Itinerary
Upon your arrival, we transfer you from the Dijon or Beaune train station to the first hotel in Gevrey Chambertin, nicely set at the top end of the renowned Grand Cru villages of Burgundy. After settling in, meet with our Trip Manager for your Orientation and bike fitting. Depending on your arrival time, you may well be able to offer yourselves a first wine tasting, at one of the wineries right in the heart of Gevrey – welcome to Burgundy!
A beautiful first ride, starting through the Champs Elysees of great wine names of the Cote de Nuits: Morey St Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot (you can stop to visit the Chateau de Clos de Vougeot with its monumental medieval wine presses)… pay homage in front of the Romanee Conti vineyard – one of the best – and most expensive – wines in the world! Your route brings you to Nuits St Georges, where you may decide to stop for an end of the morning wine tasting (this is the time of day when your tasting palate is at its best), and to explore town using our self guided walk, before continuing the route out into the plains. Small villages and pretty countryside await, before curving back towards the vineyard hillside to Beaune, your home for the following two nights.
We provide a shorter ride option today, to give you time to explore wonderful Beaune – our home! This medieval town deserves some time, with its wonderful cobblestoned streets, 15th century tapestries in the Collegial Church, and the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy (today, a wine museum). We provide a walking tour to help in your explorations, ending it at the incredible Hospces de Beaune – a 15th century charity hospital that is THE site to see in the region! Both the shorter and longer versions of the ride take you around the base of the Corton Hill, laced with Grand Cru vineyards. Ride through pretty Aloxe Corton and Ladoix Serrigny before deciding if you wish to climb the steep hill up to the panorama in Pernand-Vergelesses. On to Savigny-les-Beaune, whose castle’s eccentric owner has a weird and wonderful collection of antique airplanes, motorcycles and Abarth cars that you can admire during a visit. You return to Beaune at the end of the ride, to relax in one of the many cafés, or perhaps seek out one of our recommended wine tastings before dinner.
Today’s ride starts in the morning through the sleepy villages of the Saone River plains. Ride through fields of sunflowers and bright yellow canola, past ancient stone farmhouses. The route curves back towards the great vineyard villages for the latter half of your ride; ride through the great red wine vineyards of Pommard and Volnay, before arriving in the Kingdom of Chardonnay. Stop in the pretty and lively square of Meursault for a tasting if you wish, before continuing on through Puligny-Montrachet – home of some of the best white wines in the world. It is not far from there to the lively small town of Chagny, where you will find your hotel for the final two evenings. (note the CLASSIC itinerary stay in nearby Mercurey, and the CLASSIC+ itinerary stay in Puligny-Montrachet)
Your loop ride today takes you southward, first through Chassagne Montrachet at the end of the Cote de Beaune, and then along the tranquil and pretty Canal du Centre, into the Cote Chalonnais. There is a detour you can choose taking you to the small town of Couches, with its castle where a nice visit and a tasting are options. The Cote Chalonnais wine region lies just to the south of the Côte de Beaune. Away from the ambitious pricing of the Côte d’Or, some producers, in villages like Rully and Mercurey, are turning out respectable Chardonnay and tasty Pinot Noir for a fraction of the prices these wines might fetch further north. Be sure as well to taste here the sparkling Cremant de Bourgogne, our region’s version of Champagne! The relaxing terrain and small villages make for great riding.
Another beautiful and quite easy ride awaits you today, though it is a little longer. After riding a short stretch again along the canal, your bike path then follows an old train line – you’ll find the kilometers go by quickly even though today is your longest day! Along the way pass the beautiful Chateau of Cormatin; take some time to visit the beautiful garden and park, as well as some of the castle itself. Onwards to Cluny: once the most important religious centre in all of Europe, the French Revolution wreaked havoc and little remains of the cathedral. Built in the 11th century, it was the largest in the world until the construction of St Peter’s in Rome five centuries later! The town is a UNESCO Heritage site today, and the Museum is excellent. The town also is home to the French National stables. Dinner tonight is included in a gourmet restaurant.
Your ride today takes you up over the top of the Cote to descend into yet another vineyard region, the Maconnais. The largest of Burgundy’s wine regions, it produces some nice gamay grape reds, but some particularly fine and elegant white Chardonnay wines (the most renowned are from the villages of Pouilly-Fuissé, Saint Veran, or Vire Clesse). The route taking you there is quite spectacular – starting with a decent hill to warm you up first thing, but after that, all downhill and very easygoing. You’ll pass the Medieval castle of Berzé-le-Chatel, with its austere silhouette of thirteen bristling towers, and then descend through lovely vineyard villages, with the region’s typical golden-coloursed stone. The end of the ride follows the wonderful bike path by the Saone River. Your goal for your final evening is Tournus, with the beautiful Romanesque Abbey St Philibert – one of the prettiest examples in a region rich in churches from this time. Also visit the more “modern” Hotel Dieu, built in the 1600s. We provide a small walking tour of the town centre.
After a final breakfast, connections are easy from Tournus train station for your further travels. Bon Voyage!
What's included
- 7 nights’ accommodation of the comfort level of your choice * CLASSIC, CLASSIC + or DELUXE
- Hotel taxes
- All breakfasts and 3 dinners (drinks not included with the dinners)
- Fully equipped quality touring bike **
- Orientation with our Trip Manager
- Detailed maps and step-by-step route instructions
- Regional information and advice
- Uploadable GPS files to use on a free APP in your smartphone ***
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel
- Transfer from Dijon or Beaune train station to the first hotel
- Phone call support 7 days a week
* Price based on double room occupancy – please contact us for details on single room supplements
** E-bikes and Road bikes are available on request (supplement)
*** Can be used without international internet plan (offline)
Hotel Details
Classic Tour
1650 € / pers.
1 night
Hotel ORouge – Gevrey-Chambertin
2 nights
Hotel de la Cloche – Beaune
2 nights
Hostellerie du Val d’Or – Mercurey
1 night
Hotel de Bourgogne – Cluny
1 night
Hotel le Terminus – Tournus
Classic + Tour
1890 € / pers.
1 night
La Rotisserie du Chambertin – Gevrey-Chambertin
2 nights
Hotel de la Paix – Beaune
2 nights
Hotel la Chouette – Puligny-Montrachet
1 night
Hotel le Potin Gourmand – Superior room – Cluny
1 night
Hotel aux Terrasses – Tournus
Deluxe Tour
2550 € / pers.
1 night
Hotel Castel de Tres Girard – Morey Saint Denis
2 nights
Hotel le Cep – Beaune
2 nights
La Maison Lameloise – Chagny
1 night
Hotel le Potin Gourmand – Suite – Cluny
1 night
Hotel de Greuze – Tournus
Our bikes
The high quality, light touring bike is the default bike included on the tour. It is perfectly suited to riding with lots of stops for explorations.
Upon request, and for a supplement, you can have a road bike or a pedal-assist electric bike – contact us for details.
All our touring bikes come equipped with removable handlebar bag with clear map case, flat tire kit (with extra inner tube), pump, lock, rear rack and back panniers, water bottle holder and new water bottle, bell and kickstand.
Ahead of the tour, we will ask you if you wish to use our helmets, and if you want toe cages on the pedals (both free of charge).
Each of our regions has its own bike fleet, often with a couple of different bike makes depending on sizing – if you want to know the specific bike details for your tour, just contact us, and we’ll be happy to send you the specs!
TOURING BIKE - men's frame (included in trip cost)
TOURING BIKE - women's Frame (included in trip cost)
E-bike - men's frame (supplement charge)
E-bike - women's frame (supplement charge)
Road (racing) bike (supplement charge)