Cycling Entre-deux-Mers: The Roger Lapébie Trail and Estates

Cycling Entre-deux-Mers usually means the Roger Lapébie trail, a cycle path built on a former railway line with a low gradient. It runs between Latresne and the bastide of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, through vines, forests and small valleys.

The Entre-deux-Mers wine area covers over 7,000 hectares between the Garonne to the south and the Dordogne to the north. It makes dry and sweet whites from Sauvignon and Sémillon, reds from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, rosés, Clairets and Crémants.

This page covers the route and its stops, bike rental at the Station Vélo de Créon, the estates and the abbey of La Sauve-Majeure near the trail, and what visits cost.

Getting there

The fastest way from Paris is the direct high-speed train from Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux Saint-Jean, in 2 hours 4 minutes. For train times and fares, see Paris to Bordeaux by Train.

In Bordeaux, the Gironde Tourisme bike route starts on the quays in front of the Place de la Bourse and crosses the Pont de Pierre. The trail proper begins at Latresne, at km 10.5.

From downtown Bordeaux, the ride to the châteaux of Latresne, Cénac and Lignan-de-Bordeaux takes about one hour one way, with a moderate climb.

Modalis regional buses link Bordeaux with the bastides of Créon and Sauveterre-de-Guyenne.

Line 470 runs the other way, from Créon to Bordeaux.

Bikes on trains and trams

TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine trains carry bikes at no extra charge in the bike spaces. Charging bike batteries on board is forbidden, and folded bikes under 1 m travel as luggage.

From May 1 to September 27, 2026, a €3 ($3) Billet Vélo was mandatory on 11 TER lines. They include line 33 (Bordeaux, Bergerac, Sarlat), which serves Saint-Émilion, and lines 41 and 41+ (Libourne, Bordeaux, Arcachon).

In Bordeaux, unfolded bikes are allowed on trams outside peak times but not on buses. For other car-free routes to the vineyards, see Bordeaux Vineyards Without a Car.

The route

The Entre-deux-Mers tourist office puts the trail at nearly 57 km between Latresne and Sauveterre-de-Guyenne. Gironde Tourisme's full route from the Place de la Bourse to Sauveterre is 57.5 km, about 4 hours by bike, rated easy, and suitable for e-bikes and regular bikes. In its count, the section from Latresne is 47 km.

The greenway was created in the 2000s on the old railway line. It is free and open all year, and Gironde Tourisme publishes a GPX track and a PDF of the route.

The trail is named after Roger Lapébie, a Gironde cyclist who won the 1937 Tour de France.

Stops along the way

Several former stations on the line now serve riders:

• Latresne (km 10.5): a café-restaurant in the station, with route information.
• Cénac: the station is a stopover and group lodging.
• Lignan-de-Bordeaux (km 17.5): the Bistrot de la Pimpine, in the old station.
• Sadirac (km 20): the Maison du patrimoine naturel du Créonnais.
• Espiet (km 33): a community café.

Créon is a medieval bastide founded in 1316, with a central arcaded square. Its market is held on the Place de la Prévôté on Wednesdays, with producers, market gardeners and artisans.

At La Sauve (km 29.5), a detour leads to the abbey of La Sauve-Majeure, founded in 1079. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela. Benedictine monks cleared the Silva Major forest here to plant vines.

At Frontenac (km 45), the Sallebruneau commandery has a medieval-style garden. Guided tours run on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, all year.

The route ends at Sauveterre-de-Guyenne (km 57.5), a bastide founded in 1281 that has kept its medieval gates.

The trail has picnic areas, a bike repair and maintenance workshop, benches, a charging point, drinking water, toilets and a bike pump station.

From Saint-Émilion

The Saint-Émilion tourist office publishes a 49 km route from Saint-Émilion to Bordeaux by the Roger Lapébie trail. It takes about 4 hours, is rated average, and runs through Branne, Guillac, Faleyras and Latresne to the Pont de Pierre, with a 4 km climb between Branne and Guillac. For the train between the two, see Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion.

Loops off the trail

The Entre-deux-Mers tourist office publishes 17 cycling loops and a cycling and wine route map. They include the Boucle vélo n°18 La Sauve Majeure, n°15 Lignan de Bordeaux, n°14 Cénac circuit court, and the Boucle des explorators and Boucle aux trésors from Créon.

Bike rental

The Station Vélo de Créon sits on the Roger Lapébie trail. Classic bikes and tandems cost from €10 ($11), electric bikes from €20 ($22), adapted bikes from €25 ($27) and children's bikes from €6 ($6). It also rents child trailers, and you book online.

It opens every day from June to September, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. In April and May, it opens on weekends, public holidays and school holidays with the same hours. In October and November, it opens on weekends and school holidays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

In Bordeaux, Le Vélo self-service bikes cost €1 ($1) to unhook a classic bike or €2 ($2) for an electric one, with the first 30 minutes free. Véloce rents bikes at 33 rue Notre-Dame in Bordeaux and in Saint-Émilion, with a one-way option between branches.

When to go

The trail is open all year. The Station Vélo de Créon rents bikes from April to November and opens daily only from June to September.

The Maison des Vins de l'Entre-deux-Mers opens Monday to Saturday from June 1 to September 30, and Monday to Friday from October 1 to May 31.

The abbey of La Sauve-Majeure opens daily from May 25 to September 27, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. From September 28, 2026 to the end of May 2027, it opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It closes on January 1, Easter Monday, May 1, December 25 and on November 17, 2026.

L'Entre-deux-Mers Fête ses Vins takes place in the abbey gardens at La Sauve on a Saturday in June. It was first held in 2022.

The tourist information point at La Sauve opens only in July and August, Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Créon and Sauveterre-de-Guyenne points open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Visiting the estates

Château Thieuley takes visitors by appointment, and Château Bauduc hosts tastings by booking.

Maison des Vins de l'Entre-deux-Mers, at 16 rue de l'Abbaye in La Sauve, is on the trail beside the abbey, in a 14th-century tithe barn. It brings together the wines of 35 estates and 3 cellars, nearly 80 reds and whites, and offers tastings. From June 1 to September 30, it opens Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. From October 1 to May 31, it opens Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Château Thieuley, at 560 Route de Grimard in La Sauve, runs visits and tastings on weekdays or weekends by appointment, and English is spoken. Its options include a tasting at the bar, a cellar visit and tasting, a 1.5 km landscape walk with 11 stops, a vinegar house visit with a seasoning workshop, and a winemaker experience with a mini blend.

The landscape walk needs no appointment and is free for minors. Tasting at the bar takes 15 minutes to 1 hour, and booking is advised but not required. The vinegar house visit is by booking only. Thieuley's shop opens Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Château Bauduc, 1 km from Créon, hosts tastings by booking, on weekdays and subject to availability, for at least 2 people. A tasting covers its Crémant, a dry white, a red and its rosé. On Wednesdays, a tasting begins at 11:30 a.m., after Créon's market, which starts at 8:30 a.m.

Château Icla, at 802 Route de Los in Saint-Genès-de-Lombaud, runs a 1-hour visit and tasting. It opens Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., from January 2 to December 30, 2026, and closes on weekends. French and English are spoken.

Château des Cordonniers, at 12 Le bourg nord in Saint-Brice, km 52 of the route, offers a visit and tasting. It opens Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., closes on weekends, and visits are in French.

The abbey of La Sauve-Majeure suggests 1 hour for a visit, with last entry 45 minutes before closing. For more on booking estates in the region, see Booking Bordeaux Château Visits.

What it costs

Tastings at Château Thieuley, Château Icla and Château Bauduc cost €10–40 ($11–43), and the tasting at Château des Cordonniers is free.

At Château Thieuley, the bar tasting, the cellar visit with tasting and the landscape walk each cost €10 ($11). The vinegar house visit costs €15 ($16) for 1 hour, and the winemaker experience €50 ($54) for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Château Icla's visit and tasting costs €12 ($13). At Château Bauduc, a hosted tasting costs €30 ($32) per person for 4 wines or €40 ($43) for 6.

Abbey entry costs €7 ($8) and is free for visitors under 18, and for those aged 18 to 25 who are EU nationals or residents of France. A joint ticket for the abbey and the Maison des Vins, tasting included, costs €11 ($12).

Bike rental at Créon starts at €10 ($11) for a classic bike and €20 ($22) for an electric one.

Before you go

• Take care at Saint-Brice, km 52, where the route crosses two busy departmental roads.
• Reserve a Billet Vélo on the TER lines that require one. Staff can move your bike to another train when a train is busy, and tandems and cargo bikes are not accepted.
• Book Château Thieuley and Château Bauduc ahead: Thieuley's visits are by appointment, and Bauduc's tastings need at least 2 people on a weekday.
• Spit as you taste if you are cycling.

For the wider region, see Bordeaux.