From Seyssel, the Rhône stays close at first. The route leaves the small riverside town and climbs onto quiet roads through the rolling backcountry of Haute-Savoie. Between meadows, woodland and scattered villages, the landscape opens up, with views towards the Jura, the Vuache and the Salève. After the climbing, Geneva slowly comes closer: rural at first, then increasingly urban. Just before the finish, the lake appears, bringing the sense of arriving at one of Europe’s great crossroads.
