St-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse / Rambouillet

Explore the charming town of Chevreuse and its château before entering Rambouillet Forest. As you cycle onwards, the Château de Breteuil, Cernay’s waterfalls and the Espace Rambouillet animal park incite you to stop more than once. Do note there are a few slopes to tackle, the perfect excuse for indulging in a tasty treat at the end of the stage.

🚲 Stage description and details:

You leave St-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse via a cycle path. Two kilometres on, branch off to the right if you want to stop in the town of Chevreuse. 
Next, continue along very quiet little roads to Choisel. Leaving Choisel, take care along a short stretch of under 1km, following the busier county road, the D24, for the time being – a more suitable layout for cyclists is being researched at time of writing.
After Cernay-la-Ville, you enter Rambouillet Forest via a cycle path running beside the road, then continue along a forest track off-limits to cars.

⭐ Don’t miss:

• The town of Chevreuse: follow the balade des petits ponts (a trail for pedestrians only, so dismount); and, if full of energy, climb to the Château de la Madeleine to admire the pretty views over the valley. 
  Surrounded by 75 hectares of grounds designated a Jardin Remarquable, the Château de Breteuil is a furnished castle that includes an exhibition space where Charles Perrault’s famed fairytales (Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, etc) feature in set pieces. Perfect for a family visit.
  The Abbaye de Vaux de Cernay now consists of the majestic vestiges of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey.
  The Espace Rambouillet is a forest animal park offering the likes of shows of birds of prey, guided tours in a forest train, a tree-top assault course, an explorers’ notebook, themed trails and seasonal events. 
  The Château de Rambouillet, a former French royal residence, proposes a tour of the queen’s dairy, a shell-decorated thatched cottage and the French- and English-style gardens.

🍴 Food and drink en route:

• Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse: Not only for the many food and drinks shops, but also the markets on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, plus the covered market on Rue Ditte.
• Chevreuse:  
  • Many food and drinks shops  
  • L’Alchimiste: a unique bar offering tastings of the wide range of squashes produced on a craft scale in the adjoining workshop.
  • The Ferme de Coubertin proposes dairy products that it sells direct to customers. Even if the shop is closed, it’s possible to buy a fine fromage frais from the automatic distributor at the entrance.  
• Rambouillet: with many food and drinks shops, and markets on Wednesday and Saturday mornings on Place de la Libération.

💡 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 Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse
• Regional Transilien train station of Rambouillet – line Paris / Chartres
• Crossrail RER C Versailles Rive Gauche station
• Crossrail RER C and regional Transilien station of Versailles Chantiers
• Regional Transilien train station of Versailles Rive Droite

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