Via Allier

The Via Allier, also known as the V70, follows the Allier river through the Auvergne, linking Moulins in the north with Brioude in the south. In Moulins the cathedral and the Anne de Beaujeu Museum are worth a stop, then you ride south past villages and the Val d'Allier nature reserve, where you can watch rare birds. Passing Issoire and its Romanesque church of Saint-Austremoine, you reach Brioude and its large Basilica of Saint-Julien. The route is well signposted and mostly flat, so it also suits families.