I'm planning a five-day tour with my (hybrid) e-bike with two other women in July. We've got our hotels sorted and have downloaded sites to see along the way. This particular journey won't be too stressed so we've got time to stop and smell the roses and drink the wine. We did a similar tour last year so we know our fitness and bikes.

Have you done this? Any particular tips you might like to share?

Haven't done it, but it is on the wish-list with the trike so I shall be following this thread and any trip report!

I'm especially interested in the surface and obstacles that might hinder me on a tadpole trike. I find lots online from bike packers and the like but no trike riders.

Good luck with it.

I did Geneva to Annecy via Albertville last year. Lots of bike paths or side roads. I think you could do it with the trike but the bike paths around Annecy in summer are CROWDED

pucture repair kit, pump, water, suncream

good to go

We made the mistake of going to Annecy by car on our way home in early May and the place was a madhouse. I haven't been there for maybe thirty years and though I loved it then I hated it now. We had planned to stop for lunch but just kept going. The weather was not great and still it was packed to overflowing with cars, bikes and pedestrians so I hate to think what it is like on a sunny day in summer. The joys of mass tourism.

Made this trip in 2018, train from Lyon to Seyssel then overnights in Chanaz, Morestel and Hi�res-sur-Amby. Detoured to Perouges the last day, then took the train from Meximieux into Lyon. We stayed in bike-friendly lodgings listed on the ViaRhona web site and all lived up to that label.

Our hotel hosts in Lyon not only stored our luggage while we were away, they provided bike parking for the next couple of nights so we could make an excursion to Cr�mieu AND they lent us their Cicerone guidebook. Highly recommend that book. And Hotel Vaubecour and Cycletic, if you have not already made other arrangements.

Not a lot of shops along the way, so plan your lunch picnic purchases carefully. Wednesday night was a poor choice for Morestel - turns out that was when the better restaurants had their night off.

The bridge at Lagnieu was one of the hairier spots, very narrow with lorries speeding past. Have the ViaRhona folks found a better work-around yet? That would be the biggest challenge for a trike, I’d think. There was a “barri�re canadienne” (cattle grid) somewhere south of Chanaz that in my opinion called for a dismount.

Lac Bourget very much worth a detour along the canal from Chanaz. Trust you have already planned a stop at Grotte de la Balme. Perouges of course was worth the detour. With e bikes you could probably ride all the way up its hill — with panniers and ageing knees, I got off to push.

Thanks for your feedback everyone! We are starting off in Culoz and will be overnighting in Belley, Villebois, Cremieu (2 nights so we can explore Perouges area) and 2 nights in Lyon. We'll be taking the train to Culoz from Switzerland.

Next year we will hopefully continue our trip on a yearly basis until we reach the end of the river.

I have just returned from our Via Rhona trip from Culoz to Lyon.

Preparation: the Viarhona map, booking.com, Bikemap app and Komoot app

bikes: E-bikes with rear panniers for our luggage

transportation to Culoz: by train from Geneva. Bikes have free passage

Itinerary:
Day 1: arrive in Culoz and bike on the ViaRhona to Belley. Stay in Belley (approx 22 km)
Gite: Chambres d 'h�tes "Au vieux Pr�ssoir"

Day 2: Belley to Villebois on ViaRhona (approx 75 km)
Gite: A deux pas du Rheby

Day 3: Villebois to Cr�mieu (partly ViaRhona) (approx 37 km)
Gite: Le Clos Ayanna

Day 4: Cr�mieu to P�rouges and back to Cr�mieu (approx 60 km)

Day 5: Cr�mieu to Lyon (approx 53 km)
Hotel: Aparthotel Adagio Lyon Patio Confluence
Day 6: Lyon
Day 7: Lyon to Geneva to Central Switzerland

Thoughts and experiences:

Day 1: Culoz has no bike friendly stairs at the train station. We had to lift our bikes up and down long stairs.
The ViaRhona path is flat and lovely
Belley has an interesting old town.
Our accommodation was an old cider press house outside the town in a rather remote but very quiet place. Lots of mosquitoes though and my legs were ideal food for them. Use bug spray on arrival!

Looking forward to hearing your experiences!

Day 2: 80 km on a lovely biking path. The first half was along the mighty Rhone on a mostly very wide path. I learned to turn off my power assist and just let my bike glide. At Groslee, you leave the Rhone and go along some low -raffic country roads and forest paths that eventually take you into Morestel. However, before Morestel, we stopped in Brangues, a small and very old village on top of a hill. We stepped into the Boulangerie (bakery) and marvelled at the kinds of bread they offered. The boulangerie was big enough for the three of us but that was it. We bought some pastries and set off to Morestel.

Taken from Brangues: der Liebesmord im Gotteshaus - Mein Frankreich

Brangues: the love murder in the house of God
A small village high above the Rh�ne inspired Stendhal to write his famous novel about a love murder in God's house. A century later, Paul Claudel, the poet brother of sculptor Camille Claudel, found peace of mind in Brangues - and opened his castle to the world. The Rencontres de Brangues keep his legacy alive. The small village with a big impact: discover it!
Brangues. Old courtyards with locked gates, a caf� terrace, a small esplanade with sweeping views over the Dauphine. And a church. It inspired Marie-Henri Beyle, known as Stendhal (1783-1842), to write his famous masterpiece.
Without the �glise Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens de Brangues, there would be no Le rouge et le noir* (Red and Black*). Stendhal, then in exile in Paris, learned from the newspaper Les d�bats politiques et litt�raires on December 22, 1827 about a crime of passion that had taken place during the 1827 fair in this farming village in the Is�re department.

By the time we got to Morestel, another ancient village on a hill, we were tired and thirsty. We found an outdoor cafe, ordered our coffees and ate our bread. But we weren't finished yet! It would be another two hours of biking through lovely forest paths that lead back to the Rhone before we finally arrived in lovely Villebois. The owner was waiting for us, showed us our lovely and spacious room and then we jumped into the very refreshing pool. The owner provides dinner upon request so that's what we did. We slept very peacefully that night with no flying bugs interrupting our sleep.

Day 3: Today we continued our ViaRhona ride until we got to Hieres sur Ambry, where we took another road to the delightful but ancient Cremieu town. We wanted to explore the town and stay in a medieval abbey that offered an elegant backyard and swimming pool. Our expectations were met and Le Clos Ayanna was everything we had hoped. Close to the town, it was like being asked to an Engish tea party on royal grounds. Absolutely lovely.

The town has kept its medieval center without it feeling like a museum. That evening we went to a Boulangerie to get our bread (and salads), a fromagerie to get our cheese and a wine shop for our chilled white wine. Dinner was divine.

Cremieu: Cr�mieu - 25 quality high-definition images (france-voyage.com)

Day 4: Taking a break from the ViaRhona, we decided to explore Perouges; proclaimed as one of the most beautiful villages in France, is a living museum of a medieval town that dates back to the 15th century. It is often used as settings for films and in fact, we watched a documentary on Henry IV (French King) being filmed there. It's definitely worth visiting if you are in the area.

We used bikemap to guide on mostly bike paths to Perouges and back. It was one of our favourite days because we travelled with little weight and just enjoyed going off the beaten path through miniscule villages, fields and forests. It also took us a full day to ride there and back to Cremieu.

Perouges: P�rouges - Tourism & Holiday Guide (france-voyage.com)

Day 5: Off to Lyon! We returned to ViaRhona and rode about 55 km into Lyon. It was a day of riding through villages and large parks and finding shelter from two heavy showers. We arrived in Lyon wet but full of anticipation of what it has to offer. Lyon doesn't disappoint. That evening we had dinner outside at the Celestine Square where we were pleasantly surprised with a free opera performance.

Day 6: The next day we took the hop on/hop off bus to explore Lyon and then explored the old town of Lyon and the church above. Lyon is full of surprises which include its Traboules (hidden passage ways), its murals and its silk industry. Much of its center is in a pedestrian zone so walking through it is enjoyable and relaxing.

Day 7: We returned back to Geneva by train. We had space for our bikes on the train and everything went according to plan.

Explore Lyon Old Town: history and sightseeing - French Moments

Hetismij2: Considering the width of our bike with our panniers, I believe you could do the ViaRhona with your trike quite easily.

Thanks Kleebatt, it sounds like you had a great trip. Your day trip to Perouges sounds especially delightful.

I shall look into it all a bit more over the coming months.
No doubt you will be planning then stage of the Via Rhona too!