Paris to Geneva 2008 - information
Depart Sunday 7 September 2008, travel to Paris
Return Friday 12 September 2008, Geneva to London
(6 days / 5 nights)
Day one - London to Paris
| | We’ll meet in the morning and load your bikes to transfer them by road to Paris. You’ll travel by Eurostar to our hotel for the night, and be reunited with your bikes. |
Day two - Paris to Sens
Leaving the Eiffel Tower behind us, we head south-east out of Paris, roughly following the course of the River Seine. Before long we have left the suburbs and our route takes us over the rolling chalk hills that make this region so good for wine-growing. We pass through areas of green woodland and many small, traditional villages. We finish at the medieval Burgundy town of Sens, complete with its beautiful town hall and gothic Cathedral. | |
Day three - Sens to Semur-en-Auxois
| | Today sees another long ride. Our route undulates as we head through open fields and wilder forested areas. Pinot noir is the main grape in the vineyards we see on south-facing slopes. We cycle on small, quiet country lanes connecting the abundant farms and villages that dot the landscape. We drop downhill as we approach the picturesque medieval hill-top town of Semur-en-Auxois, cross its beautiful stone bridge and have a short climb to our hotel. |
Day four - Semur-en-Auxois to Lons-le-Saunier
We cycle south-east, skirting the busy city of Dijon. We pass through the quiet town of Beaune, on the Burgundy wine-trail, and cross the River Saône. There are numerous reservoirs in this region which break up the fields that we cycle through for most of the day. | |
Today’s cycle is mainly flat, although there are a few short, sharp inclines to test our legs! Towards the end of the day the landscape starts to change as we enter the Jura region and the Roman spa town of Lons-le-Saunier.
Cycle approx: 150km (95 miles)
Day five - Lons-le-Saunier to Geneva
| | A shorter ride today, but one big challenge to cross the Jura Mountains into Switzerland! We set off and start climbing steadily almost straightaway. The scenery quickly becomes wilder and it’s not long before our efforts are rewarded with wonderful views across the valley. |
We wind our way further into the mountains and gradually up to our highest point, the Col de la Faucille (1232m) – the biggest challenge of the trip. Hairpin bends take us almost 12km uphill before we reach the top; this climb has featured on the Tour de France route on many occasions. If the weather is clear we will enjoy views of the Mont Blanc massif. From here we enjoy a descent down to the international border with Switzerland and cruise to our lakeside finish point in Geneva. We’ll celebrate an amazing achievement with a special meal in Geneva.
Cycle approx: 110km (70 miles)
Day six - Geneva to London
You’ll have some free time to enjoy Geneva (or just a well-earned lie in!) before we fly back to London in the evening. Your bike will be carefully transported back to London by road and ferry, arriving the day after our return. | |
Cycle to Geneva and transform the lives of homeless people.
Call us on 020 7426 3854 or email us to find out more.
Find out more about joining our London to Paris trip, arriving in Paris a day before our Paris to Geneva trip leaves. A total of 625 miles in just over a week.
