The Bibracte Marauding Trail

A unique historical site, Bibracte was a fortified town or oppidum, built on the summit of Mont Beuvray at the end of the 2nd century. In addition to its protected natural area (labelled "Grand Site de France" within the Morvan Regional Nature Park), it offers an exceptional archaeological site.

The Chemin de Maraude is a 3 km route combining viewpoints, excavation sites and walks through forests and clearings.

Details

n°739772

Creation:
19 Aug 2017

Last update:
23 Jun 2025

Last review:
18 Aug 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 3.22 km
Average duration: 1h 05
Difficulty: Easy
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 67 m
Descent: - 67 m
Highest point: 821 m
Lowest point: 753 m

Country: France
Area: Morvan
District: Glux-en-Glenne (58370)
Start/End: N 46.927986° / E 4.036788°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2824OT
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Description of the walk

To reach the archaeological site, go to La Pâture du Couvent (on foot, by car or by shuttle bus).

(S/E) With La Porte du Rebout behind you, continue a few metres along the departmental road to pick up the path on the right. Follow the signs to La Roche Salvée and Le Theurot de la Roche.
At the first fork, take the path on the right towards La Roche Salvée and continue until you reach it.

(1) From the rock, continue south. After about 300 metres, you will come to a fork.

(2) Follow the path to the right and you will reach the Fontaine Saint-Pierre.

(3) Continue towards the orchards. After the orchards, leave the^GR®®13. Cross a road and climb the small hill towards La Terrasse (panoramic view).

(4) Continue east then north-east and pass by the Chapelle Saint-Martin.

(5) Continue along the summit and then first turn right then left downhill. The end of the route is through the forest, heading northeast then west. Pay attention to the markings to discover the Oppidum de Bibracte and the accessible archaeological sites. Near the road, turn right and head north to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 754 m - La Pâture du Couvent - Porte du Rebout
1 : km 0.51 - alt. 778 m - Roche Salvée
2 : km 0.78 - alt. 782 m - Fork in the road
3 : km 1.17 - alt. 780 m - Fontaine Saint-Pierre
4 : km 1.7 - alt. 802 m - Belvédère de la terrasse
5 : km 1.92 - alt. 810 m - Saint-Martin Chapel
S/E : km 3.22 - alt. 754 m - La Pâture du Couvent - Site archéologique de Bibracte

Notes

Benches and picnic areas along the route.
Route offered by the Bibracte Archaeological Centre.

Archaeological site open to the public all year round, but parking restrictions apply for cars in July and August. A free shuttle bus runs approximately every 20 minutes to the site.

You can reach the museum and car park on foot or by shuttle bus in summer (July/August).

Free car park at the Bibracte museum.

Worth a visit

Take the time to explore the archaeological remains. A few detours along the route allow you to visit the main excavation sites.

Bibracte Museum.
Gallo-Roman city of Autun.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5

Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.9 / 5

Ease of following the route
4 / 5

Route interest
4.6 / 5

ECh

18 Aug 2025 at 18:08 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

this fascinating route takes you to all the main archaeological sites. There are many paths in all directions, but it is easy to find your way around as there are plenty of signs pointing to the various points of interest.

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Denis26

23 Jun 2025 at 09:40 7200

Thank you for your comments, I have just updated it accordingly.

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User 9869896

09 Jun 2025 at 11:56 7200

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
The trail is NOT marked with an "apple" (it is actually a yellow dot, which can be found thanks to the signs at the viewpoints) and there is NO indication of "chemin des maraudes" on the signposts. Furthermore, the sign indicating the start of the trail is located on the opposite side, to the left of the road, whereas you naturally take a path to the right of the road that runs alongside it (there is no path running alongside the road on the left) and the path to take is to the right of the road. What's more, this sign is hidden by trees!
I had chosen this route because its length and difficulty were suited to my mentally disabled daughter's abilities, but I ended up with someone who was extremely stressed and a lot of unnecessary walking.
Kind regards,
Odile Joly

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michel tessier

22 Oct 2024 at 05:30 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Visit to an exceptional museum.
Visit to the exceptional oppidum of Bibracte.
Beautiful views...

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françoisetchristine

10 Sep 2024 at 15:17 7200

Certainly, but not the slightest hint, nor any indication of where to find them...

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madydou

10 Sep 2024 at 14:26 7200

Surprising, since the author of the route wrote this:
The trail is marked with an apple and the sign "Chemin de maraude" (Raiding Trail).

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françoisetchristine

10 Sep 2024 at 09:16 7200

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

After a morning hike in Villapourçon, we were disappointed by this mid-afternoon walk. You have to follow the route on your phone, otherwise you'll get lost because there are paths in all directions and no signposts. The view of Mont Beuvray is magnificent, but on Sunday afternoons, you're not alone...

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patembrun

08 Jul 2024 at 18:47 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike. We set off from the museum and followed the trail (using GPS) as our guide, visiting various sites and occasionally straying from the trail.

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FKNECHT

20 May 2024 at 21:10 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk on a superb site. The various viewpoints are truly beautiful, especially at La Terrasse. During our walk, tree felling work made it a little difficult to follow the path just before point 2, but the GPS track makes it easy to find your way back. Most of the route is through woodland.

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aline gereys

15 May 2024 at 09:35 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route was completed in the morning, starting from the car park near the summit of Mont Beuvray and therefore in the opposite direction to the one described. It was easy to find the various points of interest and enjoy the views and explanations on the information boards. A beautiful green site with majestic trees, both in terms of their shape and height.

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Falsa

12 May 2024 at 16:58 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very interesting place with a huge archaeological site, a superb beech forest, a meadow full of blue hyacinths, and beautiful views.
The car park is located above the starting point of the hike, but the signposts make it easy to find your way. Please note that the road leading from the museum up to Mont Beuvray is not open all year round; check the website for opening dates.

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Cacahuète46

01 May 2023 at 18:29 7200

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

This hike is difficult to follow. We walked around but couldn't find the trail. The distance markers on site vary, but this is not related to the route, as we couldn't find it.

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Max 3007

21 Aug 2022 at 16:44 7200 • Edited: 21 Aug 2022 at 16:46 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, varied route with stunning views (La Terrasse, La Roche Salvée, the Bibracte oppidum at the summit of Mont Beuvray) and archaeological sites to explore. You can imagine Vercingetorix meeting the Gallic peoples at the site of the small monument at the oppidum.
We particularly loved the twisted and strange beech trees in the forest.
We set off from the archaeological museum car park through a wood: a route of 7km in total.
We recommend doing this hike early in the morning, as there were already a lot of people there by late morning when we left the site (there are numerous shuttle buses taking tourists to and from the museum and the archaeological site).

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lesmontagnards

08 Aug 2022 at 12:54 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting and varied route. Lovers of 'old stones' will be delighted by the archaeological sites. The route is varied and easy. From the terraces, we had a magnificent view. Worth doing again.

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pierrebl71

18 Oct 2021 at 10:14 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike at this time of year. Definitely worth doing.

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