Guided Castles of the Loire

Day 1: Arrival to Angers
Day 2: Angers - Saumur, 24 mi. (39 km)
Day 3: Saumur - Beaumont-en-Veron, 32 mi. (52 km)
Day 4: Beaumont - Azay-le-Rideau, 27 mi. (44 km)
Day 5: Azay-le-Rideau - Chenonceaux, 21 mi. (34 km)
Day 6: Chenonceaux - St. Dye su Loire, 30 mi. (48 km)
Day 7: Roundtrip Sologne, 24 mi. (38 km)
Day 8: St. Dye-sur-Loire - Orléans, 5 mi. (8 km) and departure

All distances are approximate. Due to circumstances beyond control, such as weather conditions or provisions issued by the local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during your holiday. For example, along the way, you may find temporary deviations/detours caused by roadwork not reflected in your route book or GPS tracks. In this case, please follow the directions posted locally.

Day 1: Arrival to Angers
Arrival on Saturday in Angers. Your room will be available at 2 pm at the Best Western Plus Hotel d’Anjou, near the railroad station. Spend the afternoon strolling around the old city - declared a UNESCO world heritage site - and along the Maine River.

     Accommodation: Best Western Plus Hotel d'Anjou

Day 2: Angers - Saumur, 24 miles (39 km)
A short walk will bring you to the medieval defensive castle of Angers, which houses the world-famous tapestry series depicting the "Apocalypse of St. John". Starting the bike tour nine miles outside the town, you will follow along quiet and peaceful routes near the Loire River. In the early afternoon, you will arrive in the village of Cunault, with an unexpectedly large Romanesque church. An hour further lies Saumur, famous for the National Horse Riding School and the breed of noble horses. With luck, you will see some officers and horses at work. On the last kilometers to Saumur, also known for its aromatic red wines and Crémants, you will certainly be attracted by Tuffeaux caves, the city's former quarries, now used as wine cellars or for the cultivation of mushrooms, but also as apartments and restaurants. You will have dinner in one of the town's best restaurants.

     Accommodation: Hotel St. Pierre

Day 3: Saumur - Beaumont-en-Veron, 32 miles (52 km)
After breakfast, you will take a walk through the historic center to Saumur castle. Since the partial collapse of its walls, it has been under meticulous restoration and can only be admired from the outside. From the castle hill, you will cycle to Fontevraud Abbey, where the Plantagenet kings, among them Henrich II. and Eleonore of Aquitania, found their last resting-place. Also noteworthy is the "Tour d'Evraud", a kitchen edifice that masterfully combines practical and artistic considerations. In the afternoon, you reach Chinon, the birthplace of Rabelais, which has admirably maintained its medieval character. The fortress complex is a site of great historical importance to the French as it was the stage for the meeting of Joan of Arc and Charles VII.  Your accommodation is nestled in the vineyards which produce the famous Chinon red wine.

     Accommodation: Manoir de la Giraudière

Day 4: Beaumont - Azay-le-Rideau, 27 miles (44 km)
Cycling along quiet country roads and forest paths, you travel along the wide valley of the Loire and Indre rivers. Today's first sightseeing objective is the fairy-tale Castle of Ussé (visit from the outside) with its numerous towers and turrets. Following the Loire river, you are soon in Langeais. Before visiting this castle, where the marriage between Anne de Bretagne and Charles VIII took place, it is a must to savor the chocolate at Langeais' famous confectionary. After an hour on the bikes, the "day of castles" ends with a guided tour of one of the jewels among the royal edifices in the Loire valley, the castle of Azay-le-Rideau. 

      Accommodation: Le Grand Monarque

Day 5: Azay-le-Rideau - Chenonceaux, 21 miles (34 km)
After a short climb, the route leads past orchards and extended forest areas along the river Loire to Villandry. You will visit the famous gardens of the castle which have regained their original Renaissance appearance only at the end of the 19th-century. From here, you will take a cab to Amboise. The castle here was initiated according to the Italian Renaissance through Charles VIII and completed by Francis I. After lunch, you will visit Clos Lucé, the last domain of Leonardo da Vinci. You will pass a primary hilly route and get through forests before reaching the Hotel Du Bon Laboureur, a Relais de Silence-hotel with the best cuisine and a swimming pool. The exquisite restaurant has been awarded a star from the Guide Michelin.

     Accommodation: Hotel Du Bon Laboureur

Day 6: Chenonceaux - St. Dye su Loire, 30 miles (48 km)
In the morning, you will walk through the enchanting castle complex of Chenonceau, beautifully straddling the river Cher. Legendary among the castles of the Loire valley, its destiny was primarily determined by females, earning it the nickname, "Castle of the Six Women". During the Enlightenment, Chenonceau found new life through visits by Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau, who sang the praises of its hospitality. A short transfer takes you to a height above Montrichard where you will mount your bike. The village is located on the banks of the Cher river and home to one of the largest defensive towers in France. Lovely paths through fields and forests lead you to the next castle: Blois, the "Versailles of the Renaissance". It was the showplace of intrigues and political influence in the Middle Ages. A taxi takes you the rest of the way to the superbly situated Manoir Bel Air, renowned for its excellent cuisine, where you will spend the last two nights of the tour.

     Accommodation: Manoir Bel Air

Day 7: Sologne, 24 miles (38 km)
After breakfast, you will cycle through the northern part of the varied landscape of the Sologne region. The lonely path leads along isolated moorland, lakes as well as deciduous and pine forests, hiding a labyrinth of over 3000 ponds, a preferred nesting area for ducks, egrets, and snipes. In this unspoiled nature, you will cycle past quaint villages with thatched-roof or red-brick houses. Hunting parties are still a tradition, their origin leading back to the Second Empire (1852-1870) when 340 hunting lodges had been built for the purpose. In the afternoon, the route leads to Chambord, the crowning glory of the Loire Castles. Charles V considered it "the embodiment of what human art can create". Even the approach to Chambord is striking. The exquisite cuisine tonight provides an appropriate finish to your Loire experience.

     Accommodation: Manoir Bel Air

Day 8: St. Dye-sur-Loire - Orléans, 5 miles (8 km) and departure
In the morning, you will cycle through the floodplains of the Loire River to the railroad station of the Mer Village. If you prefer not to cycle the five miles on the day of your trip home, we will arrange for a transfer. A suburban train takes 30 minutes to arrive to Orléans. In this city, Joan of Arc's triumphal procession over the English power started with the end of the siege of Orléans on the 8th of May 1429. This date is synonymous with the awakening of the French national consciousness. On a stroll through the historic center, you will visit the mighty cathedral Ste Croix, the house of Joan of Arc, and Place de Martoi with the famous monument dedicated to the "Virgin of Orléans". About noon, the trip comes to an end at Orleans train station. By train, you can reach Paris Airport Roissy CDG in two hours with one change. Alternatively, we can arrange a private transfer to the airport (price on request).

Looking for more?  View all our featured bike trips, specials, and news or look at our full list of bike tours in Europe.

Accommodations

You will stay 7-nights in good to very good 3 and 4 hotels and inns.

Bicycles

Touring Bike

Relaxed upright cycling position

• Alloy frame
• Flat handlebar
• Enviolo NuVinci Optimized - stepless transmission
• Gear span comparative to an 18-gear bike
• Flat pedal
• Shimano V Brakes
• Saddle bags