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8 days
Daily Tour
14 people
English
Discover the Loire Valley by bike, the heart of the French Renaissance and a UNESCO World Heritage landscape. Known as the “Garden of France,” the Loire Valley combines magnificent castles, historic mansions, vineyards, charming villages and beautiful cycling routes.
Cycle through a land of more than 300 castles, explore the spectacular Château de Chambord and Château de Chenonceau, and enjoy the region’s renowned gardens, vineyards and local cuisine. Along the way, discover French specialties such as Sandre au beurre blanc, regional cheeses, fine Loire wines and the famous Tarte Tatin.
Highlights of this cycling tour in the Loire Valley include:
A Loire Valley cycling holiday is the perfect combination of active travel, French culture, history, gastronomy and nature. Bon voyage!
Individual arrival in Orléans, the historic hometown of Joan of Arc. Take time to explore the city before your cycling holiday through the Loire Valley begins.
Accommodation: Hotel
Your cycling tour begins along the Loire, following a combination of dedicated cycle paths and quiet country roads. After visiting the charming town of Meung-sur-Loire, continue to Beaugency, known for its beautiful medieval historic centre and the Château Dunois.
The route then leads through a fascinating landscape shaped by water, nature and centuries of culture. Your destination is Saint-Dyé, a picturesque former river port on the Loire and an ideal place to experience the authentic character of the region.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Cycling distance: 50 km
Elevation gain: +230–245 m
Today’s cycling route takes you through the magnificent park surrounding Château de Chambord and along the edge of the Boulogne Forest. Enjoy the peaceful scenery and impressive landscapes of the Loire Valley before continuing towards Blois.
Cross the Loire via its beautiful historic bridge, where you can already see the distinctive skyline of Blois and its famous château. The route combines scenic cycling, French history and some of the Loire Valley’s most remarkable architectural treasures.
The steeples of the abbey and the Cathedral of St. Louis stand out above the city skyline. A shorter 25 km version of the route is also possible.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Cycling distance: 40 km
Elevation gain: +310 m
After exploring Blois and its impressive château, continue your cycling tour along the Loire River. Along the route, you can visit Château de Chaumont, spectacularly situated on a hill overlooking the river.
Arriving in Amboise, be sure to visit the historic house where Leonardo da Vinci spent the final years of his life. The combination of riverside scenery, Renaissance heritage and charming French towns makes this a memorable stage of your Loire Valley cycling holiday.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Cycling distance: 45 km
Elevation gain: +285–310 m
After crossing the beautiful Amboise Forest, cycle towards Chenonceau and its famous château, often known as the “Castle of the Three Ladies.” Continue along the Cher River towards Tours.
You can also choose to stop at Château de Nitray and explore its renowned wine cellars. A shorter 30 km route is available, although this alternative does not pass through Chenonceau.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Cycling distance: 50 km
Elevation gain: +355–370 m
Cycle between the Loire and Cher rivers to Château de Villandry, famous for its magnificent ornamental gardens. Following the Loire, you reach the historic town of Langeais, an ideal place for a break.
Before arriving in Chinon, continue to Château d’Ussé, the fairytale castle said to have inspired the story of Sleeping Beauty. This scenic stage combines cycling through the Loire Valley with some of the region’s most famous castles and gardens.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Cycling distance: 55 km
Elevation gain: +315–330 m
The cycling tour continues along quiet country roads beyond the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers. Ride through Savigny-en-Véron and discover the beautiful village of Candes-Saint-Martin.
A few kilometres further on, Château de Montsoreau offers wonderful views across the surrounding landscape towards Fontevraud Abbey. Your final destination is Saumur, known as the “Pearl of Anjou,” with its impressive château, historic centre and elegant riverside setting.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Cycling distance: 35 km
Elevation gain: +290 m
Breakfast and individual departure from Saumur, marking the end of your cycling holiday through the Loire Valley.
Meals: Breakfast
Depending on your chosen category, you will stay in carefully selected hotels:
Category Gold: 3- and 4-star hotels*
Category Silver: Mostly 3-star hotels, with one family-run 2-star hotel*
* French hotel classification.
All rooms have private en-suite facilities. Please note that some hotels may offer rooms without air conditioning.
The following bikes are available for this cycling tour. All rental bikes include insurance against theft and irreparable damage.
The bikes are comfortable, reliable and smooth-riding, carefully selected to suit both the route and the rider. Our mechanics assemble and thoroughly service each bike at our headquarters or at the nearest operations base.
The bikes are available in different sizes and frame options:
Bike features:
All rented adult bikes are equipped with:
Helmets can also be rented when booking. They are suitable for head circumferences of 58–61 cm and comply with the DIN EN 1078 (CE) European safety standard.
We recommend bringing your own reusable water bottle. It is a practical and sustainable choice for your cycling holiday.
For comfortable navigation with our app, we recommend bringing a smartphone holder for the handlebars and a power bank. The app can also be used offline, but a power bank is useful for longer cycling stages.
For additional comfort while cycling, you may also want to bring your own gel saddle cover. Our bicycle saddles are approximately 17.8 cm (7 inches) wide.
Day 2: Orléans – Saint-Dyé and Surroundings
50 km | +230 m / -245 m
Today’s cycling stage follows the Loire from beautiful Orléans, using scenic cycle paths through the countryside and small villages. The varied route and quiet roads with little traffic make this a pleasant and relatively easy ride, with plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the surroundings.
Day 3: Saint-Dyé and Surroundings – Blois
40 km / 25 km | +310 m / -310 m | +150 m / -150 m
An exciting and scenic cycling route with the main challenge being several unpaved sections. These quieter roads allow you to enjoy the peaceful countryside and ride almost completely away from traffic.
Day 4: Blois – Amboise
45 km | +285 m / -310 m
The first part of the route follows the left bank of the Loire. Later, the route leaves the river and continues through the countryside, with several short climbs around Chailles, Mosnes and near Amboise.
Day 5: Amboise – Tours
50 km | +355 m / -370 m
A beautiful and varied cycling route. The main traffic-related challenge is leaving Amboise towards the junction for Chenonceaux, with a straight section through the forest where cars can travel at higher speeds.
The morning includes some climbs towards Chenonceaux, followed by a predominantly flat route. Much of the ride follows the Cher on quiet dirt roads, keeping traffic to a minimum. Near Véretz, the route returns to paved roads and includes the final climb of the day, approximately 500 metres long.
Day 6: Tours – Chinon
55 km | +315 m / -330 m
Continue cycling along the Loire through a varied landscape. Near Langeais, a short 500-metre section on cobbled roads makes this part of the route more demanding. Around Château d’Ussé, you will encounter the only significant climbs of the day.
Day 7: Chinon – Saumur
35 km | +290 m / -290 m
The first part of the route is relatively flat and easy, following quiet cycle paths and small country roads. After Candes-Saint-Martin, the route becomes more challenging, with several climbs, some of them quite steep, alternating with flatter sections.
This is a week-long cycling holiday of medium difficulty, with daily stages of approximately 50 km. The routes are generally manageable, although some hilly sections require a good level of physical fitness. Most of the cycling takes place on dedicated bike paths and quiet, low-traffic paved roads, with some shorter sections on unpaved roads.
For organisational reasons, weather conditions or requirements issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be changed before or during your cycling holiday. Temporary diversions, for example due to roadworks, may occur without prior notice. In such cases, please follow the directions and information provided locally.
If you are vegetarian or vegan, gluten-intolerant, allergic to specific ingredients or substances, or have any other dietary requirements, please indicate this when booking. We will pass the information on to the hotels, although we cannot guarantee that every dietary request can be accommodated.
Special dietary products, particularly gluten-free food, may not always be readily available along the route. We therefore recommend bringing suitable snacks with you as a precaution.
We strongly recommend taking out suitable travel insurance covering tour cancellation, accidents, luggage loss or damage, and medical expenses including repatriation.
Insurance is not included in the tour package.
Price per person in a single room (SGL): €1,220 / €1,370
Price per person in a double/twin room (DBL/TWN): €820 / €950
Additional person sharing a room: €700 / €800
Orléans
Saumur
Saumur – Orléans: Available Saturdays only, minimum 2 people.
Accommodation
Meals
Luggage Transfer
Tour Information
Before departure, you will receive by email:
Luggage labels will be available at the first hotel upon arrival.
Assistance
Round Trip
To Be Paid Locally
We warmly welcome cycling enthusiasts from Norway, the Netherlands, USA, Poland, Italy, Switzerland and across Europe and the world. Whether you are travelling as a couple, with friends or as a group, discover northern Italy on a cycling holiday combining Alpine scenery, Italian culture and the freedom of travelling at your own pace.
Hjertelig velkommen – Varmt välkommen – Hjertelig velkommen – Sydämellisesti tervetuloa – Serdecznie witamy – Bienvenue – Hartelijk welkom – Bienvenuti – Un caloroso benvenuto – A warm and hearty welcome – Srdečně vítáme – Szívélyes üdvözlet – Srdačno dobrodošli – Topel dobrodošli – Bun venit călduros – Kalósorisma – Kordialmente bonbini – Herzlich willkommen – A warm American welcome
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