Day 1: Orléans
Individual arrival in Orléans. After settling in your luggage, take the opportunity to discover this City of Art and History, which Joan of Arc liberated in 1429 from the siege of the English.
Day 2: Orléans – Beaugency (26 km)
After an essential visit to the historic center of Orléans and the sumptuous Cathedral of the Holy Cross, leave the city by cycling the bike paths of La Loire à Vélo. First, visit the beautiful castle of Meung-sur-Loire, then head to the flowered city of Beaugency, dominated by the 11th-century tower.
Day 3: Beaugency – Blois (45 km)
Leave Beaugency and head towards Blois, a small town with a rich past whose castle is the perfect illustration of how French architecture has evolved between the Middle Ages and the 17th century. Then explore the unique landscapes of the Sologne region and naturally the Château de Chambord, authentic masterpiece of the French Renaissance.
Day 4: Blois – Amboise (40 km)
Today's route will lead you to cycle on the bike paths of Pays des châteaux, through small villages, and to the Castle of Chaumont-sur-Loire, which majestically overlooks the river and the village below. Then reach Amboise with its Royal Castle where Leonardo da Vinci's tomb is kept in the chapel. A few steps from here, you can find the manor of Clos Lucé, where the Italian genius spent the last years of his life.
Day 5: Amboise – Tours (30 km)
Cycling immersed among the vineyards of Vouvray or Montlouis, you can explore the many cellars producing the refined white wines of the area. Then head towards the Château de la Bourdaisière where Gabrielle d'Estrées, the favorite of King Henry IV, was born. Finally, you will reach the city of Tours. We recommend exploring the old part of the city, whose heart is the lively Place Plumereau, framed by the typical half-timbered houses, and animated by the terraces of the cafes and restaurants that overlook it.
Day 6: Tours – Azay le Rideau (44 km)
You'll first reach the village of Savonnières where, if you want, you can visit the site named Grotte Pietrificanti, so called because the water here turns into stone or better, into extraordinary white limestone creations. 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 itinerary continues through Saché, home museum of the writer Honoré de Balzac, and ends in Azay le Rideau, where you can admire the splendid Renaissance castle, jewel set in the Indre River.
Day 7: Azay le Rideau – Chinon (35 km)
Depart in the morning towards Langeais and its 15th-century fortress castle. Then continue to the Château d'Ussé whose turrets, pinnacles, and dormers inspired Perrault in the creation of his very famous tale Sleeping Beauty. Spend the evening in the beautiful medieval town of Chinon, on the banks of the Vienne river, famous for its elegant red wines.
Day 8: Chinon – Saumur (36 km)
Before leaving Chinon, visit one of the cellars in which the famous red wine is aged. The itinerary then continues towards the Abbey of Fontevraud, one of the largest monastic complexes in Europe, where the tombs of the kings belonging to the Plantagenet dynasty are kept. The tour ends in the beautiful town of Saumur.
Day 9: Saumur – Angers (58 km)
The itinerary first follows the course of the Loire, then crosses the vineyards of Anjou. Thus you reach the quiet city of Angers with the imposing fortress of the castle that houses the largest medieval tapestry in the world: the Apocalypse Tapestry.
Day 10: Angers – St Florent le Vieil or Ancenis (50 or 65 km)
Today, you will cycle in the heart of the Anjou vineyards such as the Coteaux de la Loire and the Coteaux de l'Aubance. We recommend you to visit 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 pace of the river, until the village of Saint Florent le Vieil or Ancenis.
Day 11: St Florent le Vieil or Ancenis – Nantes (55 or 44 km)
Biking along the banks of the Loire, you will have the opportunity to cross a wide variety of natural landscapes, a habitat for much wildlife and river birds. A quiet stretch on a bike path will then lead you to Champtoceaux, immersed in one of the most beautiful views of the Loire and located on the border between Anjou and Brittany. The route follows the course of the Loire to Nantes, capital of the department of Loire Atlantique and one of the most dynamic cities in France with an immense historical, architectural and cultural heritage, which you can discover by strolling through its numerous pedestrian streets.
Day 12: Nantes – Saint-Brevin-Les-Pins (58 km)
Leave the city by crossing the river aboard a small boat and continue on the bike paths of La Loire à Vélo. The route then follows for a while a narrow canal, crossing first a wetland and then the countryside until reaching the estuary of the Loire at St Brevin les Pins, a seaside resort with a vast beach framed by sand dunes and a pine forest, the ideal place to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation at the end of the journey.
Day 13: 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 trip crossing the Saint-Nazaire, the longest bridge crossing the Loire River and connecting the town of Saint Nazaire with Saint-Brevin-Les-Pins. Take the opportunity to discover the famous salt marshes of the medieval town of Guérande. In the heart of a natural park, this medieval city provides many testimonies of its historical past. Then continue along the wild coast before reaching Le Croisic, a beautiful harbor and a coastal town in Loire Atlantique.
Day 14: Le Croisic
After breakfast, the end of services and individual departure or extension of the stay.
Loira
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