Southern Burgundy Greenway (Voie Verte de Bourgogne du Sud)
A car-free cycle path on an old railway line, running from the Givry vineyards to Cluny.
- Activity
- 36 min from Beaune
- Allow half a day to a full day
- Givry
€125one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- cluny-tourisme.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 36 min by road (36 km), €125 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
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.
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.
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.
Planning your visit
Tips for 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.
Around here
What to combine with Southern Burgundy Greenway on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
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.
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.
Sources
Southern Burgundy Greenway with a private driver
€125 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests