36,06 km cycling route from Lyon to Saint-Romain-en-Gal
Elevation of the stage
Waytypes of the stage
Surface of the stage
The route
A provisional route, not signposted along the D 15 road, on the Rhône’s west bank via Pierre-Bénite > Vernaison > Grigny. Take great care, it’s very busy. There are stretches of marked-out cycle tracks. The way from Vernaison to Givors is steep. At Givors, rejoin the quayside, then take the footbridge over the Gier. Next, 300m after the suspension bridge, take the Chemin des Abricotiers parallel to the D 388 road. At Loire-sur-Rhône join the greenway signposted ViaRhôna. Consider the train for this stage.
SNCF :
Lyon Perrache railway station :
many trains to the Part Dieu railway station – high speed trains (TGV) departures for Paris, Nantes, Strasbourg, Lille
Part Dieu railway station:
local services and high speed trains departures for many destinations :
- TGV (high speed trains) : connections with : Paris, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, Toulouse, Nantes, Lille, Bruxelles, Strasbourg, Rennes, Rouen, Geneva (Lyria)
- TER (local services) : connection with : Grenoble, Clermont Ferrand, Bordeaux.
Givors railway station:
- TER (local services) line 10 (Le Puy) - Firminy - St-Etienne - Givors – Lyon
Vienne railway station :
the closest is in front of Saint-Romain-en-Gal on the other side of the river:
- Line 5 : Marseille > Avignon > Valence > Vienne > Lyon
- Line 75 : Annonay > Le Péage > Vienne > Lyon
Be careful, there is no line between Givors in Vienna, You have to pass through Lyon.
Tourist Information Centres :
- Vienne and Pays Viennois Tourist Office Ph. 04 74 53 80 30
- Pays Viennois office (in Saint-Romain-en-Gal museum) / Ph. 04 74 57 33 71
Don't miss :
Lyon: its UNESCO World Heritage Site districts, listed in 1998, are the Presqu’île (the peninsula between Rhône and Saône), plus the Croix-Rousse hill above, and, west of the Saône, Fourvière Hill and the historic Vieux Lyon quarter below. Lyon is a gastronomic capital. Paul Bocuse may be the city’s most famous chef, but restaurants abound, including bouchons, traditional workers’ cafés.
Irigny: visit the former chain ferry and the 13th-century castle.
Vienne: a Ville d’Art et d’Histoire, in recognition of its cultural riches. The town boasts one of the richest Roman legacies in France, with an ancient theatre, the Cybèle archaeological garden, the temple to Augustus and Livia, plus an enigmatic pyramid. Vienne is also known for its International Jazz Festival, held each July.
Saint-Romain-en-Gal: for its archaeological site and its Gallo-Roman museum.
L’île Barlet: located on a secondary branch of the Rhône at St-Romain-en-Gal, with outdoor café, or guinguette, cycle hire and a fitness trail.
Markets :
La Mulatière : Tuesday and Thursday morning
Pierre Bénite : Wednesday morning
Irigny : Wednesday and saturday morning
Grigny : Tuesday and Thursday morning
Givors : Wednesday, Friday and Sunday morning
Travellers’ reviews
The France Velo route between Vernaison and Givors isn't really suitable for touring bikes, steep gravel tracks, very isolated, badly signposted, trees down across the path, I felt unsafe as a solo cyclist. There is an alternative road route signposted from Vernaison that doesn't cross the river, follow this instead.