Loire Valley by bike – Selection version

Discover the royal city of Blois. Each chateau has its own history, its kings and its symbols. The chateau of Blois mixes the porcupine, the emblem of Louis XII, with the salamander of François 1er. It is a true architectural panorama with its 4 wings of different styles gathered around the courtyard. Check-in in a hotel on B&B formula.

Hop on your bike and over to reach Cheverny. The cartoonist Hergé freely borrowed from it to create the Marlinspike chateau in the adventures of Tintin. Then, continue to roll over the jewel of the Loire Valley : Chambord. Nestled in a park of over 5,000 acres, this masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, designed by King François 1er, beckons you. The famous double staircase takes you out onto the terraces, under a forest of chimneys. You might be lucky to spot a herd of deer on the road… Spend the night in Blois in a hotel.

Follow the banks of the Loire to reach the chateau of Chaumont sur Loire and its gardens. The chateau terraces offer one of the most beautiful views of the untamed Loire. You can admire the estate gardens, designed each year by landscape artists coming from around the world. Continue on your way towards Chenonceau, momentarily leaving the Loire for one of its tributaries, the Cher. The "Ladies’ Chateau» is in fact inseparable from the river it spans. Walk through gardens that bear the footmarks of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici. Spend the night in Chenonceaux.

Join the banks of the Loire again in Amboise. The royal chateau of Charles VIII and François 1er overlooks the landscape. Visit the Clos Lucé as well, the last home of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest minds of the Renaissance. Tours welcomes you with its old neighborhoods, whose center is located on the famous Place Plum, a favorite of the citizens of Tours. Don’t forget to sample the local cuisine in one of the city’s many taverns: a Loire fry-up or pike with beurre blanc accompanied by a nice glass of chilled wine are calling your name! Spend the night Tours in a hotel.

Temporarily leave the Loire to reach the banks of the Cher. Villandry awaits you and invites you to its terraced gardens with three levels. Then leave the Cher behind to reach a chateau built on an island on the Indre : Azay le Rideau. Head back to the Loire again to discover the chateau of Rigny-Ussé, also known as the Castle of Sleeping Beauty, which looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale. Head south towards Chinon, riding through the famous AOC classified vineyards to reach the 12th century chateau, which housed private meetings with Joan of Arc and Charles VII. Feel free to sample some local wines, whose qualities Rabelais was already praising in the sixteenth century. Spend the night in Chinon.

After this Epicurean leg of the tour, hop on your bike and set off to discover Fontevraud and its royal abbey, one of the largest in Europe. Founded in 1101, the abbey was transformed over the centuries into a monastic estate, and then progressively into a prison estate. You will also discover the troglodyte caves of the cliff, which you follow to arrive at Saumur, which sits at the foot of its towering and majestic chateau... You are in the riding capital, do not hesistate to have a look on the famous Cadre Noir de Saumur. Then, you can sample the famous Saumur Brut in one of the city’s many troglodyte caves, where you will be overwhelmed by an abundance of choice! Spend the night in Saumur.

Leave Saumur and follow the left bank of the Loire. The architectural heritage is rich there and invites you to go back in time: the Romanesque donjon and church of Treves, the monastery in Cunault, the Gallo-Roman amphitheater of Gennes ... Continue your road on the “levee” and do not forget to stop for a break in the beautiful village of Thoureil: this old barge port is still home to some typical taverns. Now cross over to the other bank and ride through ancient marshes reclaimed from the Loire thanks to the famous levees. Exit the royal river and take the ferry to cross the Authion, where will you pass by the impressive slate quarries of Trélazé. Now you are in Angers, with its imposing bicolored chateau overlooking the Maine.
End of the trip.