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MTG2 07 Macon St Martin en Haut Givors
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)
Last edit: 03-09-2025
Route Summary
It's undeniable that France is one of the most beautiful and best touring countries. It offers an incredibly varied landscape with good roads and a pleasant
Climate. It's no wonder you see so many motorcyclists there. My previous series of routes in France was based on the route descriptions from the French Motorcycle Tour Guide Part 1, created by Bert Loorbach.

This route comes from the French Motorcycle Tour Guide Part 2 and the original name is "From Burgundy to the Rhône Valley; Route Description 3: Green Route near Lyon".

In the French Motorcycle Tour Guide, Part 2, a distinction is made between approach routes and tours within a specific area. The approach routes can also be used in conjunction with the routes from the French Motorcycle Tour Guide, Part 1.

The routes have sometimes been slightly modified based on tips Bert Loorbach provides in his description, or because of a different overnight stay, or to meet the minimum 2-hour time limit for the MRA Library. Each route review includes a more detailed description, including overnight options and points of interest along the way, which are also indicated with a point of interest and, if possible, a short description.

This route is actually an option to avoid busy Lyon and not really a tour, but I still rate it 3*** stars because you will still enjoy the beautiful winding roads and the green, hilly landscape.
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Verdict
Duration
3h 57m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
120.59 km
Countries
D34 going South
RouteXpert Review
On the way from Burgundy to the Rhône Valley, you inevitably end up in Lyon. Most people take the boring A46 bypass or drive straight through the gray city with its many tunnels. But there are other, better, and more scenic options, and this is the third of four alternative routes that take you around Lyon.

Three routes are located on the west side, and one runs between Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon, taking in the magnificent Velay plateau. This one is also very suitable if you're coming from western Burgundy. Then there's one that passes St. Étienne and the Col de Ia République, and one that stays relatively close to Lyon and ends in Givors, which I'll describe in this review.

On your way to the South of France on the Autoroute de Soleil (A6/N6), you may have had enough of the motorways near Mâcon, the busy traffic combined with the narrow streets in the towns and the gray colors.

The next "obstacle" is Lyon, another busy, gray city. Fortunately, there are roads around this very busy city that will bring a smile to your face, so here's an option to bypass it on beautiful roads through the green part of France. The original route as described in Motor Tour Guide 2 starts in Marcilly-d'Azergues. I've adjusted it, and it now starts in Mâcon at L'Aero Café, which you can arrange to meet other riders and enjoy a cup of coffee before your departure.

Driving on the Autoroute de Soleil, we take exit 29 (Moulins) near Mâcon and go straight through the roundabout to follow the D169 towards Juliénas. At Crêches-sur-Saône, we turn onto the D906 to continue south.
The D906 "Route Nationale" is a fairly straight road to Villefranche-sur-Saône, from where we take the D338. We follow this provincial road to Légny, where we turn left onto the D385. After about 1.5 km, we turn right just before Chessy to join the D19.

The D19 winds through the green countryside to L'Arbresle. We pass through this town briefly before following the D389 (D89) to Souzy, where we join the D489. This is another beautiful two-lane road with many bends.
At Duerne, we turn right and continue along the winding D34. This is the most enjoyable part of the "detour." This road climbs and descends through the surprisingly rural and hilly landscape below Lyon, also known as "Les Monts du Lyonnais." We continue to Saint-Martin-en-Haut, where we stop for lunch.

After lunch in Saint-Martin-en-Haut, we continue along the D34 and D30, starting to descend again and enjoying beautiful panoramas. Via Mornant, we descend all the way into the Rhône Valley to reach Gívors, the end point of this ride.

Gívors is situated between several Natural Parks and is therefore a good base or starting point for driving in this area or you can turn onto the A47 here to continue driving south.

N89 (D389) to Souzy
D489 through the rural French country side
Links
L'Aero Café
Motortourgids part 1 (25 routes)
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