Créon / Bordeaux

The vine-covered limestone plateau between the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers east of Bordeaux is known as l’Entre-deux-Mers, the area ‘between the two seas’! The Roger Lapébie Greenway takes you amidst vineyards, via the east bank of the Garonne, to the great wine city. Cross the Pont de Pierre, the town’s oldest bridge, for the historic quarters of St-Michel and St-Jean. Bordeaux is a great place to explore by bike before continuing on the Scandibérique. This beautifully modernized town merits a cultural break of several days. Once you’ve admired your reflection, together with that of this handsome city, in the mirrored pool beside the quays one last time, it’s time to head south for the landscapes of Gascony’s Landes, including the largest man-made forest in Western Europe.

The route

Via the Roger Lapébie Greenway, plus the cycle path beside the Garonne River. Take care crossing the RD671 road at Créon and the RD113 road at Latresne. Signposted EV3.

Surfacing smooth: asphalt.

Connection
The Roger Lapébie Greenway is also used by the Canal de 2 Mers à Vélo cycle route, which, arriving in Bordeaux, offers a choice at the Pont St-Jean (the bridge just south of the Pont de Pierre), either north up to the Médoc vineyards, or east through the Entre-Deux-Mers for the Dordogne.

Trains

• Bordeaux train station: high-speed TGV line for Paris, St-Pierre-des-Corps (beside Tours) and Poitiers
• Intercités train services for Limoges, Nantes, Toulouse, Marseille and Nice
• Regional TER line for Coutras, Libourne, Angoulême, Arcachon, Langon, Agen, Mont-de Marsan, Bayonne, Hendaye
• Cars Transgironde bus services: lines 303 and 304 Bordeaux < > Créon (bikes can be put in the hold)

Don’t miss

• Créon: the historic bastide centre, built on a grid-plan (14th century); the arcaded market square, Place de la Prévôté; Notre-Dame Church (14th century); the former train station, turned into a special cyclists’ halt, with cycling facilities! 
• Sadirac: church of St-Martin (12th century); Maison de la Poterie; Château Tustal 17th-century wine property
• Lignan de Bordeaux: Archaeological Museum
• Latresne: church of St-Aubin (16th-17th centuries); Manoir de la Salargue (17th century)
• Bordeaux: the many museums; the Cité du Vin, a visitor centre dedicated to wine; the Bassins à Flots port area, undergoing major redevelopment; the J. Chaban-Delmas contemporary vertical lift bridge; Place de la Bourse and Place des Quinconces, among the city’s finest historic squares; the Miroir d’Eau, a massive contemporary reflective pool built by the Garonne quays to reflect the historic city beyond…