Limoges / Aixe-sur-Vienne

The Vélidéale cycle route continues to guide you through the old Limousin Region, going from Limoges to Aixe-sur-Vienne, once again along the well-laid-out banks of the Vienne River. For cyclists working up an appetite along the way, the Limousin restaurants on this stage make for excellent places to stop and savour high-quality local produce. Before leaving the old capital of the Limousin, Limoges, do feast first on its historic quarters, such as those around Place des Halles or the Quartier de la Boucherie and the Musée National de la Porcelaine Adrien Dubouché… but further cultural morsels will also attract your attention along this stage. Along a stretch of greenway, make the most of Vaseix Forest (a county forest with 105 hectares and criss-crossed by trails), a perfect spot for a shaded picnic before reaching Aixe-sur-Vienne.

The route

Having entered historic Limoges via the Pont St Martial, a medieval bridge across the Vienne, head for the Mairie (town hall), followed by Place d’Aine, a square beyond which you’ll find the city’s famed porcelain museum, the Musée National de la Porcelaine A. Dubouché. Next, pass in front of the Manufacture de Porcelaine Bernardaud, and continue riding along, following signposting for Verneuil-sur-Vienne. Crossing the city of Limoges, clearly a busy place, make the most of the many cycle lanes in place. At the round-about at Landouge, keep on following directions for Aixe-sur-Vienne, going along the D20 road. You cycle past Vaseix Forest. At a crossroads, keep the direction of Aixe-sur-Vienne to your right.

Practical information

• Office du Tourisme de Limoges
  12 Bd de Fleurus, 87000 Limoges - 05 55 34 46 87
  https://www.destination-limoges.com/ 
• Office de tourisme du Val de Vienne
  46 Avenue du Président Wilson 87700  Aixe-sur-Vienne - 05 55 70 19 71
  https://www.visitlimousin.com/val-de-vienne/

SNCF

The Gare des Bénédictins de Limoges is a splendid 1920s station that it’s worth stopping to see, even if you don’t need to use it, but its trains serve the following towns and cities, among others: Vierzon; Périgueux; Brive-la-Gaillarde; Toulouse Matabiau; Bordeaux-Saint-Jean; Poitiers; and Paris Austerlitz.

Don't miss

• Limoges: the Quartier de la Boucherie, full of timberframe houses, shops and restaurants and the enchanting St Aurélien Chapel; the Halles Centrales (the central covered market, in fine 19th-century architecture) and Halles Carnot (smaller, but still with stalls selling local specialities); the Petit Train touristique, taking the strain off your legs; the Aquarium du Limousin; the Musée National de la Porcelaine Adrien Dubouché, focusing on the famed Limousin production of porcelain down the centuries; the Manufacture Bernardaud, a porcelain producer you can visit.
• Verneuil-sur-Vienne: Vaseix Forest. 
• Aixe-sur-Vienne: Chapelle Notre-Dame-d'Arlliquet and its gardens; the Château de Losmonerie, its gardens and its raspberry bush collection.