--- title: "Voie Verte de Bourgogne du Sud: Cycling Givry to Cluny" description: "Car-free path on an old railway line, opened in 1997 between Givry and Cluny. Ride one way: your driver drops you in Givry and meets you in Cluny." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/voie-verte-givry-cluny lang: en updated: 2026-10-02 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/voie-verte-givry-cluny.png --- # Southern Burgundy Greenway (Voie Verte de Bourgogne du Sud) > Southern Burgundy Greenway: a car-free cycle path on an old railway line, running from the Givry vineyards to Cluny. Southern Burgundy Greenway is in Givry (Saône-et-Loire), 36 min by road (36 km) from Beaune. Allow half a day to a full day · Private driver from Beaune: €125 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Voie Verte de Bourgogne du Sud follows a former railway line from the Côte Chalonnaise to Cluny and beyond. Its first section, 8 kilometres of a disused railway line, opened in 1997, and both the regional tourist board and the Chalon tourist office call it the first greenway in France. The smooth surface is reserved for non-motorised users, ideal for relaxed cycling and walking. ## Key facts - Type: Activities - Where: Givry · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 30 km south of Beaune · Côte Chalonnaise - Coordinates: 46.7814, 4.7493 - 36 min from Beaune - Allow half a day to a full day - Givry - Official website: [cluny-tourisme.com](https://www.cluny-tourisme.com/nos-essentiels/le-sud-bourgogne-a-velo/la-voie-verte/) - From Beaune: ≈ 36 min · 36 km - €125 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 36 min by road (36 km), €125 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History The railway from Chalon-sur-Saône to Cluny opened in 1888 and lost its passenger service in 1968. Once the line had been closed and the track removed, the Saône-et-Loire department turned the old railway bed into a path. The first stretch, 8 kilometres long, opened in 1997. It was later extended to Cluny, north to Chalon and south from Cluny to Mâcon along another former railway, and it now forms part of a 145-kilometre cycling loop through Cluny, Mâcon, Tournus and Chalon. ## What you will see From Givry the path heads south through vineyards and farmland, following the gentle gradients of the old railway past villages such as Buxy and Saint-Gengoux-le-National before reaching Cluny. Picnic areas, water points, toilets, bike rental outlets and repair stations line the route. The 34.5-kilometre stretch between Buxy and Cluny carries the Tourisme et Handicap label, and the Voie Verte 71 app flags points of interest as you go. Six kilometres from Cluny along the Grosne, the Marais des Tilles at Massilly has a 1-kilometre nature trail through a protected wetland beside the path, and further on the park of the Château de Cormatin shows through the hedges. South of Cluny the path runs below the fortress of Berzé-le-Châtel, a filming location for Ridley Scott's The Last Duel, and through the Bois Clair tunnel, the longest in France open to a greenway: it takes 4 to 6 minutes by bike and 15 to 20 on foot, and although it is lit, a bike light helps. The loop carries the Vélo & Fromages label, with 23 goat's cheese producers within 5 kilometres of the route. ## Planning your visit Your driver can drop you at Givry and collect you in Cluny, or in any village along the way, so you ride in one direction only. Bike hire is available along the route: in Cluny, Bourgogne Découverte at the old station hires hybrid bikes for €16 a day or €12 a half-day and electric bikes for €32 or €25, with helmets and locks, and advises booking, while Les Vélos de Cluny delivers bikes to your accommodation. Speed is limited to 20 km/h, helmets are compulsory for children under 12 and dogs stay on a short lead. While the tunnel is closed, a demanding signed detour, loop 14, avoids it. Allow half a day for part of the route or a full day to reach Cluny, and bring water in summer. ## Did you know? South of Cluny, the greenway passes through the Bois Clair tunnel, 1.6 kilometres long. It shelters protected bats in winter, so it closes every year from 1 October to 14 April. ## Around Southern Burgundy Greenway What to combine with Southern Burgundy Greenway on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (1 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. - [Mercurey](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/mercurey) (6 km away): The largest vineyard of the Côte Chalonnaise, known above all for its reds. - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (10 km away): A white-only appellation of hillside vineyards around Buxy, with a wealth of premiers crus. ### Châteaux - [Château de Germolles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-germolles) (3 km away): The best-preserved residence of the Valois dukes of Burgundy, a country palace made for a duchess. - [Château de Chamirey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chamirey) (5 km away): An elegant 18th-century wine château in Mercurey, at the heart of a 37-hectare family estate. - [Château de Rosey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-rosey) (5 km away): An elegant 1767 country house built by a royal falconer on a hillside south of Givry. ### Things to do - [Antonin Rodet](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/antonin-rodet-mercurey) (6 km away): A Mercurey wine house founded in 1875, with a tasting cellar in the stables of a 17th-century mansion. - [Vivant Denon Museum (Musée Vivant Denon)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-vivant-denon), 8 km away: Chalon's museum of art and archaeology, named after the first director of the Louvre. - [Église Saint-Pierre de Chalon-sur-Saône](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-pierre-chalon-sur-saone) (8 km away): A Baroque church with twin domed towers, where the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny took their first vows. ### Restaurants - [Cédric Burtin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/cedric-burtin-saint-remy) (6 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Two stars in a converted mill on the southern edge of Chalon-sur-Saône. - [Maison Lameloise](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/maison-lameloise-chagny) (14 km away · 3 MICHELIN stars): Burgundy's only three-star table, in a former coaching inn twenty minutes south of Beaune. ### Events - **Saturday, 20 March 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Marathon des Vins de la Côte Chalonnaise](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marathon-des-vins-de-la-cote-chalonnaise): A costumed marathon through the Côte Chalonnaise vineyards, with wine and local food at the refreshment stops. (Sport · Givry) - **A weekend in early April, Friday evening to Sunday; the 2026 market ran from 3 to 5 April.** · [Marché aux Vins de Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marche-aux-vins-de-givry): Givry's winegrowers pour the new releases under the town's round market hall each spring. (Wine festival · Givry) - **A three-day weekend in early September; the 2026 fête ran from 4 to 6 September.** · [Fête de la Vigne de Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-de-la-vigne-givry): Givry's traditional village fête on the eve of the harvest, with music, a flea market and local wine. (Tradition · Givry) ## Questions about Southern Burgundy Greenway ### How far is Southern Burgundy Greenway from Beaune? Southern Burgundy Greenway is about 36 min from Beaune by road (36 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €125 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Southern Burgundy Greenway take? For the visit, allow half a day to a full day. ### When is Southern Burgundy Greenway open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (cluny-tourisme.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Southern Burgundy Greenway? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:voieverte): €125 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - - - - - - --- Canonical page: