ViaRhôna by bike

The ViaRhôna cycle path through trees south of Seyssel

Photo: Florian Pépellin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Distance
about 815 km (506 miles)
Countries
France, Switzerland
Difficulty
Easy to moderate
Type of trip
Cycling route

ViaRhôna follows the Rhône from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean. The official start is Saint-Gingolph, on the lake shore at the Swiss border, and the route goes through Geneva, Lyon, Vienne, Valence and Avignon. At Beaucaire it splits, with one arm to Sète and the other to Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône at the mouth of the river. It's the French part of EuroVelo 17, which starts higher up the Rhône in Switzerland. The official site splits it into 25 stages and France Vélo Tourisme reckons on a week or more. You sleep in campsites, chambres d'hôtes and hotels, and France Vélo Tourisme lists 497 places with the Accueil Vélo label, which are set up for cyclists.

It isn't traffic-free all the way. France Vélo Tourisme says just over 60% is on cycle paths and greenways, and 163 km is still a temporary route. The first stage, from Saint-Gingolph to Thonon, uses a busy main road, so the official site suggests families start at Thonon or Geneva. As far as Seyssel there are some climbs. South of Lyon the temporary route to Givors has roads with heavy traffic and a rough track, and the official advice is to take the train. From Seyssel to the sea it's mostly flat.

Highlights along the way

  1. Lake Geneva: The first stages follow the south shore of the lake through the spa towns of Évian-les-Bains and Thonon-les-Bains, and past the medieval lakeside villages of Yvoire and Nernier, before you reach Geneva.
  2. Défilé de l'Écluse and Seyssel: Between Vulbens and Seyssel the route passes the Défilé de l'Écluse, where the river runs between the mountains. Seyssel has been a place for river boats since ancient times.
  3. Lyon: You ride in past the Grand parc de Miribel-Jonage and the Parc de la Tête d'Or to the Confluence, where the Rhône and the Saône meet. The old centre of Lyon is a World Heritage site.
  4. Vienne to Sablons: Out of Vienne, once a capital of Roman Gaul, the route is greenway nearly all the way to Sablons, past the Île du Beurre nature reserve and the terraced vineyards of Côte-Rôtie. France Vélo Tourisme calls Vienne to Valence the easiest and safest section for families with children.
  5. Camargue and the coast: The Sète arm follows old towpaths of the Canal du Rhône à Sète through the marshes of the Camargue gardoise to Aigues-Mortes, a walled town among salt pans. Then it passes the pyramids of La Grande Motte and runs along the lido between the sea and the lagoons into Sète. The other arm goes through Arles and down the Canal d'Arles à Bouc to the Plage Napoléon.

Distance

About 815 km (506 miles) in all, by the official count. At Beaucaire you choose between 125 km (78 miles) more to Sète, which has a TGV station, and 63 km (39 miles) to Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, which has no station, so you ride back to Arles. Saint-Gingolph station, on the Swiss side right at the start, has hourly regional trains via St-Maurice. Évian-les-Bains, 18 km (11 miles) away, is the nearest French station. EuroVelo 17 as a whole, with the Rhone Route in Switzerland, is about 1,100 km (684 miles).

Best time to go

France Vélo Tourisme says you can ride it all year except in the coldest winter months, and that the Rhône can flood after heavy rain. It also advises riding south from Lyon, because the mistral can blow hard down the valley from the north. Check the works page on viarhona.com before you set off. When it was read on 3 November 2026, the route was cut completely at the Saint-Pierre-de-Bœuf dam from 3 to 12 November and on 17 and 18 November 2026, with no diversion possible across the river. You also couldn't ride under the bridge at Condrieu and had to follow a detour through the village.

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