The Châtillonnais is one of Burgundy's best-kept cycling secrets. A network of quiet departmental roads winds across a vast limestone plateau, through ancient forest and open farmland, connecting a string of sleepy stone villages where you're more likely to meet a tractor than a car. Traffic is genuinely rare — many of these lanes see fewer than a handful of vehicles an hour, making them as close to traffic-free as road cycling gets.

The roads themselves are in excellent condition, well-surfaced and clearly signed, with long sweeping straights giving way to gentle bends as the landscape folds into valley and forest. The routes here offer real variety: flat, fast runs along the young River Seine, rolling plateau loops with just enough climbing to feel rewarding, and a few proper ascents where the road kicks up through the trees before opening onto wide views across the Brévon or Laigne valleys.

Whether you're after an easy two-hour spin or a challenging half-day out, the Châtillonnais delivers — and the scenic rewards are generous at every distance.

If you don't have your own bike we'd be happy to recommend rental from the Tourist Office in Montbard. Find out more here.