Join La Voie Bleue by train, by car or by bike...
La Voie Bleue is connected to several other major cycle routes. This allows cyclists to mix and match cycle routes easily. There are also many ways of joining La Voie Bleue cycle route, by train, by car, or by plane.
Along the 700km of La Voie Bleue, there are very many possibilities as to where you can choose to join the cycle route.
By train
In regional TER trains, you can transport your bicycle for free, generally in spaces specifically reserved for bikes. Note that it is not possible to reserve these free spaces, and be aware that these spaces are limited in overall number per train.
For further information, consult the details available by region:
INTERCITES trains
On Intercités trains, you can reserve a space for your bicycle for €10 (at time of writing).
TGV INOUI high-speed train services
On certain TGV high-speed trains you can reserve a space for your bike for €10 (at time of writing).
EUROSTAR
Depending on your bicycle, if you can fold it up so that it measures less than 85cm, you can carry it onboard in its protective cover, otherwise you need to use the pre-registered luggage delivery services available. Check the website.
SENDING YOUR BICYCLE SEPARATELY
To allow you to travel lightly by train, the SNCF (French national railways) has a special service in place, the Service Bagages à Domicile.
With this service, you can pay for your bicycle, as well as your luggage, to be sent separately from you across France, from your place of departure to the place where you’re beginning your cycling adventure.
By car
If you’re travelling far, you can reach different parts of La Voie Bleue easily thanks to the dense network of motorways that pass near to the cycle route.
Main motorways (from north to south):
- A31 Autoroute de Lorraine-Bourgogne: Beaune - Luxembourg.
- A4 Autoroute de l'Est: Paris – Strasbourg
- A36 Autoroute "La Comtoise": Ladoix-Serrigny - Germany.
- A39 Autoroute Verte or La Bressane17: Dijon-Est - Bourg-en-Bresse.
- A6 Autoroute du Soleil Paris – Lyon
- A40 Autoroute des Titans, then Autoroute Blanche: Mâcon - Tunnel du Mont-Blanc
- A89 Autoroute "La Transeuropéenne": axis Bordeaux – Lyon
- A43 Autoroute de la Maurienne: Lyon - Tunnel du Fréjus
- A7 Autoroute du Soleil: Lyon – Marseille Accès & Interconnexions
By plane
Coming from abroad, you can reach La Voie Bleue from three main airports / areas, but with a transfer then necessary:
Interconnections with further cycle routes
La Voie Bleue is linked to many other cycle routes at various levels of the route. This enables you to decide on combinations of routes that suit you, either concerning where you join La Voie Bleue, or for linking up with other cycle routes. The main interconnections are as follows, going north to south:
EuroVelo 5, or the Via Romea Francigena
This cycle route, 3,250km in length, links London to Brindisi in Italy, crossing seven countries. In France, it passes via Strasbourg. EuroVelo 5 is connected to La Voie Bleue at the level of the latter’s starting point, close to the border with Luxembourg and Germany, at Sierck-les-Bains.
EuroVelo 6 / Eurovéloroute des fleuves
This cycle route links the Black Sea to the Atlantic. From Nevers in central France to the ocean, its last long portion is better known as La Loire à Vélo.
Crossing France, it is divided into two main parts: La Véloroute des Fleuves, going from Basle on the Swiss border to Nevers; and La Loire à Vélo, from Cuffy, near Nevers, to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins on the Loire Estuary. The portion between Basle and Nevers interconnects with La Voie Bleue – in fact, the two share sections of cycle route, between Saint-Jean-de-Losne (in the Burgundian county of Côte d’Or) and Chalon-sur-Saône (in the southern Burgundian county of Saône-et-Loire).
EuroVelo 17 / ViaRhôna
This cycle route follows the course of the Rhône River, from close to its source in the Swiss Alps to its Mediterranean estuary, the Camargue. The trail covers 1,115km and is known as ViaRhôna along its French part (going from the western end of Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean). It meets La Voie Bleue at Lyon, a major entrance point on to the route.