In the vineyards
53,21 Km
3 h 29 min
I begin / Family
53,21 km cycling route from Bordeaux to Hostens
Bordeaux makes for such a fine city break, parting may be hard, but continuing along the Scandibérique, the cycle route via the Bègles tramline and through the little valleys of the Eau Bourde and the Eau Blanche makes it easy to ride south out of town. The splendid Cayac Priory at Gradignan, once a refuge for pilgrims, is worth a proper visit. Then head for Hostens via the famed vineyards of the Pessac-Léognan area. As you reach La Brède, it would be only fitting to uncork a bottle of finest Graves white in homage to Montesquieu, a major 18th-century political philosopher from here, and to visit his family château. After Graves’s vineyards come a mix of hardwood and pine woods. The greenway from La Brède leads peacefully down to Hostens.
Elevation of the stage
Waytypes of the stage
Cycle path: 41,43 km By road: 11,78 km
Surface of the stage
Smooth: 19,16 km Unknown: 34,05 km
The route
Alternating between cycle paths, minor roads and greenways, with no particular difficulties.
Signposted EV3.
Surfacing smooth: asphalt.
Link
At Hostens, there’s a cycle link towards Mios, the Bassin d’Arcachon and La Vélodyssée, a major coastal cycle route.
Trains
- St-Médard d’Eyrans train station (4.5km north of La Brède): regional TER line Bordeaux < > Langon
- Cars Transgironde bus services: from Bordeaux, lines 502 and 503 for La Brède and 504 for Hostens (bikes can be put in the hold)
Don’t miss
- Bordeaux: the many museums; the Cité du Vin, a visitor centre dedicated to wine; the Bassins à Flots port area, undergoing major redevelopment; the J. Chaban-Delmas vertical lift bridge; Place de la Bourse and Place des Quinconces, among the city’s finest historic squares; the Miroir d’Eau, a massive contemporary reflective pool built by the Garonne quays to reflect the historic city beyond…
- Bègles: the Art Deco swimming pool; the Musée de la Création Franche, featuring Art Brut
- Gradignan: the church; Cayac Priory; the Musée Georges de Sonneville, set in the priory and devoted to a 1920s artist; the Ecomusée de la Vigne et du Vin, a wine museum; the Château de Laurenzanne (18th century)
- Léognan: the church of St-Martin (11th century); Lac Bleu forest park
- La Brède: the Château de Montesquieu
- Hostens: the Gothic chapel of Ste-Catherine (15th-16th centuries); the church of St-Pierre (19th century); the Maison Pirinski (a copy of a Bulgarian château); the sheep park; Hostens Domaine de Loisirs, an outdoor leisure centre based around five lakes, with swimming and watersports, plus parts reserved for exceptional flora and fauna
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