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Loire Valley

Bike tour along the Loire from Tours to Angers

Ride along the Loire from Tours to Angers and stay in charming B&B or hotels. Discover the magic of the Loire Valley, the
castles of Villandry, Langeais, Ussé and Angers and Saumur vineyards.

Reviews (24) :
4.58 / 5
Reference L0404
  • Itinerant trip
  • 4 days
  • Easy
  • From April to October
  • Minimum age 12 years
GPSGPS-app available
410€ / pers.
  • Itinerary
  • Discover the beauty of the Loire Valley by biking from Tours to Angers. The itinerary follows the Loire river to meet the Loire castles as prestigious as Villandry, Langeais, Ussé (castle of Sleeping Beauty) or the fortress of Angers with its best preserved medieval tapestry. You will discover the changing colors of the Loire Valley, the traditional boat (toues) swaying between sandbanks, but also the vineyards of Saumur or the Abbey of Fontevraud. On this cycling holiday you will also the tipical cave houses. Let yourself be carried away by the magic of the Loire by bike and enjoy the timeless moment.

    Day 1

     
     

    Tours - Langeais

    Bike
    30km
    Discover the charm of the lively old Tours with its timbered houses, Saint-Gatien cathedral, Wilson Bridge and Plumereau square. You leave Tours by wandering along the Loire and join the chateau de Villandry. The gardens are worth the visit. Continue riding along the Loire before arriving at one of the few medieval castles of the Loire Valley, Château de Langeais. You cross a medieval bridge under which sway typical boats and barges.
       

    Château de Villandry 2h

    Château de Villandry, now a Unesco World Heritage site, is one of the last Loire Valley châteaux to have been built during the Renaissance. It was originally a medieval fortress. Take a break from your cycling tour and discover its unique history as you visit the gardens and château.
    9,00 € / teen
    13,00 € / adult

    Day 2

     
     

    Langeais - Turquant

    Bike
    55km
    Continue to follow the Loire by bike and take the dam to reach the castle of Ussé, which inspired Perrault’s tale of the Sleeping Beauty. Shortly after, you leave the Loire to cycle through charming country roads. You enter into Chinon overlooking the old town. Enjoy the labyrinth of medieval narrow streets when you ride down the Vienne River, along which you ride to the village of Savigny-en-Véron.
    You ride to Candes-Saint-Martin, a wonderful village in white freestone with its 12th century collegiate church. Continue your way to Turquant, very close to Montsoreau, one of the most beautiful villages in France built around the castle. You can make a short detour to admire the royal abbey of Fontevraud.

    Day 3

     
     

    Turquant - Gennes

    Bike
    33km
    Start you day by choosing to ride along the Loire or through the hills. Both paths lead to the village of Souzay-Champigny where you ride among beautiful cave houses. Stop by to taste the wines of Saumur. At the end of this charming route, you discover the city of Saumur and its castle with impressive dungeons. You ride leisurely out of Saumur and cross peaceful villages with a rich heritage amongst other beautiful medieval churches. Before reaching Gennes, ride through a forest and along a pond, which offers one of the most beautiful areas of the Loire to picnic and relax.

    Day 4

     
     

    Gennes - Angers

    Bike
    46km
    You continue to enjoy the charms of the Loire valley. You ride along the small villages of the Loire and enjoy the many small cafés to relax in the shade of the willows. Then you cross the Loire and the Loiret in Ponts-de-Cé and ride down the Loire to the confluence of the Maine. Finally, Angers appears with its castle, its fortress and its lively streets.
  • Accommodation
  • Category B

    You stay in charming bed & breakfasts selected for their style and quality. Breakfast is included.
    * Example of the type of accommodation
  • Bikes, luggage and documents
  • Bikes

    On your arrival day, we provide you with:

    • a touring bike adjusted to your size or a tandem
    • equipped : front rack pack with an integrated file compartment, saddlebag, helmet (on demand), reflective vest, repairing toolkit with patches etc.

    We also provide you with the appropriate equipment for your children : baby seat, bike trailer or trailer bike depending on their age and size.

    Electric bikes are also available for adults (+1m55).

    You can of course also bring your own bikes, in this case a reduction will be applied (see the Tarif tab)


    Luggage


    For this trip, bikes are equipped with 2 waterproof saddle bags with a capacity of 10 to 20L each to transport your luggage. Do not forget to put your items in a soft travel bag to be able that you can roll it up in your saddle bags.

    For more comfort, you can choose to add luggage transport in your booking:
    (see rate in "Prices")

    • We transport your luggage from one accommodation to the next using a private vehicle.
    • Your luggage is directly delivered in your accommodation before you arrive.
    • We provide a saddlebag for the things you shall need during the day.(included in your bike rental).
    • We advise to take an extra set of clothes with you if you expect to arrive before 5p.m. at your accommodation.

    Our word of advice : as we know from experience, we strongly recommend you to avoid wearing a backpack during your cycling trip.


    Travel documents

    A cycling holiday is the best way to explore a region and discover its culture, landscapes and local traditions.

    Your tour is self-guided to give you the freedom to ride at your own pace. You will be provided all the information you need to enjoy the itinerary and its points of interests.

    We can provide you with travel documents in paper format (for a supplement of €15 for printing and postage), which include:
    • a roadbook with maps that we drew at the easiest scale to follow on a bike
    • a roadbook with step-by-step description giving the direction to follow at each intersection and highlighting the points of interest

    Example of a map and of a step-by-step description


    Our GPS App

    For this trip, you can also use our smartphone app featuring GPS guidance (without extra fee).

    You will find in the app all the information given in the map and step-by-step roadbooks. You will be located on the itinerary with the GPS device of your phone. The route and directions to follow will be both viewable on the screen of your phone and announced aloud. As you ride along the itinerary, you will be given information about visits, restaurants, services and useful alerts on the way.

    -> You need to have a smartphone and download Le Velo Voyageur app on your Apple or Android store before the trip. All details concerning the downloading and the use of the application will be given after we have confirmed the booking and the balance is paid. Once the trip is downloaded, the GPS guidance can be used off-line.
  • Practical information
  • To get to departure point:

    • By plane: flight to Paris or Tours.
    • By train: you need to get to Tours Centre. You can take inter-regional trains from Paris-Austerlitz station. The duration of the trip is about 2h00. Or TGV (fast trains) from Paris Montparnasse (direct or connection in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps). The duration of the trip is between 1h15 and 1h45. To plan your trip, www.raileurope.com.


    Parking

    If you arrive by car, you can park your car in a public car park in the city, please have a look : parkopedia.fr for more informations.
    It's not possible to park your car at the hotel during your whole stay.


    To get back to starting point:

    Regional trains take you back to your starting point if you wish. They are accessible without booking in advance and bicycles are free. You have to buy your ticket on spot (full rate 18.50€/adult). There are several trains per day. You will find the timetable in your travel documents.

    We can also organise a transfer in a private vehicule on demand.

    If you chose the luggage transport, you will be able to pick up your luggage after 5pm at the pick up location.

    Meeting time:

    You pick up your bikes in the morning between 9.30am and 12.30pm. We recommend you to arrive around 10am to enjoy your day fully without rushing and be able to do the visits on the way.

    If you chose luggage transport, you must arrive before 09 AM to drop off your luggage. Bikes pick up point and luggage drop off point are located next to the train station and will be given in your travel documents.


  • Reviews
  •   Memory of the trip  

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    24 bike travelers reviews 4.58 / 5

    Superbe expérience

    On the 2023-09-21 by Louison
    Belle découverte de séjour en itinérance. Le parcours est accessible et permet de profiter des paysages et des châteaux rencontrés au fil des l'itinéraire.

    A dreamy trip along the Loire

    On the 2023-08-01 by Eric
    Le Velo Voyageur organized a fantastic trip for us, riding four days along the Loire. It was like being in a dream, riding in 74 degree weather with part sun and a breeze, cruising down country roads, seeing manicured fields of sunflowers, and then pulling up to gorgeous chateaus. The route was really well-thought-out, and the bikes were comfy and worked well. The B&B breakfast was amazing and the service was perfect at 3 out of 4 of hotels. We had to call with questions about hotel location and luggage delivery times twice, and both times, we got a callback with a solution within a few minutes.

    Loire valley exploration

    On the 2023-07-29 by Alex
    Four day exploring the Loire Valley was just not enough, well for me anyway! My 13yo daughter thought it was just long enough! The trip was well planned and once we worked out the app it all went very smoothly. The route along the Loire and through all the beautiful villages and castles was perfect. So nice to ride leisurely through the sunflower fields one day and the grape yard the next. Very picturesque. The weather was a bit overcast and some showers but it kept us cool most of the time. Still enough sun to take amazing photos and enjoy the scenery. We rented bikes and bags for our luggage. Bikes were suitable for our needs. The 13yo would have preferred an electric bike but she managed. All the hotels were of very high quality and we wouldn't have picked ourselves. All the hosts were very welcoming and helpful with suggestions and advise. Totally recommend this trip and Le Vélo Voyageur

    Canal du midi - Toulouse to Carcassonne

    On the 2023-06-12 by Jocelyn
    A lovely gentle 4 day trip, with the sounds and delights of canal life. Cycle paths were peaceful once out of Toulouse. By day 3 we were glad of being away from the canal into the countryside - cycling through the beautiful village of St. Papoul. a stop at the village Boulangarie is a must, along with a visit to the Abbay. Thereafter we climbed up and cycled across the tops of hills towards Bram, racing the following storm clouds. We had manual bikes this time but will choose electric ones next time to offer us more scope for exploring off route. Looking forward to exploring more of France in our next trip with Velo Voyageur!

    4 jours bien sympa

    On the 2022-08-29 by Francis
    Itinéraire agréable le long du fleuve, de ses affluents et de la campagne des bords de Loire. Paysages variés : fleuve, champs et petites forêts. Le parcours est plat sauf si on monte dans les vignes et permets de découvrir des châteaux, des villages troglodytes et les vignobles. Les étapes sont équilibrées, les hébergements très corrects et l'assistance fait de son mieux.

    Très bonne expérience

    On the 2021-09-01 by Allégria
    Une belle découverte d'une partie de La Loire à Vélo! Un parcours relativement facile qui permet de faire des visites et de se poser sur la journée. Des documents très complets fournis par le Vélo voyageur, qui nous ont permis de nous orienter facilement pendant le séjour. Des hébergements de qualité et une demi-pension avec des très bon repas!! Je recommande vivement et ce séjour est accessible à tout le monde en terme de condition physique!

    véro

    On the 2021-08-15 by veronique
    l'organisation du parcours, des hébergements et le suivi des bagages sont très bien étudiés. Mon compagnon et moi même avons déjà fait 2 parcours par le biais de vélo voyageur et nous recommencerons. je recommande

    Tout est bien qui finit bien

    On the 2019-09-09 by Olivier
    Malgré les aléas (vol de vélo, réservation oubliée par un gite) ça a été une très belle balade

    Honeymoon to Remeber

    On the 2019-08-20 by Jenna
    I'd like to say that my husband and I booked this trip to start our Honeymoon trip to France. We were so impressed by the level of detail taken to accurately map out our trip, advise to points of interest and the bed and breakfasts each night. We quickly realized that this was not a trip we would ever forget or ever be able to put together on our own. We rode on cobblestone roads, through lush forests, near beautiful rivers and medieval architecture. This was a once in a lifetime trip for us and are so thankful we stumbled across le Velo Voyageur! We celebrated when we hit 100 miles! What an amazing time we had!

    Fabulous trip along the Loire

    On the 2019-04-29 by Mark
    We had a most wonderful experience. The organisation was slick, the bikes, accommodation and information was superb. The route and options on the trip were excellent. A really memorable experience. Service from the team by phone was excellent. We highly recommend this route and Velo Voyageur.

    ..

    On the 2018-05-04 by Richard
    ..

    Great Loire cycle trip

    On the 2017-01-15 by Patrick
    A great trip. We booked at the last minute and didnt want a standard trip. They were able to provide us with a great trip that more than met our expectations. The organisation was superb. Our bikes were at the first hotel as promised and all the organisation ran perfectly. All the accommodation was very satisfactory, and of an interesting mix. The cycle notes were easy to follow and the bikes were good.. And to make it even better the weather was perfect: fine and not too hot

    Fantastique!

    On the 2016-09-28 by Geneviève
    C'est notre 2ième séjour avec le vélo voyageur et nous sommes déjà prêts à repartir ... Tout est merveilleux , plans des routes , choix des chambres d'hôtes , des hôtels, transport des bagages , assistance réelle en cas de besoin , une organisation hors pair ! Merci à toute l'équipe et à tous vos partenaires pour leur accueil et gentillesse !!!

    La Loire à bon rythme

    On the 2016-07-16 by ACAR
    Joli voyage, bons vélo et gites idylliques. Le rythme est parfait, comme si on pédalait de conserve avec le fleuve; les hôtes du soir charmants et le pays ravissant malgré quelques entrées et sorties de villes hideuses, comme partout.

    Great fun on the Loire

    On the 2016-07-10 by Patrick and Sue
    Overall we were very satisfied with our trip and really enjoyed it. We thought the organisation, the bikes provided and the general information were all excellent. We are happy to recommend le Velo Voyageur

    Excellent holiday - even in the rain

    On the 2016-06-12 by Mark and Jackie
    We rode from Tours to Angers and coincided with the worst rain and floods in France for 56 years. Despite this, we had a wonderful holiday. The organisation was excellent, the bikes were strong ( and waterproof!) and our luggage being transported meant we had dry clothes to change into at the end of each day. A lot of paths and small roads along by the Loire were flooded and impassable so we had to find alternative routes. The maps provided helped us to do this and whilst we encountered more hills than expected, we also saw more vineyards and little villages. The accommodation was, without exception, of an excellent standard, the hosts were welcoming and helpful (drying out clothing, lending us a car for the evening, for example) and the breakfasts, and in one case dinner, were extremely good. We would be happy to recommend Le Velo Voyageur to anyone and would certainly like to do another trip with them.

    My wonderful bike voyage through the Loire Valley

    On the 2016-04-19 by Anthony
    I had a most wonderful time on my 4 day bike voyage of the Loire Valley. The tour allowed me to amble along the river, through farmland, picturesque villages and via the hills and vineyards of this stunning region of France. It was a visual delight to my eyes. The organisation of the voyage by 'Le Velo Voyageur' team was very efficient which allowed me to relax and enjoy the experience.

    parfait, agréable, à conseiller

    On the 2015-09-13 by ANNICK
    nous avons passé un super moment et nous avons rencontré des propriétaires de chambres d'hôtes sympathiques. Le parcours était parfait. Nous recommencerons cette expérence.

    Très bonne randonnée

    On the 2015-09-02 by Pascal
    Nous sommes entièrement satisfaits. Le descriptif était très complet et très bien structuré. Les vélos et les sacoches étaient de très bonne qualité. Le parcours était très agréable. Les hébergements étaient très biens et nous avons toujours reçus un très bon accueil.

    Très belle balade de quatre jours deTours à À c

    On the 2015-08-19 by Michèle
    Les parcours sont très agréables et diversifiés. Logistique parfaite.

    Redécouvrir le sens du mot "voyage"

    On the 2015-08-16 by Julien
    Grâce au Vélo Voyageur, nous avons effectué un véritable périple de paix, de silence et de beauté. Le rythme des vacances nomades devient plus humain : on se salue entre cyclistes, on se respecte entre voyageurs, et on écoute son corps et ses yeux pour décider des pauses. On a le temps de voir le paysage changer et de retrouver l'essence du voyage à la Montesquieu tout en parcourant, l'air de rien, plus de 200 kilomètres en quatre jours!

    Vive le velo

    On the 2015-05-24 by Corinne
    Vraiment bien

    super séjour!

    On the 2015-04-22 by ROSIE
    une excellente organisation, un équipement de très bonne qualité et un super accueil dans les chambres d'hôtes. Nous avons pris goût au vélo-voyages! Merci à toute l'équipe!

    Circuit Tours - Angers

    On the 2014-09-07 by Wango
    Façon sympa de faire première connaissance d'une belle region comme la Loire.
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