From the vineyards of Beaujolais to the woods of Alix, around Bagnols

This circuit is a microcosm of everything that makes the Pierres Dorées region of the Beaujolais so rich and charming: some of the most beautiful villages (Bagnols, Moiré), churches and chapels, crosses and castles, wash houses and splendid panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, vineyards and forests.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.19 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 203 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 203 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 458 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 278 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the Salle des Deux Joseph (next to the school) in Bagnols.

(S/E) Head towards the centre of the village, turn left, pass in front of the church and continue straight on along the Route de Moiré. Pass through the Bret district to quickly reach the small Bret path, located before an imposing house (please note that this path is often cluttered with garden waste or rubble; see note 1 below to avoid it)

(1) Take the path downhill to the left. Pass below the pond and go back up to the next path, which you should take on the left. If this path is too cluttered to allow passage, stay on the road and continue to the next path on the left and take the Chemin du Tacot on the left to rejoin the route. You will reach a crossroads.

(2) Continue along the road, leaving it on the right at the end of the bend to take the path that branches off above. Go up again to the right, at the signpost for "Le Boucairon", turn right towards La Chanaz along a stony path. Note the yellow and red signpost on the post, which is for the Tour des Pierres Dorées en Beaujolais (referred to as TPDB in the rest of the description). Arrive at the hamlet of La Chanaz.

(3) Turn left, then right onto the small stony path that climbs just before the gate of the house. Pass the cemetery and arrive at the village of Moiré (admire the view from this point). Continue on the TPDB to the right and descend the road to the cross located in Lenfert, facing east-west. After the cross, leave the TPDB by turning left onto the Voie du Tacot.

(4) Cross the road and take the small path opposite. You will cross two small roads before reaching the D338 departmental road.

(5) At the D338, drive very carefully along the left-hand side of the road, crossing the road to Frontenas. Continue until you see a tarmac road opposite on the right, the Chemin des Mouilles, and cross it carefully. The tarmac road then continues as a dirt track.

(6) Pass the house and take the path on the left (TPDB) to the Chambonne stream. After passing this small stream, continue on the road on the right that runs alongside the aerodrome and take the first path on the right.

(7) Take the first path on the right again (leaving the TPDB), continue on this main path without paying attention to the paths on either side. Cross the Chambonne stream again. You will reach a crossroads with a hut.

(8) Turn right after the hut, continue along the path and you will reach a crossroads with a wooden sign on the left indicating Bagnols.

(9) Turn left towards Les Tuillières. Cross the Chessy road, pass the cross and take the Chemin des Tuillières on the right. Keep left and do not take the path that goes into the vineyards.

(10) At the wash house road, turn left, pass the wash house, and continue straight ahead through the hamlet on the road that climbs uphill. At the next road, turn right until you reach the departmental road, which you must cross. Continue on the small road on the left. Pass the Saint-Roch Chapel and take the road on the right that leads back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 395 m - Parking at the Salle des Deux Joseph
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 411 m - Path on the left: Le Bret
  3. 2 : km 1.31 - alt. 388 m - Voie du Tacot
  4. 3 : km 2.21 - alt. 421 m - Hamlet of La Chanaz
  5. 4 : km 3.3 - alt. 416 m - Road from Bagnols to Frontenas
  6. 5 : km 4.45 - alt. 356 m - D338
  7. 6 : km 5.26 - alt. 338 m - Tour des Pierres Dorées
  8. 7 : km 6.33 - alt. 316 m - Near the aerodrome
  9. 8 : km 7.57 - alt. 303 m - 90° right turn
  10. 9 : km 8.22 - alt. 309 m - Wooden sign in Bagnols
  11. 10 : km 9.58 - alt. 315 m - Wash house
  12. S/E : km 11.19 - alt. 395 m - Parking at the Salle des Deux Joseph

Worth a visit

The village of Bagnols dates back to 948. The Château de Bagnols, whose construction began in 1220, has been converted into a luxury hotel and restaurant (not open to visitors). Construction of the church began in 1453. The golden stones used in both buildings were extracted from quarries above the village.
The village of Moiré is the smallest village in the Pierres Dorées region: its11th-century chapel was partially destroyed by fire, forcing the villagers to build a new church in the early20th century.
On the route, you can see the village of Bois d'Oingt below (on the path leading up to Moiré). The Beaujolais vineyards surround you.
There is a beautiful view on the descent towards the woods: in the distance on the ridge is the village of Charnay, below is the village of Alix and its large forest. Further away are the Monts d'Or, the Monts du Lyonnais, the Alps and, if you are lucky, Mont Blanc.
This route follows part of the Voie du Tacot (an old railway line from Liergues to Sarcey) and the Tour des Pierres Dorées en Beaujolais (TPDB, marked in yellow and red)

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 48 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
PierreF2
PierreF2

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note: at point 1) of the route, the path recommended just before the imposing house is completely blocked. It is therefore impassable. You must now take the next path on the left, after the imposing house.

For the rest of the walk, everything is fine.
There are certainly plenty of golden-stone houses all along the route. It’s splendid.

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Alfredo
Alfredo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route for a group of normal walkers. Varied, with beautiful views and the splendid village of Bagnols, the route takes 2½ hours to complete.

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sinoue
sinoue

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 12, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hiking in the golden stone villages.
Beautiful views throughout the hike.
The GPX track is very useful and allows you to vary the route without any difficulty.

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chabour
chabour

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike through villages built of golden stone (Bagnols and Moiré) with views of vineyards that are also golden at this time of year (late October). Some beautiful viewpoints.
Fairly easy hike with little elevation gain.
The GPX route was essential for us given the multitude of paths and crossroads.

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4720marcg
4720marcg

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful hike through vineyards and woods, completed in 3 hours and 50 minutes in good weather. Very few people encountered apart from a few cyclists.

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Jobb
Jobb

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike through magnificent landscapes of vineyards and golden stone villages... All under bright but reasonable sunshine 🤗. Thank you very much for this wonderful day!
I usually use GPS tracking and IGN maps rather than descriptions, which are not always sufficient. In this case, we sometimes found ourselves unsure.

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manu.del
manu.del

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful hike that I would love to do again. Pretty landscapes, interesting villages and, as a little bonus, blackberries all along the way

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Brunelle
Brunelle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, I followed the GPX directions and they were very clear, I didn't need to read the directions.
It took me 2 hours and 20 minutes without rushing. Thank you for this itinerary!

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Michel lacroix
Michel lacroix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb half-day walk. It took us 3 hours and 15 minutes.
A ride through the countryside with beautiful villages.
No major difficulties. A great way to get some fresh air!

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jpa69r
jpa69r

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting, varied and enjoyable route. The description must have been difficult to write, as there were many junctions, but with the Visorando mobile app and, above all, the GPS, we had no problems. Thank you again.

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DDDECINES
DDDECINES

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this well-described tour. Beautiful scenery and definitely interesting architecture. We will definitely do it again.

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atracolat
atracolat

Hello, thank you for your comments. As I haven't walked this route for a long time, I will need to do so again to check and make any necessary changes.
Kind regards

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Indirli
Indirli

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The landscapes and villages are all superb.
As for the directions, I had a hard time matching them with what I saw in front of me.
Perhaps I wasn't paying enough attention, or maybe some things need to be reviewed.
Thank you very much

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henri974
henri974

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Due to a lack of signage on two occasions, we used the Visorando app to help us and had a wonderful morning outing (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.). We will do it again in the spring, extending the route by a few kilometres so we can have a picnic and finish the hike around 3 p.m. Thank you!

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hiker38
hiker38

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The "Pierres Dorées" village houses embellished with colonnades are magnificent.
However, this route through woods and vineyards is rather unremarkable.

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