Limours / St-Arnoult

Forests, valleys and extensive meadows provide the elements that create the typical landscapes of the Haute Vallée de Chevreuse. You cycle along a greenway using the former Aérotrain line before continuing along quiet little roads. The likes of Bullion, Bonnelles and Rochefort-en-Yvelines are worth a detour, both to admire the Parc Naturel Régional’s typical architecture and to pick up provisions.

🚲 Stage description and details:

From Limours to Bonnelles, the route follows the track of the former Aérotrain, transformed into a greenway. From Bonnelles, you then follow little roads shared with motorized traffic up to Saint Arnoult.

💡  Cyclists are allowed to ride across the bridge but it is forbidden to park your bike on the bridge or at the foot of the remparts. See 🔒 our advice on parking your bike during your visit to the Mont Saint-Michel.

⭐ Don’t miss:

• The Aérotrain, created by engineer Jean Bertin in 1964, was a precursor of the French high-speed TGV train, a hovertrain capable of reaching 300km/h, moving on a cushion of air above a concrete rail line in inverted T shape. The French State abandoned the experiment in 1974, but just a few portions of the line have survived, including the one from Limours to Gometz-la-Ville.
• Rochefort-en-Yvelines is a little medieval village nestling at the foot of a hill that’s worth exploring for its château, church and pretty cobbled, well-flowered lanes. 
• The Réserve Naturelle Régionale des Étangs de Bonnelles can be visited by following a discovery trail dotted with informative panels. A bird hide also enables you to admire some 90 bird species that use this site on their migration routes. 
• The Maison Elsa Triolet et Aragon puts on both exhibitions and shows evoking the spirit of this couple, both avant-garde literary figures and members of the Resistance, who once lived in this mill set in five hectares of grounds.

🍴 Food and drink en route:

• Limours: markets on Thursday and Sunday mornings, Rue Maurice-Béné.
• Bonnelles: 
  • Markets on Sunday mornings on the Parking des Écoles. Note that there’s a sheltered service area for bikes nearby that’s a perfect place to stop for a picnic. 
  • The Ferme des Clos sells its produce directly to the public.
• Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines: food and drinks shops and Sunday morning markets on Rue Henri Grivot.

💡 Bring up Accueil Velo accredited restaurants by clicking on the 🍴 icon on the map. De-select "only show accueil velo accredited services" to view further possibilities.

🔧 Repair Service:

Consult the list of all the bike repairers along or near the route. 

🚆 Train stations nearby:

• Crossrail RER B station of Massy-Verrières-le-Buisson
• Crossrail RER B station of Massy-Palaiseau / plus TGV high-speed train services
• Crossrail RER B station of Palaiseau
• Crossrail RER B station of Palaiseau-Villebon
• Crossrail RER B station of Orsay-Ville
• Crossrail RER B station of Bures-sur-Yvette

💡 Also see our section on reaching the veloscenic cycle route, including conditions for taking a bicycle on board trains.