La Véloroute de la Marne (V52) follows the river valley through the Champagne region's vineyards south of Reims.
Distance: 145km
Difficulty: Moderate - it gains 526 metres in elevation over the entire route, which can be broken down into more manageable sections. It climbs from west to east, so for a downhill ride, start at Sermaize-les-Bains at the eastern end and head back towards Dormans.
La Véloroute de la Marne is numbered 52 on the national cycle network. It starts in Dormans, riding through Epernay as it follows the Marne as it flows from the foothills of the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs (the eastern border of the Paris region). This is a rural route through Champagne region vineyards and other agricultural lands.
The western Marne voie verte section is a car-free route, while other parts of this route are shared with traffic, though mostly on back roads and rural tracks like in the picture below.
Getting there
There are train stations at Dormans, Epernay, Châlons-en-Champagne and Vitry-le-François. Bikes can be taken on local TER trains on tis network free and without reservation. Just buy your own ticket and walk your bike on.
See here for other bike routes in the area
Photo: Champagne-Ardennes Tourism
