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Cycling through Beaugency in Loire Valley
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Loire Valley - from Orléans to Saumur
Loire Valley - from Orléans to Saumur
hybrid :
e-bike :
Duration :
6 days
Comfort :
period:
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Code:
FRSB460
Wine Riverside Nature Gastronomy Culture
From € 580
Loire Valley - from Orléans to Saumur
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Cycling the Playground of the Kings

Bike Tour: Loire Valley - from Orléans to Saumur - 6 days

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. Passing 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.

Route
Day 1: Arrival in Orléans
Day 2: Orléans - Blois
Day 3: Blois - Amboise
Day 4: Amboise - Villandry
Day 5: Villandry - Saumur
Day 6: Departure from Saumur

Day 1:    Arrival in Orléans

You travel independently to Orléans, the entrance/gateway to the heart of the famous Loire valley. It  was a regional capital in the early French Middle Ages, nowadays it’s a lively, modern town with a beautiful historic centre.  An ideal place to start this route along Europe’s last wild river: The Loire. 

 

Day 2:    Orléans - Blois
63 km

Once in the country you soon reach the confluence of the Loiret and the Loire. A great part of the day you follow the high banks with beautiful views of the surrounding undulating countryside. Don’t miss the historic towns Meung-sur-Loire and Beaugency. These old towns and the modern power station of St. Laurent-des-Eaux very clearly show how important the Loire is, and has always been. A wonderful, flat track takes you, in a very relaxed way, to the special and unique landscape of the world famous ‘Pays des Châteaux’. 

Challenge: 62.7km, 389m ascent, 419m descent

 

Day 3:    Blois - Amboise
42 km

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: 42.2km, 341m ascent, 345m descent

 

Day 4:    Amboise - Villandry
50 km

Today you travel through the wine 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´. Continue along the beautiful southern bank of the Cher to the castle of Villandry, with its gorgeous gardens. Here the modest Cher flows out in the broad Loire. 

Challenge: 49.7km, 421m ascent, 446m descent

 

Day 5:    Villandry - Saumur
64 km

Via the ‘Bec du Cher’ along the Loire to the Château of Ussé. From the high bank you have beautiful views of the river and its islands full of water birds. The landscape is unspoiled where the Indre flows out in the Loire. 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. 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: 63.6km, 554m ascent, 557m descent

 

Day 6:    Departure from Saumur

Breakfast marks the end of the trip. Have you got some time left, then visit the equestrian town of Saumur, the home base of the prestigious riding academy the Cadre Noir where the elite of French horsemen are trained. Enjoy the beautiful houses with their white tuffeau stone facades in the town centre and admire the proud castle and the many other beautiful classified monuments. 

 

Accommodation

All accommodations are carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. 

We choose comfortable 2*/3* hotels or B&Bs where all rooms have private en-suite bathrooms and every morning breakfasts 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).

Comfort
Hotel Escale Oceania *** (Orléans)
Hotel Anne de Bretagne *** (Blois)
Hotel Le Chaptal*** (Amboise)
Hôtel Auberge Le Colombien*** (Villandry)
Hôtel Auberge Le Colombien*** (Villandry)
Ibis Styles Saumur Gare Centre*** (Saumur)
Comfort +
Empreinte Hôtel**** (Orléans)
Empreinte Hôtel**** (Orléans)
Hôtel Mercure Blois Centre**** (Blois)
Hôtel Mercure Blois Centre**** (Blois)
Hôtel Le Clos d'Amboise**** (Amboise)
Hôtel Le Clos d'Amboise**** (Amboise)
Hôtel Auberge le Colombien*** (Villandry)
Hôtel Auberge le Colombien*** (Villandry)
Hôtel Anne d'Anjou**** (Saumur)
Hôtel Anne d'Anjou**** (Saumur)
Bike rental

If you don’t bring your own, you can rent a bicycle (hybrid or ebike) from us. You will find your rental bikes waiting for you at your first hotel. The hotel reception staff will give you the keys for your bikes and direct you to the bicycle shed. All bikes are provided with chain locks.  The frame and saddle height are set to your height, although you might want to adjust your saddle to be in the most comfortable position. We also recommend doing a first small test drive of couple of hundred meters to be comfortable with gears, brakes etc. If you have an issue with your bike, you can contact the service provider (name of bike rental in your reservation) directly. Or you can always call us on our emergency phone number.  

Our hybrid touring bikes are at least 21-speed gear. You can find all the information regarding our rental bikes below.

Experience the advantages of an electric bike on your cycling holiday, particularly when there's a significant gap in ability and experience among cyclists. An e-bike provides a gentle boost up hills, allowing you to easily keep pace with your companions. With a small electric motor and battery, e-bikes make bike trips more achievable, and their batteries can be conveniently charged at hotels. While you still need to pedal, the e-bike significantly reduces the effort required. Familiarity with e-bikes is advised due to their quicker acceleration and heavier build compared to regular bikes, attributed to the electric motor.

Instruction video hybrid bike and e-bike

Please note: Depending on the trip, different models apply

 

Our hybrid bikes have at least 21-gears with hand brakes. 

The hybrid bikes are very good quality. Depending the trip, different model apply: Scott, Giant, Trek, Koga, ...

 

Whenever there is a big difference in level of ability, experience the many benefits of an electric bike on your cycling holiday. An e-bike will help you keep up with your fellow cyclists and give you a gentle boost up hills. An e-bike makes a bike trip more achievable. The e-bikes have a small electric motor and battery, which can be charged at the hotels. You still have to pedal: it just makes pedaling much easier. Some experience with e-bikes is recommended, as the bikes accelerate faster and are heavier than regular bikes because of the electric motor.

The E-bikes are very good quality. Depending on the trip, different models apply: Scott, Giant, Trek, Koga, ...

 

For some trips, we can give you the possibility to rent a Racing bike, more details on request.

For some trips, we can give you the possibility to rent a Tandem bike, suitable for two adults only. More details on request.

For children who are at least 125 cm, we can also arrange bikes (these are 24”or 26” for children that are bigger than 140 cm). The child bikes come with at least 7-gears and hand brakes. The maximum body height for a child’s bike is 155 cm. 

Please note: for some tours, different models apply.

A tag-along bike is a good option for children between approx. 100 cm and 125 cm, as they can pedal themselves and at their own pace but don’t have to worry about other traffic.

The tag-along bikes cannot be rented for all our tours

Please note: depending the trip, different models apply.

Child trailers can be rented for a maximum of two children who are up to 100 cm (max. 35 KG in total).

Please note: for some tours, different models apply.

 

 

Bell

All our rental bikes come with a bell.


Brakes

All our adult bikes come with hand brakes. 


Childseat

For children older than 30 months (max. 22 kg) it is possible to rent a rear child seat. This is also possible with e-bikes.


GPS

For some tours, it is possible to rent a GPS device, more details on request.


Helmet

Helmets are not mandatory in France (if the cyclist is over 12 years old) but strongly recommended. The helmet is mandatory for children under 12 years. If you rent a bike with us, helmets are included. Please advise us, if you bring along your own.


Lights

All our rental bikes come with lights.


Locks

All our rental bikes come with a lock.


Pannier

All our rental bikes come with at least a rear pannier and with a handlebar bag to put a roadbook/map if you wish.


Pedals

The rental bikes come with regular pedals, so no click-in/SPD pedals. On request we are able to supply these pedals on certain trips. 
If you wish to bring your own click-in/SPD pedals, please let us know prior to booking too.


Quickrelease

All our bikes come with a quick release system, which makes it very easy to adjust the height of the saddle and the handle bars. 


Repairkit

There is one small puncture kit included, which can be found in the pannier. If a rental bike has another problem, we always advise you to go to a bike repair shop.


Saddle

Saddles can be adjusted in height.
Our saddles don’t come with a gel cover. If you usually cycle with this, we recommend you bring them with you.


Water bottles

French Bike Tours does not provide water bottles. We can also not guarantee that there are bottle holders on the bikes. You will always receive at least 1x pannier, so you can always store your water bottle in your pannier.


Article 1 Bike Rental Price

The bike rental price is determined by the rates mentioned on the French Bike Tours website at the time of the booking; or as subsequently agreed.

Article 2 Payment

a. The rental price and any other due sums regarding the rental agreement must be paid before the bike is handed over to you.

b. If, for whatever reason, you cannot make use of the bike(s) you have rented, French Bike Tours will not be held responsible for any resulting expenses or damage.

c. In the case of the article 2b, the client remains obliged to pay the full rental price and any other amounts mentioned in the invoice, in accordance with our General Terms and Conditions of Booking, unless the client can prove that his not being able to use the bike was the consequence of a defect that was already present at the beginning of the rental period.

Article 3 Rental Period

a. The rental period runs from the morning of the first cycling day (day 2) to the end of the holiday (last cycling day), as stated in the booking confirmation.

b. Extension of the rental period is possible only after approval by us and according to the (extension) rates as mentioned in article 1.

c. No refunds are possible after the rental period begins. If you return the bike(s) to us before the end of your holiday, the rental agreement will automatically be terminated and you will not get any of your money back.

d. At the end of the last cycling day of your holiday, the bike(s) must be returned to the hotel from where it was/they were issued, no later than the time stated in the booking confirmation.
If you book a one way tour tour you can leave the bike at the last hotel of the trip. 

e. If the bike(s) is /are not returned by the return time stated in the booking confirmation, we will continue to charge you rent until such time as the bike(s) is/are returned to us or is/are received by us. In the event of late return, the rates as mentioned in article 1 will continue to apply, plus a fine of €25 per day. We also reserve the right to demand payment for any costs and/or damages suffered by us due to late return of our rental bike(s).

f. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, in the event of late return of our rental bikes, we reserve the right to dissolve the rental agreement without judicial intervention and immediately claim back our bicycles where ever they may be and from whomever has them. French Bike Tours also holds this right in the event that the client does not comply with any of the other conditions stated in this rental agreement.

Article 4 Improper Use

a. The bicycle(s) may only be used for its/their intended purpose and only by the cyclists listed in the rental agreement.

b. The bike(s) must be returned to us in the same (clean!) state in which you received it/them.

c. You must take excellent care of the bicycle(s), as if it/they were your own. You must take every precaution against damage, loss or theft.

d. The bicycle may not be used on the beach; or on sandy paths in the dunes unless a paved path is unavailable.

Article 5 Damage, Loss and Theft

The renter will be held responsible for damages to or loss of the bicycle(s) or parts of it, as well as bicycle keys and chains and locks, for such an amount as is determined by us according to standard market prices. You must understand that you are not insured for damage to the bicycle(s) or for any damages to third parties.

Article 6 Costs During the Rental Period

Any charges and taxes regarding the rental bicycle(s), such as fines and ferry tickets, are to be paid by you. You will also be required to pay all costs ensuing from the use of the bicycle(s) such as parking fees, maintenance and repairs. 

Practical info

5 Nights included

2/3 Star Hotels 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 informations on request

We will supply the directions of this trip with a personalized code which gives you access to our travel App.

Arrival info

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 Orléans, see below.

You can get to Orléans 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 Orléans (approx. 1h45 - 135 km/80 mi). Acces to driving routes see the website ViaMichelin.

Reviews

14-08-2024


Ankur ANKUR - US

01-09-2023


Mark HIGGINS - GB

01-09-2023

Trip was amazing and very easy to follow. Most of the hotels were first class. Only exception was the Red Horse in Villandry. 

Mark H.

10-08-2019

My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our cycling trip in the Loire (France) last year. I highly recommend French Bike Tours, clear communication and good accommodations. Robbert Ter Heegde

Comfort Comfort +
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