The best traffic-free bike rides around Berzé-Le-Châtel

Château de Cormatin is a magnificent moated castle from the early 17th century. The castle was built between 1606 and 1625 by the Marquises d'Huxelles. It houses the best-preserved state rooms from the time of Louis XIII in all of France. Famous are the "Gilded Rooms" (Salles Dorées) with opulent paintings, sculptures, and gilded ceilings. The extensive grounds, covering around 12 hectares, are among the most beautiful gardens in France. Highlights in the outdoor area include a large boxwood maze, an open-air baroque theatre, water features, and a historic vegetable garden.

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.

The Voie Verte de Bourgogne du Sud is France's oldest car-free rail trail. It runs for almost 70 kilometers through the vineyards and hills of southern Burgundy between the towns of Chalon-sur-Saône and Mâcon.

This is a simple, Romanesque village church from the 12th century. It was already mentioned in the documents of the famous Cluny Abbey in the year 1156. The building has been a listed "monument historique" since 1913. In the small cemetery directly in front of the church is, among other things, the grave of Frère Roger, the founder of the well-known ecumenical community of Taizé. The church is used by many young people and pilgrims as a place of silence and personal prayer.

The Community of Taizé is an international ecumenical monastic order for men in the small village of Taizé, founded in 1940 by Brother Roger. It is considered one of the most important symbols of the ecumenical movement worldwide and a spiritual center of attraction for young people. The brotherhood consists of around 80 to 100 brothers from about 30 countries. They belong to various Christian denominations, including Catholics, Anglicans, and Protestants. The brothers do not accept donations or inheritances. They finance their livelihood exclusively through their own work, such as producing pottery and handicrafts, as well as selling books and music recordings.

In the Middle Ages, the abbey was one of the most influential spiritual and cultural centers in Europe. Cluny was the mother house of the Cluniac Reform and headed a federation of over 1,200 monasteries. The third abbey church (Cluny was the largest church in the Christian world until the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome). Of the once-mighty complex, only parts of the southern transept remain today, as the abbey was largely used as a quarry and demolished after the French Revolution.

very beautiful hike Very shaded and very pleasant

Found the garden more interesting than the interior of the castle.