Duration 4 days and 3 nights
Level
Easy
Departure date From March 12th to October 31st
Destination Loire Valley
Themes Monuments & Castles, Family trips
Easy itinerary with bike signs
The most important chateaux of the Loire Valley
Start and finish at the Royal city of Blois
A breathtaking journey between forest and river to discover the most beautiful castles of the Loire
Blois area is an easy access to easy itineraries in the country of chateaux. You ride typical french country side roads roads in the middle of forest, crossing renaissance chateaux and fields full of colours from the sunflower to the poppy field. The sound of the rivers and birds chirping follows you as you discover the Francois 1st famous salamander, the castle of Tintin ( fictional hero of The Adventures of Tintin) or the impressive double helix staircase at Chambord made by Da Vinci. We designed this tour so you come back to your start point at the end of your journey. You can leave your car in Blois or take a direct train to Paris (about 1h30min).
Easy
The Sologne area reveals itself little by little, at first shy between the forests and the streams with the castle of Villesavin, it ends up giving to you its secrets of childhood and to delight yours in you living, for the pleasure of the eyes the castle of Cheverny. You imagine Hergé the author of Tintin comics book, lost in the contemplation of what will become for him and so many others the castle of Moulinsart which will shelter the numerous adventures of Tintin and Snowy. In the gardens of the chateau you hear in the distance, the yelp of the dogs eager to leave for a frantic part of hunting in the neighboring wood where the family, owner of the castle for 6 generations, has taken his ease.
You ride to the chateau of Fougères on this longer option.
Your path takes you through the countryside and forests of Blois where you can see the castle of Beauregard, the former hunting reserve of Francis I. Then you join the Beuvron, this small river in a green and flowery surroundings, which leads you quietly under the chirping of the birds to the Loire river. You let yourself be guided by some gabares, flat-bottomed boats typical of the region, to the village and castle of Chaumont sur Loire. The castle watches from the top of its promontory the birds that come to nest on the sand islands of the Loire river. You are captivated as much by its architectural romanticism as by the sweet scent that emerges from its internationally known gardens.
You ride up the Loire until reaching the peaceful Cosson and its beautifully wooded cycle path which offers a quiet retreat for local families and friends riding for a short afternoon ride. Before entering Chailles, a surprise awaits you: the castle and farm of Villelouet. Its closed courtyard and especially its unusual chapel Troubadour make it an original gem, especially since this castle of the seventeenth century is built on the ruins of an even older castle. You end up joining the Loire river which offers from its left bank a breathtaking view of the city of Blois half-timbered houses with Tuffeau stones (sort of local limestone) and slate roofs.
Starting from 635€/participant in Self Guided option | See detailed prices
| Number of guests | Price/person |
| 2 | Starting from 635€ |
| 3 | Starting from 635€ |
| 4 | Starting from 370€ |
| 5 | Starting from 370€ |
| 6 | Starting from 270€ |
| 7 or more | Quote on request |
| Extra night in a standard single room in BLOIS (breakfast included) | Starting from 75€ / participant |
| Extra night in a standard familiale_4 room in BLOIS (breakfast included) | Starting from 72.5€ / participant |
| Bike rental 4 days | Starting from 72€ / participant |
| Electric bike rental 4 days | Starting from 138€ / participant |
| Children bike rental 4 days | Starting from 56€ / participant |
| Cancellation insurance Read more | Starting from 19€ / participant |
| Multiple-risk insurance Read more | Starting from 24€ / participant |
We offer a high-end bike rental service. Our bikes are suited for road and gravel road long-distance cycling. Fully equipped and highly reliable, they are faithful travel companions.
Trekking bikeA layed out and dynamic position Supplied equipment per bike
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Touring bikeA straight and easy going position Supplied equipment per bike
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EbikeWith an autonomy of almost 120km, cycling has never been so easy! Supplied equipment per bike
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Bike trailer |
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Meeting point
Blois, Loir-et-Cher (41)
Blois by car *
From Paris on the A10 (185km 2H10)
From Lyon on the A6 (510km 5H)
Blois by train *
TER train station in Blois (from Paris: 1H45)
Return: TGV train station in Tours – Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (to Paris: 1H10)
For schedules and reservations, you can visit: www.oui.sncf
*Transport to your meeting point can be included as an option.
Dear Fabien, All the tour was very good and amusing. Beautiful landscape, nice people, good hotels and food. I do not really have one particular moment to remenber (a part from my accident) ... and then I will remember always all tour with homesickness. I take this occasion to give you my congratulation for the very well organized tour we had. Was e real pleasure to bike in Bretagne. I would also like to thank you for the support and assistance you provided me for my incident Thank you for your professional and human attitude you have in doing your job and I hope to bike again with your organization. Please say hallo to your colleague, monsieur ….. (I don’t remember his name) that accompanied me with the car to St-Brieuc. Best regards (07/2012)
Dear Nathalie, We are back in Australia now and wish to thank you for organising our wonderful cycling trip Brest to Bordeaux. We finished the cycling part of our travels feeling very positive about Abicyclette and would recommend you highly to other travellers. We were impressed with the professionalism of your company and attention to detail. We felt confident in the ‘back up’ service and really appreciated your help with a few matters. In light of assisting you re future clients we would like to make the following comments: - the equipment (bikes, panniers, helmets etc) was excellent, being of very good quality - reliable and well maintained - our introductory session in Brest was excellent: Sebastian gave us his undivided attention and time, ensuring we were comfortable with the equipment, the route, etc - the GPS was great (...) - the accommodation was generally very good (...) We loved Brittany!! and would love to return!! Brittany is beautiful & perfect for a cycling holiday. (...) Cheers Deb (& Michael) (10/2017)
Dear Caroline, I just wanted to say a big Thank you to you and all involved in helping to make my husband and friends birthday trip so good. They came back full of delight and great stories and I know they all had a fantastic time. We would definitely recommend you and your company, Thank you again Kind regards xxx (07/2015)
Now that we are home and recovering from jet lag we would like to thank you and Davide for making it such an enjoyable trip despite the rain. The routes were very carefully crafted and gave us good views on safe roads and trails. The GPS was very easy to follow (...). The bikes were very good and performed without problem and the panniers and handlebar bags were the best we have encountered. We think that the combination route that we created with your help gave us good variety in the time we had allowed ourselves. (...) We will certainly recommend Abicyclette to anyone interested in seeing Bretagne on a bike. (...) Thank you again for a wonderful trip. Will and Marilyn (09/2017)
That was really the best vacation we ever had! Where should we go this summer? I would love to do another trip this year. Do you have any great itinerary ideas for us? We have 7 inches of snow here right now, and the temperature is MINUS 5 degree F. with a windchill of MINUS 19! Chilly!! xxx (07/2009)
It has been an excellent experience. Totally raw with the bicycles, everything was organized so well (bicycles, housings, local information to eating) that we enjoy every moment of the tour. The explanations of the first day on the part of the guide us turned out to be very useful and to know that always you could rely on the organization it allowed us to enjoy the trip. The tour, on there having no been rolled traffic, is most indicated for people that as us it cannot circulate in road with the bicycle. The way of sirga that accompanies on the channel of Nantes Brest is of a spectacular beauty. It seems of another time, to admire the flowers that adorn the exclusas of the Channel, the villages that you are, a marvel. What more we estimate : All the explanations the day of delivery of the bicycles and of the documentation. The transport of suitcases and last day the taxi up to the village where we had to catch the bus. We come to France without having anything organized absolutely. (09/2017)
Personalized service
From BLOIS to BRACIEUX 27km 60m
You leave Blois easily by following the secured route dedicated to cyclists. After a few kilometers of riding your bike, you enter the majestic forest of Chambord from where rises sometimes through autumn fog the stag of a deer. At the end of the large alley, the castle and its 282 chimneys are extravagant and sumptuous. The sculpted salamanders watch you before heading back through centuries-old trees that welcome you under their refreshing shade and whisper royal stories. Arrived at Bracieux, do not miss a little stop at the Vauché chocolate factory that you can then enjoy under the old “halles” market place once used as the last village stage before the arrival of the King in Chambord.