Burgundy Wine Trails: Beaune to Macon

Arrive in Beaune, a charming town surrounded by vineyards. Settle into your three star hotel and head out to explore. The Hospices de Beaune is an ideal introduction to the region and always worth a visit. Families and curious adults often enjoy the mustard factory as well. Overnight in Beaune.

Example hotel: Hostellerie de la Bretonnière***

Beaune rewards a second day. You might return to the Hospices, visit the mustard factory or simply wander the old streets and cafés. If you prefer to ride, you can choose a loop of either twenty five miles or nineteen miles with gentle climbing of around one thousand two hundred and fifty feet. Overnight in Beaune.

After breakfast you start riding through vineyards on a dedicated cycle path that leads through Pommard, Volnay and the grand cru plots of Montrachet and Batard Montrachet. There are many opportunities to taste wine along the way. Continue to Santenay then follow a short section beside the canal before reaching your hotel at the foot of the Côte Chalonnaise. Enjoy both the outdoor and indoor pools.

Example hotel: Auberge du Camp Romain***

Begin with quiet country roads before joining the cycle route beside the Canal du Centre. Ride towards Chagny and pass near Rully then continue through the Chalon sur Saône area. Dracy le Fort sits on the edge of the Côte Chalonnaise vineyards and your three star hotel includes a swimming pool. Overnight in Dracy le Fort.

Start the day by joining the Green Way in Givry, a wine village once favoured by King Henri the Fourth. The path follows an old railway line and was the first of its kind in France. You will see peaceful Romanesque architecture in Buxy, Saint Gengoux le National and Malay before reaching Cormatin, a lovely place to stop for lunch and to visit the château. Continue to Cluny where the abbey and the national stud are well worth seeing. Overnight in Cluny.

Example hotel: Hôtel de Bourgogne***

Return to the cycling path and follow it towards Macon. The countryside becomes more hilly although the path keeps the gradients gentle. The castle of Berzé le Châtel appears on the hillside and the view alone may tempt you to ride the short detour. The route also leads through the longest tunnel in Europe open to cyclists before continuing through the Val Lamartinien with views of the Rock of Solutré. Overnight in a three star hotel in Macon.