Day 1: Arrival in Bordeaux
Accommodation in charming guesthouse or 3 star hotel in the heart of Bordeaux. You will get your bike as well as your route notes that will indicate your circuit. Bordeaux, the former "Burdigala" Roman, inseparable from its vineyard ... radiates plenty of stones in her dress to provide fireworks. The Garonne River, heart of the city, welcomes walkers on the banks or boat trips. Everyone can take ownership of the docks, hoping to see the landing of a cruise ship.
Day 2: Bordeaux > Sauveterre, ~45-60 km
You will leave Bordeaux with the track that runs along the Garonne River and its beautiful landscaped quays, then you will follow the greenway trail, winding through the hillsides of the Entre-Deux-Mers through Creon and Sauveterre de Guyenne, which are magnificent fortified walled towns. Finally, by small roads surrounded by vineyards, you will drive to your accommodation.
Day 3: Sauveterre > Marmande, ~40-60 km
The greenway is royal: it alternately crosses vineyards and forests and crosses several small stations refurbished in houses. Despite some minor false flat, the track is easily and offers a breath of nature. In this step a little shorter you can enjoy the many stops that are available to cyclists throughout the course. In the late afternoon, you will be greeted by charming guest room or Hotel*** in Marmande or 10km before.
Day 4: Marmande > Villeneuve sur Lot, ~60 km
You leave Marmande, land of tomatoes and strawberry, still at the shade of the plane trees you will follow the Canal de Garonne until Tonneins, where you bifurcate to join Clairac, and its Benedictine abbey. Then you will go along the Canal du Lot for a bucolic ride brightened up by orchards and its villages leading you until Villeneuve-sur-Lot. Villeneuve-sur-Lot is a charming bastide in Lot-et-Garonne which was built on the two banks of the river Lot between 1251 and 1264, by a feudal treaty between Alphonse de Poitiers, representing the king of France and the powerful Benedictine Abbey of Eysses. Listed among the largest and powerful bastides of the south west, Villeneuvesur-Lot has a rich heritage to be discovered: the main square and its ‘coverts’, the towers of Pujols and Paris, half-timbered houses from XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries, the Cieutat bridge…
Day 5: Villeneuve sur Lot > Puy Lévêque, ~57 km
From Villeneuve-sur-Lot, your route borrows small roads through the orchards of plum trees in the wide bed of the Lot. You will cross the beautiful village of Pujols. Others remarkable perched villages on your way are Montsempron-Libos and Fumel. A few kilometers away from Fumel a stop is imperative to visit one of the most beautiful fortresses of France, the castle of Bonaguil. Down from its rocky spur, it dominated for 8 centuries the valley and the medieval village. You will reach then Puy-Lévêque, built on a rocky promontory and located on the borders of Quercy and Perigord, the medieval city is considered as a pearl of the Lot Valley and the vineyard.
Day 6: Puy Lévêque > Cahors, ~57 km
The velo route weaves between vineyards and orchards, making you discover green and preserved landscapes, you will cross little villages like Belaye, medieval village offering a stunning view on the valley, or Luzech in the heart of a meander forming a peninsula, one of the most spectacular sites in the Lot Valley with wonderful scenery. You will arrive in Cahors, city of art and history. From the Valentré Bridge to the Saint-Etienne cathedral, the first town of the Lot combines southern ambience and historical riches. Enclosed in a loop of the Lot Valley, Cahors is made for the pleasure of exploration. Born in the time of Rome, the city of Cahors became in the Middle Ages a commercial and financial place of European stature. This golden age is today an intact ancient center and deliciously alive that must be visited.
Day 7: Loop to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, ~60 km
Circuit loop to the jewel of the Lot Valley: Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, one of the most beautiful villages in France. The medieval village, which has no less than 13 historical monuments perched on a cliff, overlooks the Lot valley and offers a breathtaking view. You will travel back in time visiting the charming heart of the village and its remarkable heritage: narrow streets, fortified doors, donjon of the 13th century and old houses with stone facades and wood sides.
Day 8: Unfortunately departure or extra nights