Cycling - A Vélo

© Michel Joly

Whether you choose to make cycle rides from your base locally or go on a fully fledged cycling holiday, Burgundy has much to offer. You can plan your own route, go on a self-guided tour following a set itinerary, or a take a fully escorted trip.

Going It Alone

If you enjoy planning the route, going it alone gives you ultimate flexibility and a greater sense of adventure. You don't have the luxury of your luggage being transported for you but of course, you have far greater freedom of choice.

Taking your own bike

France is a bike-friendly place and travelling on French trains is easy. There is a free leaflet 'Train et Vélo' available from most stations. You can take your bike on trains marked with a bicycle in the timetable and some TGVs allow you to take a bike free of charge.

Travelling from the UK on Eurostar, you can take a bike as part of your baggage allowance, providing that it is dismantled and packed in a bag no larger than 120 by 90 cm. They also have a registered baggage service, Esprit Europe where you send your bicycle on ahead for £25 each way, 24 hrs before your departure.

Ferries usually take bikes free, as do Air France and British Airways. Low cost airlines may charge you.

Bikes for hire

If you want to hire a bike when you arrive in Burgundy, Bourgogne Randonnées, based near the railway station in Beaune, rent bicycles by the day. Touring routes and the necessary accessories are provided. They hold a store of 200 bikes but even so, when possible, book ahead from Florent:
info@detours-in-france.com

Mountain bikes are often available for rent from campsites and hostals. Local tourist offices also have information. Average
cost around 16€ per day. The bikes may not be insured,
so check this out.

If going it alone sounds too much like hard work, help is at hand. Bike Rental France is offering tandems from 39 euros a day in Burgundy - contact info@bikerentalfrance.com.

cycling TOURS

Photo: Hendrick Monnier

If you want all the headaches and planning done for you, so that you arrive on holiday, pick up a bike, follow the itinerary, and the accommodation is there waiting for you, then a self-guided tour is a good option. Your luggage is transported for you and you travel at your own pace, stopping off for a lazy lunch, to view a château or taste a glass of wine next to the vineyard. Discover France Adventures is a well established company offering cycling and walking tours in the Burgundy vineyards. More...

Fully escorted tours are another option and with a guide and mini-bus support, you can see a larger area, highlighting the most interesting routes in the region. French Cycling - their Burgundy programme starts around Chablis, takes you down to Beaune and finishes at Dijon. Butterfield and Robinson centre on Beaune and the famous vineyards with fine wining and dining en route.