3-day bike tour to the Loire Valley castles

3-day bike tour to the Loire Valley castles

You will visit some of the most beautiful castles of the Loire Valley like Amboise castle, the Clos Lucé, the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire and its gardens but also Chenonceau castle built on the water.

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Ref: L0304ST

Loire Valley
3 day(s)
Fairly easy
~ 26 km/day
Loop

When travelling?

From June to August

Minimum age

1 y/o

Related categories:

A royal cycling trip from castle to castle around Amboise

This 3-day cycling tour takes you to some of the Loire Valley's most emblematic castles. You'll discover the medieval town of Amboise, with its royal castle, and the Clos Lucé, the last home of Leonardo da Vinci. You then follow the Loire Valley to the castle of Chaumont-sur-Loire and the Festival International des Jardins. Then wind your way through the hinterland to reach the banks of the Cher. Cycle along this charming river to reach the majestic Chenonceau castle. Continue through the forest to go back to Amboise.

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Program

Day 01

Amboise – Chaumont-sur-Loire

28 km
+ 234 m

You leave the medieval town of Amboise, the royal castle of Amboise and the Clos Lucé. Follow the toues (typical boats) along the Loire river to Chaumont-sur-Loire. This village is famous for its fairy tale castle but especially for its International Garden Festival, which showcases talent creations.

Visit of Chenonceau’s castle

Take a self guided visit of the castle and the estate, enjoy the art and garden exhibitions as part of the International Garden Festival (from April 19 to November 2).

We recommend that you allow 3 hours for your visit.

Options:

21,00 € € Entrée adulte (18 ans et plus)
13,00 € € Entrée jeune (12 à 17 ans)
6,00 € € Entrée enfant (6 à 11 ans)
0,00 € € Entrée tout petit (moins de 6 ans)

Day 02

Chaumont-sur-Loire – Chenonceaux

Exists in :

29 km
53 km

You leave the banks of the Loire river and cross small quaint villages and the countryside to reach the Cher river, that you follow until the castle of Chenonceau. Admire the magnificent castle overlooking the Cher.
You can continue along the Cher banks to the underground city near Bourré.

Day 03

Chenonceaux – Amboise

23 km
+ 69 m

You follow the peaceful banks of the Cher river, from where you'll enjoy an unrivalled view of the arches of Chenonceau castle, before crossing the majestic forest of Amboise, passing the Pagode de Chanteloup to reach Amboise. Enjoy this medieval town as you stroll its narrow streets and visit the cstle of Clos Lucé, the last home of Leonardo da Vinci.

Visit of Clos Lucé’s castle

Take a self guided tour of Leonardo da Vinci's last living place : the castle, Leonardo's workshop, the cultural park and the "Leonardo da Vinci, painter and architect galeries".

We recommend that you allow 2 hours for your visit.

Options:

19,50 € € Entrée adulte (18 ans et plus)
14,00 € € Entrée jeune (7 à 17 ans)
0,00 € € Entrée enfant (moins de 7 ans)

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Accommodation

Standard

Convenient stops for cyclists: easily accessible accommodation, essential comfort, and immediate proximity to bike paths or village centers.

Breakfast
2 stars

*Typical example of accommodation corresponding to the proposed category. These photographs are for illustrative purposes only.

Equipment

For this trip, bicycles are equipped with 2 waterproof saddle bags with a 10 to 20 L capacity each to carry your luggage. Do not forget to put your items in a soft travel bag to be able to place it easily in your saddle bags.

For more comfort, you can choose to add luggage transport in your booking:

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'll need during the day (included in your bike rental).
We advise you to take an extra set of clothes with you if you expect to arrive before 5 p.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.

On your arrival day, we provide you with:

a touring bike suited to your size;

equipment: a front panier, a saddlebag (or two if luggage transport is not included), a helmet (on demand), complete repair tool kit.

We also offer on this trip:

electric assisted bikes for adults (+1m55);
children bikes suited to their size;
children equipment (trailer, seat, trailer bike, follow-me system);
gravel bikes.

You can of course also bring your own bikes, in this case a discount will be applied.

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 regarding the download and use of the app 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.

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 with all the information you need to enjoy the itinerary and its points of interests. We can send printed travel documents (extra cost of €15 for printing and postage, in France only), 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.

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Information

Beginning of the trip

You start your trip with a cycling day, and can arrive at any time of the day depending on the opening hours of the bike store or depot point. However, we recommend arriving at the departure point early enough in the morning to make the most of the day.

Please note that if you select the luggage transport option, you will be asked to arrive early in the morning of the first day.

To get to the departure point

By plane: flight to Paris or Tours and then train to Amboise.

By train: arrive at Amboise train station (direct or with connections) by regionnal train or high speed train (TGV). Plan your journey with Trainline.

Car park

If you’re coming by car, you can park your vehicle in one of the city’s public parking lots. You can also look at the Parkopedia website to find out the location and price of each parking lot.

To get back to the starting point

Your cycling trip is a loop, so you return to your starting town by bike.

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From

255 €/pers.

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Ref: L0304ST

Loire Valley
3 day(s)
Fairly easy
~ 26 km/day
Loop

When travelling?

From June to August

Minimum age

1 y/o

Related categories:

Tried and tested stays!

Experience
15 years' experience in cycling to advise and satisfy you
Tested & Approved
The whole team goes out into the field to design the itineraries and select the best partners (accommodation, bikes, etc.).
Quality of service
A dedicated customer service team available and ready to listen, from the moment you book until you return from your holiday.
Secure payment
Individual or fractional payment by secure means via our website