The Loire Valley, from Orléans to Nantes

It is the ideal gateway to discover the Loire à Vélo! Gate of the prestigious Loire Valley and former capital of medieval France, Orleans is also a modern and lively city. With its tramway, car-free spaces and pedestrian streets, the city today deliberately plays the card of soft traffic. On foot or by bike, take the time to stroll through its streets steeped in history, including the unmistakable, Joan of Arc.
Night in 3* hotel.

This first step is as easy as it is pleasant!

Your evening stage is at Beaugency. Very nicely restored, decorated with small squares, rich of a historical inheritance consequent (abbey, castle, dungeon, fortified doors from XIth to XVth century), and refreshed, in low city, of a very photogenic stream, the small town constitutes a first step of choice on the route of the Loire by bike.
Night in 3* hotel.
About 30km

Very fast, this stage quickly passes from the department of Loiret to that of Loir-et-Cher. It invites you to go and relax in the Country of Castles by bike and offers fans all possible historical tours and detours. To Chambord first, but also Villesavin, Cheverny, Beauregard and some other "jewels" of the Loire crown.

Night in 3* hotel.

Between 35 and 45km, depending on the chosen option.

Today you leave Blois, following the forest, the vineyards and the river. On your route you can visit the castle of Chaumont-sur-Loire and its gardens dedicated to contemporary art. By following your guide: the Loire! It will take you to Amboise where your hotel is for the night. If you arrive early in Amboise, you can visit its castles, especially Clos Lucé, the castle where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life. Turned into a museum, the castle of Clos Lucée will make you penetrate in the captivating universe of the genius. Take a look at his work and you may deduce that he invented ... the bicycle!
Night in 4* hotel.
About 45 km

This short section of the Loire by bike has the advantage of leaving time to time. For those who have not visited one of the "monuments" of Amboise, be it the castle overlooking the city or the Clos-Lucé, which reveals the genius of Leonardo da Vinci pedaling the first ... You will then take a part of the path of Saint Jacques de Compostela where you will have the opportunity to discover an unusual aquarium and admire the nature of the island of Métairie and troglodyte houses of Rochecorbon in the background. You will finally arrive in Tours where you will spend your night, in a 4* hotel.
About 30km

This stage combines all the assets that we can dream to find in the Loire Valley, whether in terms of landscapes or tourist attractions. You will discover Villandry and its famous French gardens, one of the most majestic castles in the Loire Valley, set on the water ... ... You will then move away from the Cher crossing the orchards to reach Azay-le -Rideau.
Night in a 3* hotel.
About 35km

Fairy step of this day: the castles, starting with the medieval castle of Langeais then continuing with that of Sleeping Beauty in Rigny-Ussé. Subsequently and along one of the most beautiful escapades on the wild Loire, You will win your evening accommodation in the heart of the famous medieval city: Chinon with its famous castle where you will also have the opportunity to test what makes the city famous, its wine.
Night in a 3* hotel.
About 40km

A stage of incomparable richness between two regions, Touraine and Anjou. Out of Chinon, its castle and its vineyards, you will pass, at the confluence of the Vienne and the Loire, in front of the "postcard" decoration of Candes-Saint-Martin, labeled among one of the most beautiful villages of France. You will also see the impressive Abbey of Fontevraud founded in the 12th century where you can make a pleasant stop before climbing on the slopes of the river. You will then follow the Loire to Saumur the beautiful, also called the "Pearl of Anjou".
Night in a 4* hotel.
About 35km

A short and quiet day that will give you time to visit, before leaving, the castle and the lively alleys of old Saumur. Then taste the charms of a riverside course blooming good Angevin sweetness and inviting a few epicurean stops along the banks. Arrival in Gennes and offers a rhythm of life of the most relaxing and is a welcome stop for the evening.
Night in a charming Bed & breakfast.
About 20km

A cycling route with no particular difficulty, which will give you time to fully enjoy the treasures of the Loire Valley heritage. Along this route, it is an old abbey (Saint-Maur) or small villages along the Loire (Saint-Rémy-la-Varenne, Saint-Mathurin ...) that will be the curiosities of the day. Then, from La Daguenière to the center of Angers, it is in the world of old slate Trélazé that the last lengths of this stage are closed.
Night in a 4* hotel.
About 40km.

A superb stage that first along the banks of the Maine to find the Loire left at the end of the previous course. You will ride a bike in an authentic Loire, fishermen and sailors that you meet over the water. Starting with Savennières and the island facing it, Béhuard. Continuation of the walk by the Possonnière, then Chalonnes-sur-Loire, old port with heavy traffic at the time of the sailing navy. At the end of the route, the route takes the island of Chalonnes from one end to the other before reaching the quays, also very active formerly, the river port of Montjean, your evening step, in a 4* hotel.

About 40km

The sinuous day's route through the lowlands of the left bank, before finding the river at the height of Ancenis! A step less "fluvial" but just as rolling, also rich in landscapes and historical references. All under the eyes of the last Loire fishermen in Saint-Florent-le-Vieil in a parade of islands and sandbanks ... Arrival in Ancenis, your evening stage, under the eyes of the statue of the poet Du Bellay where this one was born.
Night in a 4* hotel.
About 35km

For your last day cycling, start in the most beautiful way by joining the charming city of Oudon and its imposing dungeon overlooking the city. Direction then the south bank to join Champtoceaux, old medieval fortress, offering a breathtaking view on the Loire. Back on the right bank, the shaded and linear bike path to Nantes, the city of the Dukes, before ending in front of the impressive castle of the Dukes of Brittany, in the historic center of Nantes.
Night in a 4* hotel.
About 35km

Your tour ends after the breakfast.