La Boucle de Bourgogne du Sud

A superb cycling loop to be completed in 4 days, with stages of around thirty kilometres each, leaving you plenty of time to take in the many points of interest along the way. Accessible to families and beginners alike, the route is safe on greenways with a flat profile, and also offers the advantage of passing through areas well-equipped with shops, restaurants and accommodation.
From Mâcon to Chalon-sur-Saône, this is the legendary route, where France's first greenway was born in 1997. The return journey to Mâcon follows the same route as the Voie Bleue Moselle-Saône à Vélo, skirting the banks of the Saône.
You start the loop in Mâcon, but you can of course begin your cycling adventure from any other town on the route.
The route winds its way through a landscape of vineyards, between the Mâconnais and Côte Chalonnaise regions, dotted with major sites: the hills of the Val Lamartinien dominated by the Solutré and Vergisson rocks, classified as a Grand Site de France, the abbey town of Cluny and the Renaissance château of Cormatin. Crossing the Bois Clair tunnel (1.6 km) is a fun experience. Note that you must use the second itinerary when it is closed from October to April, when the bats are hibernating. Each town and village you pass through is also an opportunity for a new discovery, as is the Givry appellation, one of the crus of the Côte Chalonnaise, with a tasting in a cellar along the way. It is said to have been a favourite of King Henry IV...
In Chalon-sur-Saône, get to know this city of art and history, its Nicéphore Niépce museum devoted to photography and its pretty historic centre. You leave the old citadel along the quays of the Saône before crossing to the other side of the river. The route branches off into the countryside as far as Ouroux-sur-Saône, before flirting with the banks of the Saône in the heart of areas classified as Natura 2000. A stopover in Tournus is a must, with a visit to Saint-Philibert Abbey and the Musée du vélo, where almost 200 bicycles and hundreds of objects are on display! At dinnertime, epicureans will delight in one of the town's many gourmet restaurants. The adventure along the banks of the Saône is essentially rural. There are plenty of places to contemplate, such as the Fleurville lake and the La Mouge estuary. When you arrive in Mâcon, take a stroll along the Lamartine esplanade and don't miss the unusual Maison de Bois he Lamartine museum and the Ursulines museum are just some of the city's must-sees.
Tip: download the "Voie Verte 71" app and let it guide you along the 45 must-see points on the route!
The South Burgundy loop has been awarded the "Vélo & Fromages" label since 2020. Along the way, you can enjoy a friendly, enjoyable time tasting goat's cheese, in particular the Mâconnais and Charolais goat's cheese PDOs, at around twenty cheese-making sites.

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