Stage 9 Champagneux dam to Lagnieu
Stage 10 Lagnieu to Lyon
Stage 11 Lyon to Vienne
Stage 12 Vienne to Sablons
Stage 13 Sablons to Tournon-sur-Rhône
Stage 14 Tournon-sur-Rhône to Valence
Stage 15 Valence to Le Pouzin
Stage 16 Le Pouzin to Montélimar
Stage 17 Montélimar to Pont-St Esprit
Stage 18 Pont-St Esprit to Avignon
Stage 19 Avignon to Arles
Stage 20 Arles to Port-St Louis-du-Rhône
Appendix A Stage summary table
Appendix B Facilities summary table
Appendix C Twelve-day schedule
Appendix D Tourist information offices
Appendix E Youth hostels and gîtes d’étape
The old Belvédère hotel is high on the Furkapass (Stage 1)
INTRODUCTION
Running from the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean Sea, the valley of the river Rhone has for many centuries been one of the great communication links of western Europe. The Romans conquered Gaul by marching their legions up the lower Rhone valley from the sea, while over 1850 years later the French Emperor Napoleon took his army the other way by using the upper valley as his route to invade Italy. For modern-day French families the lower Rhone valley is the ‘route du soleil’ (route to the sun) which they follow every summer to reach vacation destinations in the south of France. For much of its length the river is followed by railways, roads and motorways carrying goods to and from great Mediterranean ports such as Marseille and Genoa.
In addition to being a major transport artery, the Rhone valley is host to an attractive long distance cycle route that makes its way for nearly 900km from the high Alps to the Rhone delta using a mixture of traffic free tracks and country roads. As it follows a great river, the route is mostly downhill.
After many years of planning and construction, the Rhone Cycle Route has reached a level of completion that makes it a viable means of cycling from central Switzerland to the south of France in a generally quiet environment by using two waymarked national cycle trails: the Swiss R1 Rhone Route and the French ViaRhôna. These have been adopted by the ECF (European Cyclists’ Federation) as EuroVélo route EV17. This guide breaks the route into 20 stages, averaging 45km in length. A reasonably fit cyclist, riding 75km per day should be able to complete the route in 12 days. Allowing for a gentler ride with time for sightseeing on the way, the route can be cycled in a fortnight by most cyclists.
The shore of Lake Geneva in Montreux is lined with floral displays (Stages 4 and 5)
The Swiss R1 Rhone Route, part of the extensive Swiss Veloland network, is complete running from the river’s source near the summit of the Furkapass for 321km to the border between Switzerland and France at Chancy, west of Geneva. En route it follows a deep glacial valley with snow-capped mountains rising on both sides, some of the highest in Switzerland, to reach Lake Geneva. Attractive cities and towns such as Montreux, Lausanne, Geneva and Evian line the lake, which is both a popular tourist destination and one of the most prosperous parts of Switzerland.
After crossing into France, the ViaRhôna is followed, firstly through a deep limestone gorge between the Jura mountains and the Savoy Alps, then after passing through Lyon, France’s second city, through another wider gorge along the geological fault line between the Alps and Massif Central to reach the Mediterranean. The main cities along this valley, Lyon, Valence and Arles, have history going back before Roman times and much evidence of Roman civilisation including the ruins of temples, arena, amphitheatres and bath-houses. Other cities, particularly Vienne and Avignon, were important medieval religious centres with large cathedrals and clerical palaces.
ViaRhôna (www.viarhona.com) is a dedicated cycle track being built to French voie verte standards (traffic-free, 3m wide, asphalt surface) all the way from the Swiss border to the sea. While this is about 75 percent complete, there are sections, particularly in Isère département and south of Pont-St Esprit, where quiet country roads need to be used. Heavy traffic is only encountered on one stage, when heading south out of Lyon (Stage 11). This can be avoided if desired by taking the train for 30km from Lyon to Vienne.
Throughout the route there are a wide variety of places to stay, from campsites through youth hostels, guest houses and small family run hotels all the way up to some of the world’s greatest five-star hotels. Local tourist offices in almost every town will help you find accommodation, and often book it for you. It is the same for food and drink, with eating establishments in every price range including two of France’s most famous (and expensive!) three-star Michelin restaurants (Paul Bocuse near Lyon and Maison Pic in Valence). In both Switzerland (where the birthplace and grave of César Ritz is passed on Stage 1) and France, where culinary skills are in evidence in almost all establishments, even the smallest local restaurants offer home-cooked meals using quality local ingredients. If you like wine, there are plentiful opportunities to sample local vintages in both countries as the route passes through the Swiss wine producing areas of Valais, Lavaux and La Côte and many French ones including Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes-du-Rhône.
Vineyards of Lavaux cover the lakeside slopes between Vevey and Lausanne (Stage 5)
Background
The Rhone cycle route passes through two countries. Although both countries speak French (albeit partly so in Switzerland) they have very different history, culture and ways of government.
Switzerland
Switzerland is a federation of 26 cantons (federal states). It was founded in 1291 (on 1 August, now celebrated as Swiss national day), although some of west
