A day by bike among the Burgundy vines, from Beaune to Meursault along the Voie des Vignes, by train from Paris.

The Voie des Vignes is a tarmac cycle path that leaves Beaune southwards between vines with famous names. You need no car or fitness: by train from Paris you arrive mid-morning, hire a bike in the city and half an hour later you are pedalling between Pommard and Volnay. This plan goes as far as Meursault and back, about 18 km almost flat, eats in Beaune and ends at the vineyard museum.

The day, hour by hour

7:00 · Train to Beaune. TGV to Dijon and TER to Beaune. Keep the regional ticket: it gives a reduced rate at the Cité des Climats.

9:45 · Bike along the Voie des Vignes. At Bourgogne Randonnées, avenue du 8 Septembre: a touring bike for €19 a day or an e-bike for €39, with helmet and lock. Head south along the path: Pommard, Volnay and Meursault, the village of the great whites. Return by the same way. If you feel like it, continue to Santenay and return on the TER with the bike, which travels free; then eat there and skip this plan's lunch.

13:00 · Lunch at the Caveau des Arches. A 15th-century cellar beside the wall. The €36 Burgundy menu includes eggs en meurette or snails, bœuf bourguignon, cheese and dessert. Open Tuesday to Saturday: book.

15:00 · Cité des Climats et Vins. By bike, at the south entrance to the town. An hour and a half to understand what the climats you rode through in the morning are, with a glass at the end.

17:45 · Return. Return the bike before six and take the train to Dijon and Paris.

Is it for me?

If you like cycling and want to see the Burgundy vineyard for real, among the plots and not from the car, yes. With children who already ride on their own it works well: the path is separate from traffic. If it rains, swap the bike for the Hôtel-Dieu.