Biking a part of the famous ‘Loire à Velo’ route through the world famous Pays des Châteaux’, the most splendid cultural part of the Loire Valley. ’Along magnificent/grand castles : Blois, Amboise, Villandry…. Crossing the Anjou-Touraine natural reserve with its beautiful wild river landscapes and nice stops during the day to taste one/some of the excellent wines of the region.
The total ‘Loire à Vélo’ route runs from Nevers to ‘l'Océan‘, let's say from ‘source' to mouth. The route can be divided into 3 various stages which can also be booked separately. You can add additional detours during this trip. This excellently marked second stage varies from flat, slightly sloping to an occasional small climb.
Highlights :
APP
The route descriptions we have made for this trip will be supplied via a travel app, for “GPS” navigation with visual/audio guidance (reading of the track on your smartphone). When you book this self-guided cycling holiday, we will send you explanations on how to use this app and send you an access code.
You individually travel to Blois. If there's some time left take a walk around the town which is known for its light facades and blue roofs, its pedestrian streets gracefully preserving the flavour of lost centuries and its serene atmosphere. Also worth a visit is the Royal Chateau de Blois, the residence of several French kings, and a perfect example of the evolution of French architecture between the Middle Ages and 17th century.
From Blois you follow the southern bank of the Loire. Between rolling hills with vineyards you cycle to Cande-sur-Beuvron. Cycle back along the Beuvron to the majestic Loire. High on the bank is the elegant castle of Chaumont-sur-Loire surrounded by beautiful gardens. You are in the historic region Touraine. Visit a wine grower and taste a local ‘sauvignon blanc´. Enjoy the grandeur of the Château Amboise and Clos-Lucé where Leonardo da Vinci once stayed. There are some short climbs on the way.
Challenge : 42.2 km, 341 m ascent, 345 m descent
Leave the medieval atmosphere of Amboise behind you and cycle to the famous “Château de Chenonceau” which straddles the Cher River in five distinctive arches. It was this chateau which was promised by King Henri II to his mistress Diane de Poitiers, which was sabotaged by the Queen, Catherine de Médicis. Continue your cycling day to the region of the prestigious ´Montlouis’ wines. The ideal microclimate, close to where the Loire and Cher unite, produces grapes of a unique quality. Discover this yourself during a visit to a wine cellar or a lunchbreak. A fine track leads to Tours, the friendly capital of what is called ´the garden of France'. Here great experiences are awaiting you like the magnificent cathedral and basilica, the Olivier Debré Art Centre, the Botanical Garden, the flavors of the markets...
Challenge : 55.6 km, 419m ascent, 434m descent
This beautiful stage takes you first along the south bank of the dreamy Cher river to the picturesque village of Savonnières, known for its caves and underground lake. Not many kilometers later you reach Villandry. Visit the palatial castle of the same name with its world-famous gardens and refined interior which gives a good impression of the French 'art de vivre' in the 18th century. Continue to Azay-le-Rideau and its beautiful castle. Later meet again the Loire, on the high bank you have beautiful views of the river and its islands full of water birds. Passing front of the Château of Rigny-Ussé (The Sleeping Beauty) before reaching Huismes, your final destination.
Challenge : 57.4 km, 484m ascent, 448 m descent
Enjoying the magnificent panoramas you go on to the lovely Candes-St-Martin where the Vienne and Loire confluent. This is Anjou, known for its wines and troglodytes. From Fontevraud, choose the track close to the Loire or follow the higher, more exciting but also more strenuous track across the vineyards. Both end at the castle of Saumur.
Challenge : 54.4 km, 752m ascent, 801m descent
Breakfast marks the end of the trip. Have you got some time left, then visit the horse town Saumur, the home base of the prestigious riding academy Cadre Noir where the elite of the French horsemen is trained. Enjoy the beautiful houses with their white tuff stone fronts in the centre. Admire the proud castle and all the other beautiful classified monuments.
All accommodations are carefully selected because of their location, atmosphere and/or unique services.
We choose comfortable 2*/3* and B&Bs where all rooms have private en-suite bathroom and every morning breakfast are included.
For this trip you can choose between Comfort and Comfort +. The accommodations for a Comfort+ trip, will be in 3*/4 * hotels wherever possible (supplement applied).
The bike rental includes the drop-off fee for the bike’s return
SCOTT Sub Cross Men/Lady Alloy Frame, 24 Speed
The bikes come with pannier, handlebar bag, spare tube, tools, pump, helmet and lock
SCOTT E-Sub
The bikes come with pannier, handlebar bag, spare tube, tools, pump, helmet and lock
5 Nights icluded
2/3 Star Hotels and B&B or 3/4 Star Hotels (supplement applied)
Tourist tax included
Breakfast included, Halfboard optional on request
Maps and tourist information on all the places of interest
24/7 Bilingual Emergency hotline
Luggage transport to your next accommodations. Luggage accepted per person: 1 suitcase or travel bag (20 kg maximum)
For time tables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).
We strongly advise you to download the sncf mobile app prior to departure. If you want to travel on a train with your bike, you can find more information via this link.
Parking information on request
We will supply the directions of this trip with a personalized code which gives you access to the navigation App of Ride with GPS.
The international Paris airports Charles de Gaulle in the North and Orly in the South are served by a large number of scheduled and low cost airlines.They are connected with Paris by metro and bus services. From Paris you can take a train to Blois, see below.
You can get to Blois by train. On the end of your trip you can take a train from Saumur.
For timetables and further information check the website of SNCF or rome2rio for all French National trains (SNCF).
From Paris to Blois (approx. 2h - 185 km/115 mi). Acces to driving routes see the website Via Michelin.
The outstanding accommodation is easy for us to identify and that was at La Chancellerie. Claire was a fantastic hostess and provided us with first class food and conversation. Our room was the best we had for our entire trip - we felt like we really were staying in a chateau. For the route, going through the small villages was a treat. We ate our lunches at boulangeries for the trip and this was a match for our dream of the bike trip. Chateau de Chenonceau was probably one of our favourite chateaux along the Loire. We also enjoyed seeing the “caves” along the way and the view from the top of the hill near Chinon was incredible - a lot of elevation on that last day but totally worth it!
On day one we were not given e-bikes which are what we had reserved and paid for. We were asked to ride regular bikes for day one, but turned this down. The substitute rental bikes we received from the other company were very good and the service they provided was excellent including them agreeing to pick up the bikes from our last hotel in Saumur.
Jeremy T.
55, rue Saint Jacques
24540 Monpazier
France
info@french-biketours.com
+33 (0) 5 53 73 08 61
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