The best traffic-free bike rides around Saint-Laurent-Sur-Saône

near the Charnay station, nice little stop.

The Rock of Solutré is a world-famous, 493-meter-high limestone rock in the south of the Burgundy region. It is located amidst the picturesque vineyards of the municipality of Solutré-Pouilly. The region is officially designated as a Grand Site de France. The hike to the summit is easy to moderate and very doable for families. It takes about 1 hour for the entire loop (approx. 4 kilometers round trip). The elevation gain is around 100 to 140 meters from the official parking lot on well-maintained paths with information panels, although there are many steps.

The Saint-Laurent Bridge (Pont Saint-Laurent) is a historic stone bridge spanning the Saône river. It connects the town of Mâcon in the Saône-et-Loire department with the municipality of Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône in the Ain department. Initial wooden structures were already built by the Romans. The current stone bridge dates back to the 11th century in its core and is considered the oldest bridge over the Saône. The structure consists of twelve stone arches. On one of the piers, there is a statue of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of boatmen. It is one of the few historic structures in the region that survived the bombings of World War II unscathed.

An idyllic, paved cycle path directly on the riverbank. It is a section of the well-known French long-distance cycle route „La Voie Bleue - Moselle-Saône Radweg" (Route V50) along the Saône. The entire long-distance cycle route covers around 700 kilometers from the Luxembourg border town of Apach (near the tripoint) to Lyon. The Saône section follows the natural meanders of the Saône, passing meadows, historic villages, and well-known wine-growing regions such as Mâcon. The route is mostly flat on former towpaths.

An idyllic, asphalted cycle path right on the riverbank. This is a section of the well-known French long-distance cycle route "La Voie Bleue - Moselle-Saône Radweg" (Route V50) along the Saône. The entire long-distance cycle route runs for around 700 kilometers from the French border town of Apach (near the tripoint) to Lyon. The Saône section follows the natural meanders of the Saône, passing meadows, historic villages, and well-known wine-growing regions such as Mâcon. The route runs mostly flat on former towpaths.

Among anglers, the Saône near Mâcon enjoys a legendary reputation. The river is known for its gigantic European catfish (Waller). In this area, capital fish regularly get caught, which are well over 2 meters long and weigh over 100 kilograms.

The Voie Verte (Green Way) is a former, paved railway line. At the starting point in Charnay-lès-Mâcon is the Vélo-Gare du Mâconnais - a former train station, which today serves as a tourist office and bicycle rental.

The Col de Gerbet (612 m) is an idyllic mountain pass in the French wine-growing region of Beaujolais. Depending on the starting point, various roads with little traffic lead up to the pass via the D137. From Juliénas (south-east approach): This route is 7.3 kilometers long. It overcomes 342 meters of altitude with a steady, moderate gradient of 4.7% on average. The road winds through shady forest sections. From La Croix Blanche (west approach): A tougher variant 4.5 kilometers long. Here you conquer 270 meters of altitude with an average gradient of 6% and ramps of up to 11%.