Burgundy to Paris or Paris to Burgundy

France Bike + Boat Tour

Burgundy is one of the most fascinating regions of France, often labeled as the land of fine art and living. This area is famous for its easy pace of life, mild climate and friendliness. It has a rich royal history and is well known for its wine and cheeses. By bike and boat you will explore historic towns, imposing castles and quaint villages. You will enjoy excellent food and wines both aboard ship and in hospitable towns along the way.

Highlights of this tour include but are not limited to,  Paris, Fontainebleau, the artists village of Barbizon, the rocks of Nemours, the medieval cities of Ferriéres and Chatillon Coligny, the complex of locks in Rogny, pont Canal de Briare, Bien Sancerre wine, Chavignol cheese, Nevers and much, much more.

If clients desire a shorter itinerary on a particular day, Els and Winfred will do their best to accomodate.

The experienced tour guide will talk every day after dinner about the route of the coming day and adjust the itinerary if need be.

Skill Level

Easy to moderate guided bike and boat tour on quiet roads through a rolling landscape. Average daily distance is 30 miles a day. The route follows bike trails and asphalted side roads. There are some hilly stretches but you will be able to walk if necessary. There are opportunities for longer or shorter rides each day.

Where You’ll Stay

On board the Feniks, originally built in 1928 as a freighter on the Dutch, Belgium and French waters. She is a very strong vessel with many years of service and is known because of her beautiful line and speed.

What’s Included

• 14 nights accommodations with breakfast and lunch package
• Cabin with ensuite bathroom, bed linens and fresh towels
• 10 dinners served with wine and cheese
• Coffee, tea and biscuits
• Afternoon snacks
• 21 speed bicycle with pannier, water bottle and lock
• Tour program with city maps
• Multi lingual tour guide
• Use of Washer/Dryer
• Weekly cabin cleaning
• Bicycle protection
• Ferry fares

What’s Not Included

• Gratuities
• Entrance fees
• Travel or cancellation insurance
• Meals not mentioned

Tour Dates

• Paris to Burgundy: July 21, 2012.
• Burgundy to Paris: August 4 and September 15, 2012.

Tour Boats

• Feniks

Day-To-Day Itinerary

1. Paris
2. Paris - Melun: 31 mi./50 km
3. Melun - Moret sur Loing: 34 mi./55 km
4. Moret sur Loing - Nemours: 31 mi./50 km
5. Nemours - Néronville:31 - 37 mi./30 - 60 km
6. Néronville - Montargis: 31mi./50 km
7. Montargis: 19 mi./ 30 km
8. Montargis - Chatillion Colligny: 34 mi./55 km
9. Chattilion Colligny - Rogny: 28 mi./45 km
10. Rogny - Briare: 28 mi./45 km
11. Briare - Beaulieu: 31 mi./50 km
12. Beaulieu - Ménétreol (Sancerre): 28 mi - 53 mi./ 45 - 85 km
13. Ménétreol - La Charité sur Loire : 19 - 28 mi/30 - 45 km
14. La Charité sur Loire or Nevers: 22 - 44 mi./35 - 70 km
15. La Charité sur Loire

*All distances are approximate. The above planned itinerary is subject to change due to changing wind and weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances having to do with mooring requirements, etc. 

SATURDAY: Paris
You will be welcomed on board the Feniks where you can settle in to your cabin and meet the crew and your tour companions while enjoying coffee, tea and cake. It is an easy start for the tour with a boat trip on the Seine while the guide explains more about the tour. There is opportunity to test the cycles for proper fit and to get ready for the cycling in the coming days. In the evening you will enjoy dinner on board  and a guided walk into town. 

SUNDAY: Paris - Melun, 31 mi./50 km
Every morning you will enjoy a good breakfast and also are able to pack your lunch from what is provided.  After breakfast, the Feniks departs for Melun. You can choose to stay on the boat or to cycle. The tour starts with a ride through the small suburbs, a lovely forest and along the river to Melun. Near this town is the famous Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte. You are welcomed back on board with a bowl of home made soup and some afternoon snacks. Again, the evening will provide the opportunity for a guided walk through the town.

MONDAY: Melun - Moret sur Loing, 34 mi./55 km
Today you will bike through the wonderful forests of Fontainebleau. Your first destination is the artistic village of Barbizon which will always be associated with painters for a simple reason. Along its narrow Grande Rue were several inns that catered to starving artists. The Barbizon painters were part of a movement towards realism in art which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. These artists revived the art of landscape painting, paving the way for the Impressionists who arrived in the forest 30 years later. At this time, you will visit the local museum and then continue your tour to the Palace of Fontainebleau, much in favor among the French kings because of the extensive possibilities to hunt in the surrounding forests. In the castle itself, there is a museum specializing in Napoleon, among other things. You will board the ship again in Moret-sur-Loing, a charming town where there are two impressive fortified gateways dating from the medieval period. These gates, along with the walls and twenty towers of the fortification, are a relic of its role to defend the Kingdom of France from the supporters of the Dukes of Burgundy. Here too is where the painter Sisley found inspiration for his beautiful impressionist paintings

TUESDAY: Moret sur Loing - Nemours, 31 mi./50 km
Today and from here on the ship has to follow canals because the rivers are not navigable. It means shorter distances each day because of the large number of locks. Throughout the tour to the south, there will be opportunities to be on board while the ship is motoring. The ride to Nemours is a picturesque tour through villages, forests and riverside to the town of Nemours.  

WEDNESDAY: Nemours - Néronville, 31 - 37 mi./30 - 60 km 
The boat will motor to the village of  Néronville. The bike route leads  through a wooded area with rugged rocks. After this it heads west to Château-Landon, a lovely  town, where a visit to the Abbey of St.-Severin  which dates from the 13th century, is possible.  

THURSDAY: Néronville - Montargis, 31mi./50 km
The tour goes to the medieval town of Ferrieres with its beautifully preserved old town. Amidst the narrow old streets, there is an intriguing monastery, founded in about 630 by Columba, an Irish monk.  Final destination  today is Montargis, with its 15,000 inhabitants the biggest town of the Loiret after Orléans. In the 14th and 15th centuries, it was a royal residence. Unfortunately, however, it  was destroyed by fire in the 16th century.  The canals still exist, decorated with lots of flowers. The town has retained a medieval charm.  Final destination for the day is Montargis.

FRIDAY: Montargis, 19 mi./ 30 km
The ship will remained moored here in Montargis. You can explore this fascinating town by bike or on foot or both if you would like.

SATURDAY: Montargis to Chatillion Colligny, 34 mi./55 km
Destination today is the medieval town of Chatillion Colligny.

SUNDAY: Chattilion Colligny - Rogny, 28 mi./45 km
Highlights include a visit  to the castle of La Bussiere and the seven locks of Rogny, built under the reign of Henry IV,  still fascinating to see though they are not in use any longer. The castle, surrounded by water,  is nicknamed the Fishermen castle due to the collection of works related to fresh water fishing that are housed there. Visitors can also explore and daydream in its wonderful gardens, including a formal garden designed by Le Nôtre.  

MONDAY: Rogny - Briare, 28 mi./45 km
In the morning, you cycle from Rogny to the town of Gien to meet the Loire River.

TUESDAY: Briare - Beaulieu, 31 mi./50 km
The Loire river, as many other smaller streams in France, is hardly navigable, so the past centuries, canals  were dug to connect natural waterways. Parallel to the Loire is a canal. To get there from Briare, the ship has to cross the river by means of an impressive bridge-aqueduct, a 'horizontal Eiffel tower'. Eiffel was the engineer in charge. On Tuesday, after leaving Briare,  crossing the famous aqueduct, the destination is the castle of Brisson.  The Feniks will moor in Beaulieu.

WEDNESDAY: Beaulieu - Ménétreol, 28 mi - 53 mi./ 45 - 85 km
A 25 mile ride through vineyards will lead to Ménétreol and the nearby village of Sancerre , in the midst of famous vineyards. The ship will be moored not far way in a village on the canal near the Loire River. The region is also famous for its Chavignol (goat) cheese. A visit to a got farm near the town of Cosne is an option. An alternative suggestion is a visit to the special building site near Guedelon where dozens of people are building a medieval castle with old fashioned means and tools.  

THURSDAY: Ménétreol - La Charité sur Loire
La Charité-sur-Loire was founded about the seventh century and was originally named Seyr (City of Light). It is located on one of the Paths of Saint-Jacques de Compostelle  taken by pilgrims from various points in Europe to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. The generosity of the Cluny monks to the pilgrims following the Compostelle Route caused Seyr to be renamed La Charité-sur- Loire. 

 FRIDAY: La Charité sur Loire or Nevers
The magnificent 12th century Cluniac priory church of Notre Dame in the heart of this medieval village of La Charite was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998. You can wander through the cloisters of the Cluny monks and see remnants of the old walls that protected them from many raiders including the Vikings. The Benedictine Park, adjacent to the Cathedral, features the ruins of a Romanesque church dating from the 11th century. The Park is the site of many concerts held each summer.

SATURDAY: Departure
On Saturday your tour in to the heart of France comes to an end. 

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