Geneva sightseeing

This is the day of arrival. Some will be travelling further than others and those who arrive earliest can spend the day sightseeing in Geneva. Take a bot trip on Lake geneva, see the famous Jet d'Eau fountain and flower clock, stroll through the botanical gardens, visit the Palace of Nations or the UN or for the more technically minded CERN.

You will simply not run out of things to do in and around Geneva in a week let alone a day so plan your route well to see as much as possible in the available time. Anything you missed you can probably catch when we return hear at the end of the tour.

Our hotel is rated 4 star and is just on the outskirts of the city making it ideal for parking whilst being within easy reach of all Geneva has to offer.

Geneva to Le Puy (210 miles)

We depart Geneva and make our way through alpine roads to reach our first stop at Aix-les-Bains a French Spa Town located at the edge of the Lac du Bourget the largest natural lake of glacial origin in France. We stop for morning coffee beside largest fresh water marina in France.

We continue our journey to the small town of Saint-Jean-de-Bournay where we break for lunch. The surrounding countryside as we enter and leave the town is very picturesque as is the ongoing route.

For afternoon tea we stop in the city of Saint-Étienne. Although an ancient ecclesiastical city it is also famous coal mining region and for bicycle production.

We stop for the night at the medieval town of Le Puy-en-Velay. The towns 12th century cathedral is a Unesco World Heritage Site a starting place for pilgrims who make their way to Santiago de Compostela

Le Puy-en-Velay to Sarlat-la-Canéda (185 miles)

We depart Le Puy-en-Velay and make our way to Saint-Flour where remains of Roman Vilas and Bronze age settlements exist. The town sits on a volcanic plug and is surrounded by a medieval town wall. It makes a most interesting stop for our morning coffee.

Leaving Saint-Flour we pass through the Rhone Alps mountains around 1700-1800 meters high on each side of the road. This brings some interesting twists and turns and a few hairpin bends but the road is two lanes wide and so not overly challenging. We rest for lunch at Aurillac at the foot of the Cantal mountains. The town is about 30k population and offers a good range of places to eat catering for most pallets.

Our afternoon ride takes us over some nice twisty roads and in to charming village of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne with buildings dating back to the 9th century, The riverside makes an ideal stop for afternoon tea before ending the day in Sarlat-la-Canéda a town with the world’s highest number of historic monuments.

Sarlat, Cahors, Rocamadour, Uzerche (190 miles)

There is so much to see in this town and surrounding region that we stay for a few nights and take a day trip to visit some of the other delightful towns in the area. Our first stop takes us to Cahors which rests on an Ox Box of the River Lot. The town has a rich history and was once a Roman City. It has also exported a black wine, AOC, since the middle ages.

We continue our circuit to Rocamadour where the buildings are literally built into the cliff. It makes a most interesting lunch time stop.

After lunch we make our way to Uzerche, once described as the pearl of the Limousin. Perched on top of a rocky outcrop the town has long been fortified and many historical buildings remain well preserved in the town.

The final leg of the route takes us back to our hotel in Sarlat.

Sarlet to Chinon (215 miles)

We depart Sarlet to begin our return journey. The first stop takes us to Brantome (left) where there is an 8th century Benedictine Monastery that has the oldest bell tower in France. The Dronne riverside makes an attractive spot to stop.

We continue our route north to Confolens on the Charente and Limousin border. The medieval wall that once fortified this town is still evident and the town makes a charming spot to stop for lunch.

The next stop on our trail is Poitiers where we shall stop in a coffee on the central square overlooked by the Hotel de Ville.

The final leg of this trip brings us to Chinon a town nestling on the banks of the Vienne river close to its joining the Loire. During the Hundred Years’ War the future Charles VII of France stayed here and this was where Joan of Arc visited the King to request permission to raise an army. The defensive nature of the Chateau at Chinon becomes evident as we approach, you will see that it dominates the landscape and will be seen from a distance and those on the front of the 3 star hotel that dates back to the 16th century can look out their window and up to the Chateau.

Chinon to Orleans (120 miles)

There are so many wonderful Chateaux in the Loire Valley and we expect you will want to visit at least one such as Chambord (right). It can take time to thoroughly explore and so we cut down the riding taking a short route up the Loire and ending the day in Orleans. We will decide the night before which Chateau appeals most to the group and may split into smaller groups if opinion is divided.

Our 4 star hotel is in the Art Deco style and centrally located in Orleans and so Maison de Jeanne D’Arc, the museums and cathedral are just a short stroll away.

Orleans to Digoin (180 miles)

We depart Orleans following the course or the Loire river. We make several river crossings as we make our way towards Digoin an d you will see many Chateaux along this route. Our first stop is at the town of Gien which has a rather impressive Chateau built in the 15th century for Anne de Beaujeu a daughter of Louis XI's. Among the items of interest is a museum dedicated to hunting.

After our break we continue following the Loire break arriving at La Charité-sur-Loire a small town of medieval origin with a grand cathedral. The town regularly hosts music festivals so we might catch some entertainment during our lunch time stop

Our third stop of the day is at Nevers. There has been a town here since Roman times. The present day town has narrow winding streets, some ecclesiastical buildings and a palace (presently used as a Court).

After the break we depart the continue along the banks of the Loire to reach our final destination of the day at Digoin. A popular village with travellers because it is the spot where the Central Canal meets the Loire.

Digoin to Geneva (170 miles)

We complete our journey to Geneva via Chalon-sur-Saône, Lons-le-Saunier and Morez. Our first stop of the day is at Chalon-sur-Saône which was once a busy port for local wines that were transported via the river and the Canal du Centre. The town also claims to be where photography was invented and there are many early photographs in the museum.

Our lunch time stop is at Lons-le-Saunier at the foor of the Jura’s Although the town has Roman origins a fire destroyed most of the ancient buildings and most of what remains today has been built in the last few hundred years. The Town Square has a nice fountain and statues.

After lunch we continue into the Jura’s and onwards to Morez where you will see some very interesting railway viaducts crossing the river and along the mountainside. The small town of Morez is famed for clocks and spectacle production.

The final leg of this journey continues the route over the Jura’s and into Geneva where we end the trip back where we started.

The accommodation is once again the 4 star hotel on the outskirts of the city where those on the tour with hired bikes will return them.