North Burgundy Canals - Self guided - 8 days - Classic

Along Canals in Burgundy - 8 Days / 7 Nights

From
1096€
Choose a Journey
  • Duration

    8 Days
  • Difficulty

    Very easy
  • Distance

    287km
  • Landscapes

    • Nature
    • River
    • City
    • Castle
    • Greenway
  • Theme

    • E-Bike
    • Culture 
  • Type of Journey

    Self-Guided

Description

Burgundy is a land of great art and good living, pastoral and peaceful. During the cycling trip you will discover great abbeys, elegant châteaux, medieval half-timbered villages and fortified towns. The vineyards of Chablis and the Auxerrois will accompany you, tastings are planned and the fine food will round off your days. This itinerary reveals northern Burgundy’s main treasures. You will pass two sites of UNESCO world heritages.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Cycling along the river
Renaissance castle Ancy-le-Franc
Abbey of Fontenay
Rochers du Saussois cliffs
Basilica Vézelay
Vallée du Cousin

Characteristics of this journey/holiday

Day by day

Day 1 Montbard

Meeting in the small town of Montbard along the Canal de Bourgogne.

Day 2 Montbard –  Tonnerre 60 km

During your cycle trip along the romantic Canal de Bourgogne, you will stop at the Renaissance château in Ancy-le-Franc constructed by the Architect Serlio in the 17th century. Followed by the Renaissance château in Tanlay.  Finishing the day in Tonnerre for dinner.

Day 3 Tonnerre – Joigny 55 km

Before you leave Tonnerre you will visit the Hotel Dieu, the former hospital from the 13th century. Here the sick and needy could be housed and cared for. You must also visit the Fosse Dionne before going back to the Canal de Bourgogne to continue with the cycling, which will take you through vineyards and fields. The evening including dinner and the hotel will be in Joigny, a small town that has preserved its numerous half-timbered houses and churches.

Day 4 Joigny – Auxerre 35 km

From Joigny it isn’t too far to the beautiful town of Auxerre. This historical town, stretched along the Yonne River has been classified in its entirety as a protected site, with its numerous half-timbered houses and its picturesque clocktower. You will enjoy an overnight stay in this city.

Day 5 Auxerre – Clamecy 64 km

Today you continue your cycling tour along the Canal du Nivernais. One important stop you have to take is at the Caves de Bailly. Here you will taste the famous Crémant de Bourgogne. Along the Canal du Nivernais your cycling trip passes through exceptional landscapes along the “route des flotteurs de bois“ which was very important in the middle ages, as the Morvan Forest produced the wood for Paris, which was transported there by floating it along the river and canal.

Day 6 Clamecy – Vezelay 31 km

You will be leaving the waterside today, through some of Burgundy’s finest landscapes, culminating in a stop in Vézelay and its Sainte-Madeleine Basilica, a Romanesque art masterpiece listed as UNESCO world heritage. During the middle Ages, Vézelay was a major pilgrimage site and a special halt on the way to Compostella. Its Basilica dominates the small mediaeval town and its fortifications.

Day 7 Vezelay – Avallon 42 km

You will cycle through the beautiful valley the cousin to Avallon.

Day 8 Avallon – Montbard

It is time to say Au Revoir! Your bike tour is finished. You will be picked up at the hotel and brought back to your car in Montbard or to the train station.

Accommodation

1 night in a 4-star-hotel
5 nights in 3-star-hotels
1 night in a charming Chambre d’Hôtes

Included services

  • 1 night in a 4-star-hotel
    5 nights in 3-star-hotels
    1 night in a charming Chambre d’Hôtes
  • Daily breakfast
  • Welcome talk
  • 1 tasting of Crémant in Bailly
  • Transfer Avallon – Montbard
  • Daily luggage transfer
  • Itinerary on our app
  • Route book, maps and information material
  • 7/7 Service Hotline

City tax is not included and has to be paid on the spot

Tour dates

Arrival: Daily 21.03. – 27.10.2025

Additional informations

Grade: Flat, except for the last day, day 6 slightly hilly, cycling paths along the canal aren’t asphalted halfway through.

How to get there ?

By plane: the nearest international airports are LYON SAINT EXUPERY, PARIS ORLY or PARIS CHARLES DE GAULLE

By train / TGV: Arrival station: MONTBARD
Direct TGV connection from Paris and Mulhouse, train connections from Dijon, Lyon, Auxerre Saint-Gervais

By car:
Paris (A6)
Lille / Belgium (A26-A5)
Metz / Luxembourg (A31)
Strasbourg / Germany (A36)
Geneva / Switzerland (A40-A39)

Parking: Our partner hotel offers a secured parking place for your car during the whole travel period.

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