The best road cycling routes around Château

Magnificent ride mostly in the shade on level, smooth ground.

The Tour des Fromages is a preserved defensive tower from the 11th century, which originally belonged to the ramparts of the powerful Abbey of Cluny. In the Middle Ages, the structure was still called Tour des Fèves (Bean Tower), as supplies were stored there. It got its current, curious name in the 19th century because a merchant used the tower to dry her homemade cheeses. Today, the tower is a popular attraction. Visitors can climb the 120 steps to the top. From up there, you have a beautiful 360-degree panoramic view over the entire medieval monastic city and the surrounding Burgundy landscape. Access to the tower is directly through the local Cluny tourist office.

The abbey was founded in 910 by Duke William I of Aquitaine. In the Middle Ages, Cluny was the starting point of a huge monastic reform (the "Cluniac Reforms"). At its peak in the 11th and 12th centuries, around 1,500 monasteries and over 20,000 monks throughout Europe were under its jurisdiction. The main church of the abbey (Cluny III or Major Ecclesia), over 187 meters long, was the largest house of worship in Christendom until St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was built. During the French Revolution, the monastery was closed. Under Napoleon's rule, the gigantic church was almost completely demolished and used as a quarry. Today, only about 8% of the original vast complex remains.

The historic town of Cluny, located in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, can best be admired from the viewing platform of the famous Cheese Tower (Tour des Fromages), from which you can enjoy a striking 360-degree view over the historic rooftops and the gentle, green hills of Southern Burgundy. Cluny is world-renowned for its Benedictine abbey, founded in 910 AD. In the High Middle Ages, the abbey was the starting point of the pioneering Cluniac reform movement and developed into the head of a Europe-wide monastic order with over 1,200 monasteries.

The Château de Saint-Point (also known as Château de Lamartine) in the Burgundy region originally dates from the 12th and 14th centuries. From 1820, it served as the residence for the famous French poet and politician Alphonse de Lamartine. Lamartine had the castle restored in the Anglo-Gothic style, which gives it its distinctive, romantic appearance with the round corner towers. It is a listed monument and can be visited as a museum.

The lake is located in the Doubs department in the French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté at an altitude of around 850 meters. After Lac du Bourget and Lac d'Annecy, it is the third largest natural lake in France. It is a very popular lake for swimming in the summer and offers opportunities for kayaking, windsurfing, and stand-up paddling. There is also a popular hiking trail around the entire lake, approximately 20 kilometers long.

Mont Grémoi is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is a hilly, rural area that is ideal for hiking.

The Col du Bois Clair is a 396-meter high French mountain pass in the Massif Central. It is located in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in the Saône-et-Loire department and lies within the municipality of Sologny. The pass summit is crossed by the departmental road D17. Beneath the pass runs the Tunnel du Bois Clair, a former railway tunnel. At 1.6 kilometers long, it is the longest tunnel in France accessible to bicycles. Today it serves as part of the Voie Verte cycle path, but is closed from October to April to protect hibernating bats.