Burgundy Bike Tours on the Grands Crus Route, in France

Are you up for an incredible excursion in Burgundy, France?

Peddling through vineyards in France on a bicycle is quite something, and locals know how lucky they are to have this privilege once sunny days arrive. Why not experience this delight yourself! If you want to discover Burgundy wines and the regions’ gems from your bike, here’s a complete guide of Burgundy bike tours on famous Route des Grands Crus.

The wine producing region of Burgundy is full of many types of bike tours, including Burgundy self-guided bike tours, tours along the Route Des Grands Crus, and more.

Winalist invites you to cycle through 60 kilometers of emblematic landscapes from Dijon to Santenay for an epic that you will remember for a long time.

Initiated in 1937 by the Departmental Council of the Côte d’Or, the first Wine Route of France is indeed the Route des Grands Crus de Bourgogne. It is in a way the “mother” of French wine tourism, a true heritage and taste institution that is the pride of our territory and of those who take care of it.

On the program of your stay in Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits:

• Visits to small villages rich in heritage
• Meetings with winegrowers
• Best wine tours and tastings in Burgundy
• Discoveries of breathtaking landscapes with vines as far as the eye can see

Get on your bike to discover the best Burgundy vintages, small villages, vineyards as far as the eye can see… Burgundy reveals its riches and has some great surprises in store for you!

Preparing for Burgundy bike tours

Do you like cycling? Do you like wine? Combine both for a great wine bike tour in France! More precisely, bike tours in Burgundy, where many cycling routes are possible in the vineyards. Let’s prepare for a Burgundy bike tour on the Route Des Grands Crus.

Book wine tastings and Burgundy wine bike tours

During your stay in Burgundy, be prepared to visit several wine estates. You will have a wide range of choices, since hundreds of winegrowers and wine merchants welcome you all year round for wine tastings, explain wine-making to you, and organize private or group visits.

To help you find your way around, Winalist selects the best addresses, and allows you to directly book the activity of your choice throughout your journey. Just consult our interactive map of oenological activities in Burgundy.

In one click, you access all the necessary information (types of activities, number of people accommodated, prices, terms, special offers, and itinerary). All you have to do is book with the domains that are on your way.

How much time is a Burgundy bike tour?

We recommend planning at least 3 days for your wine bike tour in Burgundy, to really make the most of the Route des Grands Crus by taking the time to visit several wine estates and settling in cities.

Along your Grands Crus Route, you will also find our suggestions for the best oenological activities in Winalist’s partner estates.

Dijon, Burgundy Bike Tours

In Dijon, you will have plenty to admire, cultivate, taste and enjoy the Burgundian art of living. We discover prestigious historic buildings, and soon the new International City of Gastronomy and Wine.

This “extensively scenographic cultural trail” promises remarkable culinary experiences. On the program in particular, the history of France seen through the gastronomic meal, the discovery of the world of wine, an “event kitchen” rich in animations and tastings before finishing around a table with a glass.

Places of interest to visit in Dijon:

• The palace of the Dukes of Burgundy;
• Saint-Bénigne Cathedral;
• The Well of Moses;
• The botanical park;
• The Fallot mustard factory;

Burgundy vineyard by bike & Dijon tastings

Come and ride along the cycle paths of the Burgundy vineyard, between old stones and heritage. Your walk will begin in the old town of Chenôve, near Dijon, with its exposed stone houses and charming cobbled streets. This excursion will be punctuated by breaks to admire the landscape, talk about the vineyard & the vine, taste local specialties (parsley ham, cheeses), all accompanied by a nectar of wine tastings.

Marsannay

Marsannay-la-Côte is a French commune belonging to Dijon Métropole located in the canton of Chenôve. At the gates of Dijon, the Marsannay vineyard marks the entrance to the famous Côte de Nuits.

Considered as the “Golden Gate of the Côte de Nuits”, the AOC Marsannay extends over the communes of Chenôve, Marsannay-la-Côte and Couchey. The presence of vines is attested from the 7th century, as on the whole Coast, giving today a prestigious recognized vineyard.

Fixin

Also in the metropolis of Dijon, the town of Fixin is home to the Noisot park in which the Napoleon 1st Museum is located. Claude Noisot created the “Napoleon I museum” dedicated to the emperor in the crenellated bastion of his park.

He exhibited his memories of the Napoleonic wars there, as well as works dedicated to the emperor, statues, paintings, and some documents. The museum was inaugurated on September 19, 1847 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (then future President of the French Republic and future Emperor Napoleon III).

Recognized since 1936, the Fixin appellation is divided into Villages and Premiers Crus. Its production is largely red (Pinot Noir) and includes a few plots of white grapes (Chardonnay);

Vosne-Romanée

Between Dijon and Beaune, Vosne-Romanée is the “pearl” of the Burgundy coast: at the heart of the Route des Grands Crus, passionate winegrowers welcome you to their cellars to help you discover their heritage.

Tasting at the Vosne Tasting Club

Located in the heart of the village of Vosne-Romanée, which is home to prestigious names such as Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, this tasting area is a rare opportunity to taste some of the most emblematic wines of Burgundy.

You can enjoy a discovery tour called “Vosne Confidentiel” in the village, then taste 5 wines from the town. Guided through the main streets, you will be taken to see some of the most emblematic estates up to the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Finally, the moment of tasting will arrive with 5 wines on the program (1 regional, 1 village, 2 premier crus & 1 grand cru).

Book a wine tour at the Vosne Tasting Club

Aloxe-Corton

At the junction of the Côtes de Nuits and Beaune, the Montagne de Corton marks a change in the landscape. The more delicate valleys follow the severe curves. Aloxe-Corton (pronounced Alosse) enjoys a perfect location. Established in 1938, its Appellation Village d’Origine Contrôlée forms the honor guard of the prestigious Grands Crus: Corton and Corton-Charlemagne.

The wines of Aloxe-Corton are generous and opulent in character, almost entirely red because white wine is very rare in these climates classified 1er Cru.

On the historical heritage side, you can discover 3 castles in the village:

• Castle of Corton-Grancey,
• Castle of Corton André registered as a Historic Monument since 2017,
• Castle of Corton.

Beaune

Endowed with a rather exceptional historical heritage, Beaune is a medium-sized city. A real historical central place of the Burgundy wine trade, it is also a city in which we stop to visit the famous Hospices de Beaune and their unique vineyard.

Indeed, the architectural reputation of the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is just as famous as that of its wine production sold each year at auction during a real show.

Places of interest to visit in Beaune:

• The Hospices of Beaune
• The Fallot mustard factory
• The Burgundy Wine Museum
• The Basilica of Our Lady of Beaune

Pommard

At Pommard, almost everything is related to wine. This village with 3 renowned wine estates is even praised in Madame Bovary by Flaubert. We deduce that the author particularly liked the wines of Pommard.

Only red wines are produced there, from the Pinot Noir grape variety. Its wines and its beautiful residences mark the place where the Côte de Beaune slopes slightly towards Autun. To visit the village and learn more about its appellations, go to the Château de Pommard. From the vine to the glass, the curious and oenophiles discover the natural cycle of grapes in the heart of Clos Marey-Monge. For three hundred years, the know-how and innovative vision of the Carabello-Baum Family have made the reputation of its cuvées.

Get on your bikes at Pommard, towards Chassagne-Montrachet. On the road, you pass through Volnay, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. Evocative names that are scattered along a 20km route.

Today, Château de Pommard welcomes you to enjoy multiple first-class wine tourism activities:

• Classic tasting “La Route des Grands Crus”;
• Lunch or tasting on the theme of truffles;
• Special vintage tasting;
• Hot air balloon flight over the famous Climats of Burgundy.

Find out more: details of the oenological activities at Château Pommard

Saint-Romain

To the west of Meursault, at the bottom of a circle of steep cliffs, Saint-Romain is the perfect place to start hiking trails to meet prehistoric sites or to survey the vineyards.

At the foot of its high cliff, Saint-Romain allows you to take a little height in Côte de Beaune. The panorama that awaits you is a wide perspective on the surrounding areas. According to experts, the village and its surroundings have been home to human life since the Neolithic period. It is one of the first Celtic and Gallo-Roman vine sanctuaries in Burgundy. The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée Saint-Romain is red (Pinot Noir) and white (Chardonnay).

Meursault

A charming village, Meursault is rich in religious heritage, including the Leprosarium, a beautifully renovated Romanesque building at the entrance to the village, as well as the Saint-Nicolas church. The walk between the private mansions and the imposing trading houses also brings us to the town hall which became very famous in the French movie “La Grande Vadrouille”.

The castle of Meursault is one of the recommended visits during your visit. Standing tall among the many surrounding wine estates, it is home to 14th and 16th century cellars which claim to be the most beautiful in all of Burgundy. Check for yourself! The castle is open to visitors.

Winalist offers you a more confidential visit: that of the Boyer-Martenot estate in Meursault. For four generations, this estate has constantly developed to enter the era of organic production. You will discover the atypical aging technique of wines in eggs. After the explanations, comes the time for the tasting! Your hosts will make you taste a dozen wines in Burgundy, Villages and 1er Cru appellations.

Santenay

We are now coming to the end of this exciting Grands Crus Route bike tour. The village of Santenay in the south of the Côte de Beaune, recognizable thanks to its mill, marks the end of a rich wine tourism journey. As in many other villages on this road, you will be able to see beautiful winegrowers’ houses there and especially the wine-growing manor of La Crée (also called the castle of Philippe le Hardi).

It is also a leisure destination, with many outdoor and nautical activities on the Canal du Centre. You can also discover a casino there, because Santenay is a spa resort. Every 3rd Sunday of June, a party is organized at the Moulin Sorine mixing folklore and local tradition, without forgetting some wine tastings from local producers.

Find a winery near Santenay open to visitors

Travel along the Route des Grands Crus: an ideal idea for a stay

By car, motorbike, motor-home or even by bike, all roads lead to wine in Burgundy.

To follow the Grands Crus Route as simply as possible, all you have to do is follow the signs with a brown background featuring a bunch of grapes, with the mention “Route des Grands Crus”. Easy, right?

The starting point for this route is often Dijon, although many tourists decide to travel the route in the opposite direction, therefore starting with Santenay.

With the desire to discover the climates of Burgundy and wines as a guide during your stay, you will be able to discover Grands Crus Classés, a multitude of authentic wine properties, historic castles, and fill up on unusual activities all in a relaxing atmosphere, away from the hustle and bustle of big cities.

Several routes are offered, more or less long, more or less difficult, on foot or by bike. It really depends on the desires and physical conditions of each. In any case, enjoy your wine trip to Burgundy and your special Burgundy bike tours!

FAQ & Useful resources