The rocks of Solutré and Vergisson

Short version of the long loop from La Grange du Bois (proposed on this site), done with children aged 7 to 12, who really enjoyed it!

Details

1486763
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.54 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 457 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 466 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 489 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 275 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the panoramic car park just past the Solutré-Pouilly archaeological museum.

(S/E) Follow the signs to the Roche de Solutré in the direction of the museum.

(1) Continue along the left-hand path, where numerous signs will take you to the summit of Roche de Solutré.

(2) Fork left for a return trip to the summit. Enjoy the view of Roche de Vergisson, the next challenge.

(3) Roche de Solutré. Retrace your steps along the same path to quickly reach an intersection indicating Vergisson.

(2) Descend gently to the left through the woods to the village of Vergisson. At the halfway point, you can make a short detour to the left and back, towards the Chancerons standing stones. Reach the Vergisson wash-house.

Go back up into the village and cross it on the left. As you leave the village, take the first right-hand path through the vineyards and join, on your right, the path that climbs to the top of Roche de Vergisson (well signposted).

(5) Go around the summit on the left to reach a new crossroads.

(6) Stay on the right-hand path to go up to the Roche de Vergisson summit before coming back. Enjoy the view as you measure the distance covered.

(7) Roche de Vergisson. Retrace your steps to the previous crossroads.

(6) Take the path opposite to cut through the vines to reach the Combe Poncet houses. Pass south of Combe Poncet. Continue along this wide track and, at map point 410, find a new farm track on the left.

(8) Follow it along the vineyards. The track becomes a tarmac road at the first houses of Vers la Croix. At the crossroads in the bend, keep right. Follow the impasse du Puye which leads to a forest track.

(9) Begin a pleasant climb through chestnut forest to a crossroads. Head due south down the left-hand path. Cross the Denante river and, after the hairpin bend, find a new crossroads of paths. At the crossroads, turn right.

(10) Turn left along the vineyard path, round the Gorge au Loup. Enter another vineyard on the left-hand path. Cross it to join Voie Romaine.

(11) Turn right, due south, back to the car park at the start (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 406 m - Panoramic car park
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 392 m - Archaeological museum
  3. 2 : km 1.6 - alt. 468 m - Roche de Solutré junction
  4. 3 : km 1.79 - alt. 484 m - Summit - Roche de Solutré
  5. 4 : km 3.89 - alt. 309 m - Vergisson wash-house
  6. 5 : km 4.61 - alt. 393 m - Start of the path to Roche de Vergisson
  7. 6 : km 4.98 - alt. 417 m - Crossroads towards Roche de Vergisson
  8. 7 : km 5.37 - alt. 481 m - Roche de Vergisson - summit
  9. 8 : km 6.5 - alt. 411 m - Start of the farm road (hill 410)
  10. 9 : km 7.15 - alt. 392 m - Departure from the forest track
  11. 10 : km 8.9 - alt. 392 m - Start of the farm road
  12. 11 : km 10.02 - alt. 377 m - Roman Way
  13. S/E : km 10.54 - alt. 406 m - Panoramic car park

Notes

Toilets at the Vergisson washhouse.
Allow 5h30 for children aged 7 to 12 (with breaks for stones, insects, dogs, donkeys, etc.).

Worth a visit

Possibility of visiting the Solutré Pouilly archeological museum on departure or return.
Pass near the Chancerons standing stones
Voie Romaine

Beautiful views over the vineyards.
Cellars along the way for wine lovers.

We observed large numbers of male and female praying mantises. Certainly got our money's worth out of the children's insect magnifier.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 58 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 19510275

Hello, I went for a walk yesterday. The signposting from Solutré to Vergisson was very good, but after that I took a wrong turn.
Could you please let me know if there are any signposts and what colour they are? Thank you for your reply.

Machine-translated

User 8172235

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The description contains many inaccuracies and incorrect details:
- region: Southern Burgundy, not the Massif Central
- walk through the village of Vergisson: we arrived ‘by chance’ at the wash house, after which nothing is reliable:
it is forbidden to “walk through the vineyards”: there are “Private Property” signs everywhere
there are several paths leading up to the summit of the Vergisson rock: for ease of access, you should ascend via the southern path, starting from the P2 car park on the Corniche, and descend via the northern path to reach Combe Poncet.
As for the “New Farm Track”: there are at least four of them, so which one should you choose???
After crossing La Denante, the road has several hairpin bends: which one should you take?
Otherwise, a very interesting hike, a route full of flowers and beautiful views.

Machine-translated

User 19510275

Hello, I went for a walk yesterday. The signposting from Solutré to Vergisson was very good, but after that I took a wrong turn.
Could you please let me know if there are any signposts and what colour they are? Thank you for your reply.

Machine-translated

User 24824861

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, completed in less time than indicated. Very reliable directions.

Machine-translated

waki89
waki89

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with sunny views!
It's a shame that walking through the vineyards is prohibited; this means that the route has to be altered.
The section on the road is a bit long.

Machine-translated

Denis3454
Denis3454

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route with stunning views, including the Solutré promontory, which was still relatively uncrowded at that time, and the Vergisson promontory, which you climb alone. A pleasant return journey through the surrounding vineyards and forests. No technical difficulties, but there are two steep climbs and descents that must be tackled with caution.

Machine-translated

User 5188350

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

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

The starting point is difficult to find, poor explanations, which is a shame. We were able to do the hike with a few changes to the route. Very beautiful region.

Machine-translated

GuyLeroy
GuyLeroy
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is very beautiful, a little challenging, and the views are magnificent. There are three climbs in total with superb viewpoints. There are many walks through the vineyards, which are beautiful (but I'm not really sure if hikers are allowed in these vineyards). The Solutré rock is, of course, very popular with mass tourism in all its splendour. But from the descent to Vergisson onwards, there is no one else around and you are alone for the entire route. I highly recommend this walk.

Machine-translated

User 12286380

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route between the two rocks, well signposted

Machine-translated

User 25245089

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

If we follow the route in reverse, we come to paths where there are private property signs, especially in the vineyards. As a result, we didn't follow the tour itinerary.

Machine-translated

postikim
postikim

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

At first, the climb and the panoramic view of the Solutré rock were magnificent. But as soon as we descended, along the path linking the village of Vergisson and the Solutré rock, the horror began. There were lots of caterpillars and worms in the cobwebs in the air all along the path.
As for the Roche Vergisson, the walk through the village of Vergisson and the climb up were nice, as was the panoramic view of the summit.
But from the descent of the Roche de Vergisson to the end of the hike, half of the route on this programme is pointless, following either through vineyards or along a forest road that is completely dark and damp.
In my opinion, you should cut the programme in half (hike just for two rocks) if you can bear the omnipresence of spider prey in the air along the way, otherwise cut out the hike just for the Solutré rock altogether.

Machine-translated

icathou
icathou

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The scenery is beautiful, but the other side of the coin is less pleasant: the surrounding vineyards are currently being sprayed with pesticides, which give off a chemical smell as soon as you get too close to the vineyards, not to mention the constant noise from the farm machinery.
Disappointed by the site!

Machine-translated

michelmarieandree
michelmarieandree

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with superb views of the vineyards and surrounding area from the Solutré and Vergisson rocks and along the way.

Machine-translated

merlin patrick
merlin patrick

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike
Lots of hikers at the Roche de Solutré
Family trail not always accessible to children aged 7 to 12. The route has rocks and roots and in places is narrow and difficult to descend (Roche de Solutré - Vergisson section).

Machine-translated

Jeannot 7101
Jeannot 7101

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very busy circuit on Thursday 9 May, with several hundred people at the Solutré rock.
Quite a technical trail with narrow paths and many roots in the way.
This is not really a family hike, so you need to be a good walker.
You need a GPS to follow the return section, as at one point you had to take a path with a yellow cross, and another section is private property, but you can easily diversions by following the path back to the road.

If not, a superb walk with magnificent views over the vineyards and countryside.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.