Cycling Tour Loire Valley

Itinerary Details

1. Day 1Arrival

   After collection from Tours airport or TGV station (Saint-Pierre-des-Corps), you will arrive at your hotel in the centre of Azay-le-Rideau, a  short stroll away from the Renaissance castle with its moat and elegant gardens. Early arrivals can warm up with an optional ride to the nearby Ferme des Goupillières, a troglodyte farm dating from medieval times but still in use in the last century. The underground dwellings were used as protection from marauding bandits after the wars that swept through medieval France. After exploring the village or relaxing at a bar or café, you can enjoy the first of many wonderful dinners and look forward to a fantastic week of cycling.
   

   • Hotel in the centre of Azay-le-Rideau
   • Dinner
2. Day 2Riverside riding to Tours

   Your first day in the saddle is a tale of three rivers as the route takes you along the Indre, Loire and Cher into Tours. On the way, you will take in three of the region’s most celebrated châteaux. Cycling downstream along the Indre, you will arrive at the Château d’Ussé, also known as the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ castle, as it was the inspiration for Pérrault’s fairy tale. After a coffee stop you will join the Loire, following the river upstream on a levée (raised embankment) for the next few miles, then (as an optional excursion) you will cross the  Loire to visit Langeais with its imposing château. After lunch, you will follow the Cher to the  Château de Villandry to see its fabulous ornamental gardens, differently themed each year, and laid out with geometric precision in fruit, herbs and vegetables. It is hard to imagine that peppers, leeks and aubergines could put on such a beautiful display. From here it a  short riverside ride to your château hôtel on the outskirts of Tours.
   

   • 32.3 miles
   • Château hôtel on the outskirts of Tours
   • Breakfast and Dinner
3. Day 3From Tours to Amboise

   This morning takes you through Tours on riverside cycle paths, and then out into the Touraine countryside. The route then takes you to the village of Cormery with its Abbey, founded in 791, and home to an excellent restaurant for a lunch stop. Back on the road, you will pass through the village of Azay-sur-Cher before entering the Amboise forest, continuing along one of the arrow-straight forest drives created for the royal hunting parties. A short descent takes you into Amboise, where your hotel for the next two nights, a 15th-century manor house, awaits. Amboise itself clusters around a stunning medieval château overlooking the river and your hotel is just around the corner in the old town. The town has good shopping if you are after something special to take home as a souvenir, including the famous chocolaterie Bigot – but  you will need to be made of stern stuff not to sample its delights while you’re here!
   

   • 32.3 miles
   • Hotel in Amboise old town
   • Breakfast and Dinner
4. Day 4Amboise Loop

   You will stay in Amboise this evening, so today you will ride a loop to visit perhaps the most beautiful château in the Loire Valley. You will climb into the Amboise forest before descending into the valley of the Cher to arrive at Chenonceaux. One of the highlights of the tour, the stunning Château de Chenonceau (it loses the final ‘x’ of the village for some reason!) was given by Henri II of France to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. With its graceful arches spanning the river Cher, it is the most visited château of the  Loire, and it is truly unforgettable. After lunch, there is the option to return to Amboise to spend the afternoon, or for the more energetic to visit elegant Château de Montpoupon. The castle is home to one of France's foremost hunts; the grounds house is a fascinating museum of hunting, and the kitchens and stables give an insight into daily life of the gentry and servants in the 18th century. Another shorter option is to visit the Monmousseau winery where the sparkling wine is stored in kilometres of underground passages. Back in Amboise, you will visit a fine restaurant for dinner. Today’s ride is 34 km/21mi (short option), or 59 km/36 mi (with Montpoupon loop).
   

   • 21.1 miles
   • Hotel in Amboise old town
   • Breakfast and Dinner
5. Day 5Biking to Cours-Cheverney

   Leaving Amboise, you will stop off to visit Clos-Lucé, the home of Leonardo da Vinci. As well as drawings and designs, this fascinating museum includes several life-size reconstructions of what these sketches would be like had they been made. Leaving Clos-Lucé you will head across the rich and fertile heartlands of the ‘Jardin de France’ to the Château de Chaumont. On the death of Henri II, Diane de Poitiers was forced by his widow to take this château in exchange for her beloved Chenonceau — see who you think got the best deal! If you fancy a change from medieval brickwork, Chaumont is also host every summer to an internationally renowned Garden Festival where areas of the grounds are laid out in different themes — the inventiveness knows no bounds. After lunch, you will come to your château hotel near the village of Cours-Cheverney. The wonderful hotel has extensive grounds for a  pre-dinner stroll or maybe visit a local winery for a dégustation.
   

   • 32.3 miles
   • Château hotel near the village of Cours-Cheverney
   • Breakfast and Dinner
6. Day 6A ride of two chateaux

   You will visit two châteaux today: the first, Cheverney, has truly impressive interiors with period furniture, tapestries and paintings all intact. A  feature of the château is the pack of hunting dogs still kept there – a  highlight of the visit is watching the feeding of the hounds. The second château is also the largest and possibly the most impressive – Chambord. Having taken 15 years to build in the 16th century, it is surrounded by a vast hunting park teeming with wildlife. The interior is just as impressive, dominated by the  ‘double helix’ staircase on which two people can ascend and descend at the same time, yet never meet. Most of the day’s 53 km (32 mi) of cycling is on the well-maintained forest trails of the royal hunting parks. You will return to the hotel, maybe taking a dip in the pool, before the final dinner of a memorable week.
   

   • 32.9 miles
   • Hotel in Cours-Cheverney
   • Breakfast and Dinner

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     Chateau de Chambord

     On day 6 you'll visit this magnificent medieval chateau, a UNESCO heritage site and a beautiful sight to behold

7. Day 7Departure

   After breakfast, take the opportunity to swap numbers and emails before you are taken to your onward connection.
   

   • Breakfast