Auxerre to Paris

Day 1: Auxerre, 9 mi. (14 km)
Day 2: Auxerre
Day 3: Auxerre - Joigny, 20 mi. (32 km)
Day 4: Joigny - Villeneuve, 15 mi. (24 km)
Day 5: Villeneuve - Sens, 13 mi. (21 km)
Day 6: Sens - Saint Mammès, 12 or 26 mi. (20 or 42 km)
Day 7: Saint Mammès - Nemour - Saint Mammes 28 mi. (45km)
Day 8: Saint Mammès - Melun, 21 mi. (34 km)
Day 9: Melun - Ablon - Paris, 12 or 25 mi. (20 or 40 km)
Day 10: Paris
Day 11: Paris

Day 1: Auxerre, 9 mi. (14 km)
Embarkation begins at 2 pm. Upon your arrival, the crew will welcome you on board the Elodie with coffee or tea. Once acquainted with the crew, you will be given a tour presentation.  You can bike a short tour along the cycle paths of Auxerre, providing you a chance to get comfortable with your bike and make the necessary adjustments.

Day 2: Auxerre.  
You will explore the area of Auxerre and cycle along the Yonne River to visit a winery where you can taste the centuries of wine craft wine in cellars from the 12th and 17th century. The area of Auxerre has a lot to offer. If you feel like relaxing and just want to stroll around Auxerre, you can enjoy this beautiful city with the Abbey St Germain, the Cathedral St Etienne, and the clock tower.

Day 3: Auxerre - Joigny, 20 mi. (32 km)
Today is a ride along the quiet riverbanks and small lakes. Along the banks you can see the "salmon stairs", a special passage for the salmon to pass the locks. The final destination for the day is Joigny, a picturesque town, overlooking the Yonne River. There are several historical monuments, ancient churches, and also unique townhouses from the 16th-17th centuries, with carved renaissance facades. There are also medieval ramparts still standing. In the evening, the music cafe L'Escargot de Sab is a good place to relax and enjoy.

Day 4: Joigny - Villeneuve, 15 mi. (24 km)
The first part of today’s ride is to Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, a great place for lunch. The ride is hilly, but ever so rewarding with forest paths, nice little villages, and beautiful scenery. The second part to Sens is less challenging. The Elodie will moor in the center, on a little island. The gothic Cathedral Saint-Etienne, the first of the great Gothic cathedrals in France and inspiration for many others, dominates the town with the main points of interest radiating out from here. Traditionally, this was a fishing community and an important religious center.

Day 5: Villeneuve - Sens, 13 mi. (21 km)
From Villeneuve, you follow the riverbanks interspersed with many locks all the way to Sens.  Leaving the riverbanks at Pont-sur-Yonne, the farmland terrain that follows is hillier and dotted with lots of small villages. Montereau lies at a crossing where the Elodie will leave the river Yonne and start following the river Seine all the way to Paris.

Day 6:  Sens - Saint Mammès, 12 or 26 mi. (20 or 42 km)
Today's destination is Saint Mammès, with a stop in Moret Sur Loing. If you opt to remain on board this day, you will have the opportunity to cycle within the town of Moret sur Loing, a medieval town well worth visiting. If you opt for a full day of cycling, you will enjoy a rural landscape, passing through lovely French villages. A short visit to a goat farm is on the agenda. 

Day 7: Saint Mammès - Nemour - Saint Mammes 28 mi. (45km)
Today can be a day of rest or you can choose to join the bike ride along the Loing to visit the beautiful medieval fortified town of St Moret-sur-Loing. The Impressionist painter Albert Sisley lived and worked here and you can find many of the subjects he loved to paint. At about the half-way point, you will find the medieval town of Nemours with its 12th-century castle and art museum. After Nemour, the route follows the nice paths along the river Loing to St Mammes and the Elodie.

Day 8: Saint Mammès - Melun, 21 mi. (34 km)
From St Mammes, you continue to the UNESCO world heritage site of Château de Fontainebleau. Depending on the time of arrival,  it may be possible to visit a "brocante". These typical French flea markets have a nice, quaint atmosphere and often have a wide variety of the most interesting things, pleasing to either see or purchase. Through the forests of the Château de Fontainebleau you will ride to the artist village of Barbizon. This was the home town of many famous painters like Millet and Rousseau. At the end of the day, you will find the Elodie in Melun.

Day 9: Melun - Ablon - Paris, 12 or 25 mi. (20 or 40 km)
The day begins with a cycling excursion to Vaux le Vicomte Castle, along the river Seine, on relatively easy and flat terrain. Today's destination is the Ablon sur Seine, where the Elodie awaits for a beautiful cruise on the Seine into the heart of Paris! 

Day 10: Paris
A day to visit and enjoy the lovely and charming city of Paris. Of course, one day will not be enough to see everything but your guide can help you decide what you would like to visit, given the many options. Dinner will not be served on board the Elodie so you can feel free to pick any restaurant you like as you are strolling the streets of Paris.

Day 11: Paris
Individual departure from Paris.

Paris to Auxerre:

Day 1: Paris, 8 mi. (13 km)
Day 2: Paris - Melun, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 3: Melun - St. Mammes, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 4: St. Mammes - Fountainebleu - St. Mammes, 16 mi. (25 km)
Day 5: St. Mammes - Montereau - Fault - Yonne,  27 mi. (45 km)
Day 6: Montereaux - Sens, 26 mi. (43 km)
Day 7: Sens - Villeneuve, 16 mi. (25 km)
Day 8: Villeneuve - Joigny, 15 mi. (26 km)
Day 9: Joigny to Auxerre, 27 mi. (45 km)
Day 10: Auxerre – Saint-Bris-le-Vineux– Auxerre, 16 mi. (25 km)
Day 11: Auxerre

Day 1: Paris, 8 mi. 
Welcome aboard the Elodie in Paris where you will be greeted with a nice cup of coffee or tea. You will be introduced to the crew, given an explanation of the rules on board and information of the program. Then you will be lead a short tour along the enchanting cycle paths of Paris. This gives you a chance to get comfortable with your bike and make any necessary adjustments, with the help of your guide.

Day 2: Paris - Melun,  25 mi. (40 km)
Early in the morning, the Elodie will sail out of Paris. After having breakfast underway, you arrive at Ablon-sur-Seine. Here your cycling tour begins along the riverbanks of the Seine. These banks offer relatively easy and flat terrain for your first day. The final destination will be the city of Melun.

Day 3: Melun - St. Mammes, 25 mi. (40 km)
Through the forests of Fontainebleau, where pretty little red squirrels can be spotted, you ride to the artists’ village of Barbizon. This was the hometown of many famous painters like Jean-François Millet and Henri Rousseau. After a visit of the village, you continue your ride through the forest, passing the city of Fontainebleau, until you reach the beautiful medieval fortified town of Moret-sur-Loing, a delightful place to have a stroll and relax after a busy day. From Moret-sur-Loing it’s a very short ride to the Elodie in St-Mammès.

Day 4: St. Mammes - Fontainebleu - St. Mammes,16 mi. (25 km)
Today, you bike to the UNESCO world heritage site of Château de Fontainebleau. With over 1500 rooms at the heart of 130 acres of parkland and gardens, it is the only royal and imperial château to have been continuously inhabited for seven centuries. A visit to Fontainebleau opens up an unparalleled view into French history, art, history, and architecture. You can also choose to stay on the Elodie and make your own plans on how to enjoy the day, relaxing and/or explore the town of St.-Mammès or Moret-sur-Loing.

Day 5: St. Mammes - Montereau - Fault - Yonne,  27 mi. (45 km)
In the morning you follow the delightful riverside paths of the Loing. After a visit to a pottery shop with a very enjoyable garden in Genevraye, you continue through rolling hills in the countryside to the lively town of Montereau-Fault-Yonne and your home away from home, the Elodie. Montereau lies at a river junction where the Yonne meets the Seine. The following day the Elodie will leave the river Seine, and follow the Yonne all the way to Auxerre.

Day 6: Montereaux - Sens, 26 mi. (45 km)
Enjoy a full day of cycling through a rural landscape dotted with villages. Your destination is Sens, a town with a rich history and with plenty to see, like Saint Stephen’s Cathedral and a local indoor market place. The Tan Mill Park offers a great variety of plants and flowers for garden lovers.

Day 7: Sens - Villeneuve, 16 mi. (25 km)
This is a relatively short ride. Although you start out in flat country, you do progress into hills. Your day ends in Villeneuve, a very lovely French town on the Yonne, which remains undiscovered by many tourists. You will find medieval gate towers and a romantic string of gardens around this pleasing place. In the afternoon will visit a traditional honey bakery in town.

Day 8: Villeneuve - Joigny, 15 mi. (26 km)
Today’s ride is hilly, but ever so rewarding with forest paths, nice little villages, and beautiful scenery. Our day ends in Joigny. This unique little town along the Yonne boasts a very long and successful wine history. Discover the many old houses and hidden squares when you walk through the picturesque labyrinth of streets and alleys up to the old core of the town; the walled church and castle, looking out over the vineyards and the glittering Yonne.

Day 9: Joigny to Auxerre, 27 mi. (45 km)
This morning, you have one hill to climb out of Joigny before we can start following the river Yonne. There will be quiet and joyful meandering by riverbanks and small lakes. Along the banks, you can see the "salmon stairs”, a special passage which has been installed for spawning salmon to pass the locks.

Day 10: Auxerre – Saint-Bris-le-Vineux– Auxerre, 16 mi. (25 km)
In the morning you can stroll around Auxerre and enjoy the activity of the market and shopping area or immerse yourself in the tranquility of the majestic cathedral. After lunch, you will cycle along the Yonne to visit a quality winery where you can taste fine-crafted wines in cellars from the 12th and 17th centuries. Superior taste that comes from ages of experience. The area of Auxerre has a lot to offer. If you prefer to explore Auxerre a little longer than going to the winery, please do and enjoy this beautiful city. This day, dinner will not be served on board the Elodie so you can feel free to pick any restaurant you like as you are strolling the streets of Auxerre.

Day 11: Auxerre

Itinerary subject to change without notice.  

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  The Elodie was built in 1931 and has been completely refurbished into a comfortable boat for biking and boating. Everyone who has been on board says the same thing. There is just something special about this boat. Perhaps because it simply feels like home. It is nothing flashy but oh so comfortable. The common area of the Elodie is beautifully finished with various types of wood, has a number of small tables, a large reading table, and a comfortable sofa where everyone gathers before breakfast… Read More