office hours 9 am – 5 pm EST
vangogh@vangoghtours.com