Etang de la Comtesse - Les Forges
Épinal Fontenoy-le-Château

The pleasures of water

47,84 km
3h21
Easy

Highlights

  • Lac de Bouzey: water reserve, swimming and water sports activities

  • La Vôge-les-Bains: Royal Manufactory, health resort

WithEpinal in your rear-view mirror, continue your cycling adventure on this final stage of the Grand Est region, heading for the spa town of La-Vôge-les-Bains and Fontenoy-le-Château.

Shortly after Epinal, make your first stop at Lac de Bouzey, a haven of nature and tranquillity. This reservoir, built to supply the Canal des Vosges, is ideal for water sports and swimming (beware of any restrictions currently in force). You can walk (or cycle!) around the lake along the 7km of footpaths.

Get back on your two-wheeler and continue your journey through a bucolic setting. Shortly before arriving in La Vôge-les-Bains, take the time to stop off at the Manufacture Royale, visible from the greenway. Visit this former industrial site dedicated to tinsmithing, and discover its factory, its workers' housing and its manufacturing workshops, as well as its chapel and its park with its centuries-old trees.

To round off your cycling trip along the Voie Bleue, treat yourself to a moment of relaxation and rejuvenation in the spa town of La Vôge-les-Bains! In an Art Deco setting, enjoy all the benefits of thermal water. Hydromassage baths, jets, massages and treatments: it's time to be pampered!

A final pedal between the Canal des Vosges and the Coney valley takes you to Fontenoy le Château. This pretty village and the remains of its medieval castle mark the end of your adventure on the Voie Bleue in the Grand Est region.

If you want to continue the adventure, the Voie Bleue continues south to Lyon along the Saône.

Practical info

  • 47.84 km
    Cycle route: 30 km
    Surfacing: smooth 43 km

  • Access by train: Epinal station, Bains-les-Bains

If you leave from the port of Epinal, you'll have to travel up the Moselle along the canal as far as the canal bridge. You will then head towards Lac de Bouzey and La Vôge-les-Bains. The route continues along the canal, on a paved and signposted greenway. The link with the centre of La Vôge-les-Bains is signposted but not safe on the D164. This 3 km stretch will be slightly uphill.

In the event of roadworks along the route, temporary diversions will be put in place. Please be vigilant and ask before setting off!