The Bordeaux vineyards tour

The mention of the word ‘Burgundy’ — Bourgogne to the French — conjures up many images. To some, the first thing that springs to mind is wine, from the crisp whites of Chablis to the prestigious reds of the Côte D’Or — Nuits-St-George, Pommard, Aloxe-Corton and Puligny-Montrachet being but a few. And do not forget Kir, the traditional aperitif of Burgundy, made from Cassis blackcurrant liqueur from Dijon and Bourgogne Aligote white wine.

“I certainly can't fault the care and attention which went into my excellent week in Burgundy with French Cycling holidays, and I'll recommend you to all and sundry.”

Andrew, England

Others will think of food — boeuf bourguinon, burgundy snails, Dijon mustard are just some of the speciailities ripe for discovery by gourmets.

The countryside encompasses the rolling hills of the Mâconais and Chalonais in the south; the wild Morvan plateau to the north-west; and of course the steepsided côtes of the prestigious wine districts around Beaune. The countryside is criss-crossed with canals, tiny lanes and bikepaths, and the scenery is divided between perfectly tended vinyards, fields of wheat, maize and sunflowers, and the forests used for making the prized french oak wine barrels.

Many rivers and streams spring from the plateau and feed the Seine to the north and the Saone and Rhone to the south, and many of which have been dammed to provide the area with many lakes. Man has also had an impact with the creation of a network of canals across the region, many of which provide cycling opportunities along their towpaths.

Burgundy has more than its fair share of man made glories, dating from the 8C BC when Celts invaded from what is present day Austria. Incorporated into the Roman empire in the 1st century, the Gallo-Roman civilisation expanded and left its mark on the landscape. The first Christian churches were built as early as the 4th century. Magnificent abbeys were founded at Cluny and Vézelay in the 10th C, and in the later middle ages cathedrals sprang up at Auxerre, Autun and Dijon. The burgeoning wine trade resulted in superb architecture for the wealthy merchants who built stunning houses and public buildings in Beaune, Auxerre, Dijon and Autun.

Our tour takes in all the varied aspects of Burgundy, both natural and man-made — and we make sure that you don't miss out on the regional gastronomic delights!

The cycling ranges from easy on some days to moderate on others, but should be comfortably achievable for anyone of reasonable fitness.

Tour Dates

Tour comprises seven days and six nights beginning on Sunday and finishing on Saturday.

Includes transfers.

2009

Start Date	Price* **
28 June	£1475
26 July	£1475
9 August	£1475
27 September	£1475

*Prices are per person based on 2 sharing. Single room supplement £375.

**A 5% discount will apply to all bookings of 6 persons or more.

Fitness Levels

Mixture of flat and hilly and moderate distances involved on some days.

Tour Highlights

• Cycling alongside rivers and canals.
• The wild Morvan plateau.
• Wine tasting in the Côtes-de-Nuits.
• Medieval masterpieces at Vézelay and Autun.

Travel

• Pickup from Mâcon Centre or Mâcon Loche TGV station.
• Return to Dijon TGV station.

Downloads

please note that this downloadable brochure shows the 2007 route for the Burgundy tour - the 2009 route is shown on the web pages. We are currently in the process of re-writing our brochure

• Burgundy Tour (PDF 660kB)
• Entire brochure (PDF 7.5MB)

Instructions: Right-click (Ctrl-Click on Mac) the link and select ‘Save Target As…’.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required. If you do not have an installed copy of this free software you can download it from the Adobe Systems web site.