Day 1: Nevers
Individual arrival in Nevers. After settling your luggage, take the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Nevers with its pottery workshops, famous for its monochromatic blue patterns and the Ducal Palace, considered one of the first castles in the Loire, residence of the counts and dukes of Nevers.
Day 2: Nevers – La Charité sur Loire (45 km)
This first bike stretch will take you to Cuffy, the starting point of the La Loire à Vélo bike path. Then continue to the monastic city of Charité-sur-Loire, where you will cross the oldest bridge on the Loire, dating back to the XVI century, thus reaching the Romanesque church of Notre Dame.
Day 3: La Charité sur Loire – Sancerre or Chavignol (38 or 36 km)
The stage will start inside the National Nature Reserve of the Loire Valley, then pass through the vineyards and next to the bell tower of the church of Pouilly-sur-Loire. It continues among fields and woods towards the famous vineyards of Sancerre. Take the opportunity to stop at one of the local producers in the area and taste a glass of Sancerre Blanc, perhaps accompanied by the typical goat cheese Chevignol. From Sancerre, dominated by the remains of the feudal castle, the tower of the Tour des Fiefs, you can enjoy a splendid view over the valley.
Day 4: Sancerre or Chavignol – Briare (50 km)
You leave Sancerre cycling along the Canal Latéral towards Bannay and Cosne-sur-Loire, a flourishing city that offers splendid landscapes on the Loire. Continue on the bike paths of La Loire à Vélo up to Belleville-sur-Loire, Beaulieu-sur-Loire and Briare, whose canal-bridge, the largest in France, is a genuine work of engineering art.
Day 5: Briare – Sully sur Loire (40 km)
Cross the Loire cycling on the canal-bridge and continue towards Saint-Brisson-sur-Loire, with its medieval fortress. Then reach the beautiful town of Gien with its exceptional panoramic view. Finally, continue towards Sully-sur-Loire and its remarkable medieval castle, surrounded by moats overlooking the Loire.
Day 6: Sully sur Loire – Orléans (50 km)
Even today, wonderful panoramas will accompany you to Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire and its Benedictine abbey, founded in 640, whose abbey church is one of the most noticeable Romanesque works in France. Then continue to Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, one of the main ports on the Loire during the XVIII century, before reaching Orleans, City of Art and History, freed in 1429 by Joan of Arc from the English siege.
Day 7: Orléans – Beaugency (26 km)
After an obligatory visit to the historic center of Orleans and the sumptuous Cathedral of the Holy Cross, leave the city cycling on the bike paths of La Loire à Vélo along the banks of the Loire, first to the beautiful Castle of Meung-sur-Loire, and then to the flowering city of Beaugency, dominated by the XI century tower.
Day 8: Beaugency – Blois (45 km)
Leave Beaugency and head towards Blois, a town with a rich past whose castle is the perfect illustration of how French architecture evolved between the Middle Ages and the XVII century. Then discover the unique landscapes of the Sologne region and of course the Castle of Chambord, a true masterpiece of the French Renaissance.
Day 9: Blois – Amboise (40 km)
Today's route will take you cycling on the bike paths of the Pays des Châteaux, through small villages and up to the Castle of Chaumont-sur-Loire, which majestically dominates the river and the village below. You will then reach Amboise with its Royal Castle inside of which, in the chapel, lies the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci. A few steps away is the Manor of Clos Lucé, where the Italian genius spent the last years of his life.
Day 10: Amboise – Tours (30 km)
Cycling immersed among the vineyards of Vouvray or Montlouis, you can discover the many cellars where the refined white wines of the area are produced. Continue to the Château de la Bourdasière where Gabrielle d’Estrées, a favorite of King Henry IV, was born. Finally, reach the city of Tours, of which we recommend exploring the old part, the beating heart of which is the Place Plumereau, a lively square framed by typical half-timbered houses and animated by cafe and restaurant terraces overlooking it.
Day 11: Tours – Azay le Rideau (44 km)
First reach the village of Savonnières where, if you wish, you can visit the site called Petrifying Caves, so named because here the water turns into stone, or rather, into extraordinary white limestone formations. Then continue to the Château de Villandry, famous for its gardens, unique in Europe, where flowers mix with fruit trees, vegetables, and aromatic herbs. The route continues through Saché, the museum house of the writer Honoré de Balzac, and ends in Azay le Rideau, where you can admire the splendid Renaissance castle, a jewel set in the Indre river.
Day 12: Azay le Rideau – Chinon (35 km)
Departure in the morning towards Langeais and its fifteenth-century fortress castle. Then continue to the Château d'Ussé, whose turrets, pinnacles and dormers inspired Perrault in the creation of his famous fairy tale The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. Spend the evening in the beautiful medieval town of Chinon, on the banks of the river Vienne, famous for its elegant red wines.
Day 13: Chinon – Saumur (36 km)
Before leaving Chinon, visit one of the cellars where the famous red wine is aged. The route then continues towards the Abbey of Fontevraud, one of the largest monastic complexes in Europe, which houses the tombs of the Plantagenet dynasty kings. The tour ends in the beautiful town of Saumur.
Day 14: Saumur – Angers (58 km)
The route first follows the course of the Loire then crosses the vineyards of the Anjou. Thus arrive at the quiet town of Angers with the imposing fortress of the castle where the largest medieval tapestry in the world is kept: the Apocalypse Tapestry.
Day 15: Angers – St Florent le Vieil or Ancenis (50 or 65 km)
Today you will be cycling through the heart of the Anjou vineyards such as the Coteaux de la Loire and the Coteaux de l'Aubance. We recommend visiting Savennières, before reaching the surprising river island of Chalonnes, one of the largest in the Loire Valley. A beautiful stage through typical villages and natural landscapes where life flows at the slow rhythm of the river, up to the village of Saint Florent le Vieil or Ancenis.
Day 16: St Florent le Vieil or Ancenis – Nantes (55 or 44 km)
Cycling along the banks of the Loire, you will cross a wide variety of natural landscapes, habitat of many wildlife and river birds. A quiet stretch on a bike path will then take you to Champtoceaux, immersed in one of the most beautiful panoramas of the Loire and located on the border between Anjou and Brittany. The route follows the course of the Loire up to Nantes, capital of the Loire Atlantica department and one of the most dynamic cities in France with an immense historical-artistic, architectural and cultural heritage, which you can discover by walking through its many pedestrian streets.
Day 17: Nantes – Saint-Brevin-Les-Pins (58 km)
Leave the city by crossing the river on a small boat and continue on the bike paths of La Loire à Vélo. The route then follows a narrow canal for a while, first crossing a wetland area and then the countryside, reaching the estuary of the Loire at St Brevin les Pins, a seaside resort with a large beach surrounded by sand dunes and a pine forest, the ideal place to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation at the end of the journey.
Day 18: Saint-Brevin-Les-Pins – Le Croisic (53 km + bus)
Today you will cycle from the estuary of the Loire to the wild coast of Le Croisic. Start with a short bus ride across the Saint-Nazaire, the longest bridge crossing the Loire river connecting the town of Saint Nazaire with Saint-Brevin-Les-Pins. Afterwards take the opportunity to discover the famous salt pans of the medieval city of Guérande. In the heart of a natural park, this medieval city offers many testimonies of its historical past. Then continue along the wild coast before reaching Le Croisic, a beautiful harbor and coastal town in the Loire Atlantique.
Day 19: Le Croisic
After breakfast, end of services and individual departure or extension of stay.
Loira
4.9/5on15 reviews
