The main stations serving this section are:
· Nevers
· Chalon-sur-Saône
· Dijon
Dijon is the most easily accessible station in the Burgundy region because all the TGV high-speed train services accept bicycles (15 round trips per day to Paris, 4 to Lyon). However, Dijon is not directly on the EuroVelo 6 route, so it is necessary to change trains in Dijon, or to follow the Canal de Bourgogne or the wine road to Santenay.
Dôle is on the EuroVelo 6 route and is served by 6 TGV trains per day, all of which accept bicycles.
Corail Teoz and Corail Intercité trains run between Nevers and Paris: 12 services per day, 3 of which accept bicycles. The Nevers-Dijon TER regional service stops at the main towns along the stage.
There are 3 TGVs per day between Chalon-sur-Saône and Paris, as well as a Paris-Lyon Corail, all of which accept bicycles. The town can also be reached from Lyon (9 trains, 8 of which accept bicycles).
The largest airport in the region is Dijon – Bourgogne. Although it is 30km from EuroVelo 6, it is easy to get to the airport by bicycle because it is close to the Canal de Bourgogne.
N.B.: There is no railway line along the section from Chalon-sur-Saône to Dôle.
SNCF: www.velo.sncf.com provides information about all the train+bicycle services provided by SNCF, with numerous links, notably to SNCF’s search engine.
N.B.: SNCF’s search engine does not offer a “bicycle transport” option but it does show if bicycles are accepted on each train. Information about bicycle transport can be obtained more easily from the German “Die Bahn” search engine: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/fn
www.ter-sncf.com/Burgundy/
Regional rail information website: www.ter-sncf.com/centre/
The “passengers with bicycles” section of the European rail companies’ website (http://railpassenger.uic.asso.fr/) provides information about train+bicycle journeys throughout Europe.
www.dijon.aeroport.fr
Nevers is easily accessible by Corail train from Paris and it is linked by the Nevers-Dijon TER service to most of the towns along the stage as far as Chalon. There is a good TGV service between Dôle and Paris. From Dijon , it is also possible to join the itinerary at Santenay by following the wine road.
www.sncf.com
Local tourist offices can provide addresses of accommodation providers and bicycle hire outlets.
“Le tour de Bourgogne à vélo”, a booklet published by the Burgundy Regional Tourist Board, includes a map showing the different itineraries and a list of all accommodation providers, holiday companies and bicycle hire outlets.
In Fragnes, near Chalon-sur-Saône, Stéphane Marceau, in conjunction with his association “Destination Horizons”, has set up a centre for cycle tourists called “La Porte Verte”. It houses a repair shop, bicycle cleaning facilities, a bicycle hire outlet and an information centre. Stéphane also offers mountain-bike tour packages.
Bicycles can be rented from the tourist offices in Paray-le-Monial, Santenay, Chagny and Chalon-sur-Saône.
The towpath from Nevers to Decize is not cycleable. A date has not yet been set for the surfacing work, but it should be carried put by 2010. In the interim, an alternative route along minor roads can be followed. After Decize, the itinerary follows the greenway beside the Canal du Nivernais, and then signposted minor roads to Bourbon-Lancy. The route as far as Diou continues along a greenway built on a disused railway line. Until the towpath to Digoin is finished (2008), an alternative route can be followed through Saône-et-Loire. From Digoin to Paray, the itinerary follows the Canal du Centre, and then minor roads to Montchanin. The height gain on this final section is far from negligible, although cyclists with tired legs can follow a flatter route along the RD974 beside the canal from Paray to Montceau. A greenway for the Montchanin-St Julien section will be built in 2007. From St Julien to St Léger, the route follows minor roads. From St Léger to Chalon, the itinerary follows a greenway beside the Canal du Centre. Two sections of cycleway have been built between Chalon and St Symphorien sur Saône, one from Gergy to Verdun and one from Pagny to St Symporien. No date has yet been set for the completion of the work on this section. Minor roads and tracks can be followed for this section, but it is also possible to stay on tarmac by using slightly busier roads. In dry weather, cyclists with hybrid bikes can follow the towpath from Chalon to Gergy and from Verdun to Seurre (shown on the map).
From Santenay to St Symporien, it is possible to follow a variant along the wine road (“route des vins”), past Beaune and Nuits-St-George, and then rejoin the itinerary at Pagny-le-Château via Citeaux Abbey. Another option is to continue along the wine road to Dijon, and then come back to the itinerary via the Canal de Bourgogne (this very straight, 33-km section is not tarmacked but it can be ridden on hybrid bikes). These two routes will be shown on maps to be published in 2007 (Huber).
To get to Dôle, a route along minor roads that avoids the Tavaux works (SEVESO-category industrial site and therefore restricted access) has been identified. A one-kilometre section of the towpath past the works is tarmacked.