Explore the natural and architectural magnificence of the Loire Valley

Between the 13th and the 16th Centuries, French royalty built a spellbinding collection of beautiful Renaissance chateaux. On this bicycle tour of the verdant Loire Valley, you will visit the spectacular Chateau Chambord - the largest of the Loire Valley chateaux - built by Francois I and boasting a spectacular staircase thought to be designed by Leonardo da Vinci. You'll visit Chenonceau, the former divine dwelling place of Diane of Poitiers, Henry II's mistress. Henry's mistress, Catherine de Medici, would evict Diane from the property before building the iconic ballroom across the River Cher.

These chateaux are stunning and the itinerary of visits is wonderful, accompanied by sumptuous food, delicate wines, and an exploration of a valley famed for its astonishing natural beauty.

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Highlights

• Château de Chambord, with a staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci

• Château de Chenonceau, the former home of Henry II's mistress

• Chateau Chaumont (and its International Garden Festival)

• The Royal Chateau of Blois

• The Royal Abbey at Fontevraud, once home to many French queens

• Château d'Ussé (inspiration for Sleeping Beauty)

• The Royal Chateau of Amboise

• Château d'Azay-le-Rideau

• Villandry and its beautiful gardens

• The Indre Valley, with its charming villages

• The last home of Leonardo da Vinci at Clos-Luce

Learn More

Interested in adding to your itinerary? Take a look at our cycling day tours in the Loire Valley.

Daily program

Day 1: The Garden of France and The Valley of Kings
We arrive at our hotel in Chinon in the afternoon. We stay at the Hotel de France in the heart of this beautiful medieval city, overlooking the Place du Général de Gaulle where you can relax in any of the many pavement bars and cafes.

In the 12th Century Chinon was effectively the English capital as successive Kings made their home in the château. It is much older than most Loire château, and its military purpose is obvious from its commanding position along the ridge that overlooks the medieval town of Chinon.

Overnight in Chinon.

Day 2: The Loire, vineyards and a beautiful Royal Abbey (25 miles/39 km)
We leave Chinon along the banks of the River Vienne, and make our way to the Royal Abbey at Fontevraud. This huge Abbey was traditionally the home of many French Queens, but is most famous as the resting place of Henry II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son Richard the Lionheart. King John I’s wife, Isabelle of Angouleme, also lies with them, but is a bit less famous.

From Fontevraud we’ll go downhill to Montsoreau where the Vienne enters the River Loire. We’ll cross the Vienne, and cycle along the opposite bank back into Chinon.

Overnight in Chinon.

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Day 3: Chinon, Sleeping Beauty’s Chateau and the Gardens of Villandry (33 miles/52 km)
We start today with a tour of the castle of Chinon. As well as home to English Kings, the castle contains the tower where Joan of Arc ‘heard the voices’ telling her she would be granted an army to relieve the siege of Orléans.

We leave the Vienne and continue our cycling tour back towards the Indre and the Loire. Overlooking the Indre is the first of the big-league château, Château Ussé, the inspiration for Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty.

Next on our hit-list is Villandry, an unexceptional château, but with gardens that Michelin rate as a 3*** attraction - 'worth a journey in their own right'. There are three gardens - a vegetable garden, a flower garden and a water garden. Each year the gardening team choose a theme and tell a story in flowers. Villandry is really something, and not to be missed.

Finally today we cycle the 11 km or so to Azay-le-Rideau, another member of the Premier League of Loire Châteaux. Azay-le-Rideau is surrounded on three sides by the River Indre, which has been carefully landscaped to provide a beautiful reflective setting for this ornate château.

There was no military purpose to Azay-le-Rideau, it was just designed to be beautiful, and it is. Tonight we stay at the Hotel des Chateaux, on the outskirts of Azay-le-Rideau a short stroll from the town.

Overnight at Hotel des Châteaux, on the outskirts of Azay-le-Rideau.

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Day 4: The Indre Valley (36 miles/57 km)
We start the day with a visit to the château of Azay-le-Rideau on the river Indre, and finish in the medieval Cité Royale of Loches, on the Indre, where sits the Donjon of Loches. A donjon is a fortress and this place is very obviously built for function rather than form.

In between we cycle over the beautiful rolling farmland of the river Indre, acclaimed as the most beautiful landscape of all the rivers of the Loire Valley.

We’re spending two nights in Loches, so no need to strain ourselves getting to the Cité Royale today, we’ll have a leisurely arrival into Loches and Le George Hotel.

Overnight in Loches.

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Day 5: Loches
This morning we’ll stroll up to the Cité Royale. It’s wonderful. Inside the City is the Chateau, and a much older Donjon. This is the Chateau where Joan of Arc, after breaking the siege of Orléans, told the future Charles VII of France that he must go to Reims, seize the crown of France and ‘boot the English out of France’. This was the turning point of The Hundred Years War, and for the Brits it was all downhill from Loches!

On Wednesday there is a thriving market in Loches, which we’ll visit and eat our way through! Once the market is cleared away, we can explore the lovely medieval town of Loches. It’s slightly off the beaten track, but it’s a beautiful place, and historically very important.

Overnight in Loches.

Day 6: Chateau Chenonceau - Home of Louise The Inconsolable, Among Others (27 miles/44 km)
This morning we’ll make our way across country to the most visited of all Loire Châteaux, Chenonceau.

Built as a bridge over the Cher and surrounded by ornamental gardens and man-made moats, this château manages to live up to the usual French hyperbole of its website. It truly is unforgettable.

Most of the rooms are open, and this is a chance to see original floors, tapestries and furniture. In general French Châteaux don't have all the furnishings and interior detail that we often see in British castles. Chenonceau is a pleasant exception, and Louise of Lorraine's room, painted entirely in black with silver motifs of tears and crowns of thorns to mourn her murdered husband, is especially memorable.

The ballroom, built by Catherine de Medici, spans the Cher in spectacular fashion, and although the Château had no military value it took on a gloomy historical role in the 20th century. First, it served as an army hospital in the First World War. Then, In the Second World War, the Cher was the boundary between Nazi-occupied France and Vichy France. Château Chenonceau was a border post, each end of the ballroom opening into a different country.

Leaving Chenonceau, we’ll cycle the 10 miles or so to the fabulous Royal Chateau of Amboise. Amboise is a lively, thriving town with a very pretty medieval centre – you may think we’ve earned a cold drink in the square below the imposing Chateau, before we make our way to the Hotel Vinci.

Overnight in Amboise.

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Day 7: Upstream to Blois, via Chateau Chaumont and its Garden Festival (25 miles/40 km)
From Amboise we follow delightful backroads to the Chateau of Chaumont. This is the Chateau that King Henry II’s mistress, Diane of Poitiers, was given as a consolation prize in exchange for Chenonceau.

It’s quite a consolation prize! The grounds are beautiful, the trees as good as an arboretum. The Chateau is lovely, too, with a fabulous stable block, but these days Chaumont is best-known for its garden festival.

From Chaumont we’ll cross over to the North bank of the river Loire for the first time, and cycle a lovely, flat leisurely 15 miles or so into the centre of Blois. This afternoon we’ll visit the Chateau of Blois, in the centre of town.

This is one of the largest and most magnificent of all the Loire Chateau, with 100 bedrooms and over 500 room (I think only Chambord is bigger).

The Chateau was built, and added to, over a period of 400 years by various Kings, Queens and heirs. But the additions and extra wings were done with money and taste – not desperate repairs. A magnificent building.

Our Hotel, the Anne de Bretagne, is very close to the chateau

Overnight in Blois.

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Day 8: Chambord – The World’s Grandest Hunting Lodge (30 miles/48 km)
We leave Blois following the River Loire upstream, on a combination of small roads and cycle paths. But before we do, Saturday is market day in Blois. It boasts a particularly thriving local cheese selection. We cross the Loire at Muides-sur-Loire, and cycle through forests full of deer and wild boar on our way to the grandest Loire chateaux of them all, Chambord.

Chambord was built as a hunting lodge by Francois 1, King of France. The chateau itself is beautiful, the largest of all the Loire Chateau, featuring 365 chimneys. As well as exploring the chateau, we can access the roof by the amazing double-helix staircase, once thought to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Two people can enter the staircase from opposite sides and descend to the ground floor without ever meeting.

Chambord sits within Europe’s longest wall, 34 Km long, enclosing the royal hunting grounds. Although we’ll see evidence of wild boar everywhere, they’re so shy that it’s actually difficult to see them. Dusk is the best option, and there are ‘hides’ dotted throughout the forest, but sadly we won’t be here at dusk!

We’ll leave Chambord, still cycling through hunting forest, as we make our way back along the River Cosson, and cross back into Blois and our hotel.

Overnight in Blois.

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Day 9: Departure
The hotel is about a 45 minute drive from the TGV station at St Pierre des Corps, and a gentle departure time of 10.30 am from Saint Pierre allows for a decent breakfast and gets us back into Paris for late morning.

Photos

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Dates & Prices

Questions about pricing or options? Call +1-215-613-0874 to talk to a Tour Advisor now.

Included services

• 8 nights accommodation
• 8 breakfasts and evening meals (dinners)
• Return transfer from Saint-Pierre des Corp
• Support vehicle
• Luggage transfers each day
• Tour guide
• Emergency contact number
• Standard rental, including fitting and setup
• Basic bicycle repair kit and equipment
• Waterproof jacket and Chain gang cycling jersey
• Comprehensive route book, route notes, and maps

**Entrance fees are not included(approximately $185)

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