WORLD-CLASS BICYCLE TOURS

"Famous vineyards drenched with sunshine, undulating country with billowing wooded hills; hospitable people who have perfected all that is best in eating and drinking; old towns and villages, rich in history and artistic treasure, world famous wines all along the road — all this is Burgundy".

Cycle through the Morvan National Park... tree-covered lanes... occasional lakes surprising you in remote places... ferns lining the road for miles... forested villages hiding in the trees... a wonderland of nature. Follow the slow winding Burgundy Canal. Scene after scene of quiet tree-lined banks with occasional locks... barges plying up and down. More like another century than another place. Burgundy with its chateaux, its wines, but also a series of landscapes worth taking the time to appreciate in an authentic rural environment, a whole network of country roads and lanes to explore. This is the secret Burgundy...  more varied than its vineyard dominated area to the south.

Highlights:

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The Itinerary:

Day 1 -  Arrival at Beaune

The uncontested wine capital of burgundy. Beaune is also one of the most exquisite little French towns: source of art and history. Beaune has been likened to a jewel in a green jewel case. Home of the famous Hotel-Dieu and Wine Museum in the home of the Duke of Burgundy. A town of many shops with cafe-studded squares and a huge outdoor market. It is home to an underground wine cellar beneath the city with samplings available of all of the Burgundy wines.

Day 3 -  Chateauneuf en Auxois- Semur en Auxois    56km/33 miles.

This route leads you through Pouilly en Auxois for a look at the Burgundy Canal Tunnel where for several kilometers the barges are sailing underground! Then follows the canal to reach Semur en Auxois, a farm town with a reputation for gastronomy.

Day 4 -  Semur en Auxois - Vezelay    62km/38 miles

This route leads to Epoisses, home to the famous goat cheese that gives it its name. It is very difficult to find this cheese more than 100 kilometers from here because of its popularity. Some say it alone is worth the trip! Then cycle through rolling French farmland and small villages on tiny roads to Vezelay, home to the most important Romanesque cathedral in France, destination of pilgrimages for centuries, staging site for the crusades. Secure your bike and climb through the narrow, winding, shop-lined streets until suddenly, rising from the peak of this pointed hill, flies the steeple reaching skyward, an immense cathedral perched, seemingly, on top of the world. Go around the side and enter through the small board door — into a space that dwarfs a crowd...spend time... let the feeling of it soak into you... close your eyes and feel its mystery, its sounds, its storied space.

Day 5 -  Vezelay-Saulieu   50km/32 miles

The ride now enters the Morvan and all the way to Saulieu, through the forests... ferns rimming the roads for miles, tiny lakes surprising you around a slow turn, quiet villages hidden in the trees... deer, swans, cattle all along the way. This is the Regional Park of the Morvan. Saulieu is home to the restaurant of the very famous French Chef "Bernard Loiseau" at the very highest level of French gastromomy

Day 6 -  Saulieu-Autun    50km/32 miles

Enjoy a ride through the valley along a small river. Discover typical small villages and the atmosphere of the French way of life in rural areas. Continue following the river, you will pass the villages Chissay en Morvan and Lucenay l'eveque proceeding to Autun.  Autun is a city of culture, categorized as a city of art and history, with numerous testimonies of 2000 years of history.

But before you go be sure to Visit the wine museum and hospital, "Hotel Dieu", founded in 1433 at Beaune. There is also a wine library where for one fee you can sample all the wines of Burgundy.

Overnight Itinerary:  Beaune, Chateauneuf en Auxois, Semur en Auxois, Vezelay, Saulieu, Autun, Beaune

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SELF-GUIDED BICYCLE INN TOUR

Tour # FRW-16113 - 8 DAYS - $1490

Single Supplement $255

Includes all dinners and breakfasts

Bicycle Rental $170

Meals - Includes all dinners and breakfasts. Lunches and beverages are not included.

Bicycles - 21 speed men's and ladies' bikes, equipped with one saddlebag, a high visibility jacket, an anti-theft device, a helmet and a repair kit. Adjustment by a cycling specialist.

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