On arrival in Orléans make your way to your first hotel. After check-in you are free to explore this historic city, surrounded by the countryside of the Beauce and the Sologne forests.

We recommend a visit to the house of Joan of Arc who liberated the town in medieval times. The St. Croix Cathedral and lavish City Hall are also worth visiting.

Your first day’s ride breaks you in gently with an easy cycle along the banks of the peaceful Loire River. It’s a relatively short stage on quiet lanes and cycle paths and you’ll soon arrive in the charming old town of Beaugency where you will spend the night.

Leave Beaugency heading south on a lovely cycle path beside the river. After a while you detour away from the river to visit the sensational Château de Chambord the largest and probably the most impressive Château in the Loire Valley. From there it’s a short ride to the medieval city of Blois on the banks of the Loire River where you will spend the night.

More idyllic riverside riding today, half on cycle paths and half on quiet roads. Just past the midway point you will see the impressive Chateau of Chaumont standing guard over the river. Today’s destination is the riverside town of Amboise. After checking in to your hotel take a stroll through this charming little place. Be sure to visit the Royal Castle as well as the house where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final days.

You’ll be riding through the Montlouis vineyards today, known for their fine whites and sparkling wines. Perhaps stop off at a cellar to sample and buy a bottle before continuing on to the city of Tours. After checking in, stroll through the atmospheric streets of the old town to ‘Place Plumereau’, a lovely old square graced with fine old half-timbered town houses.

Today’s ride leads you along the banks of the beautiful and meandering Cher River, a tributary of the Loire. In the village of Savonnieres you may wish to take a break and descend underground to the “Les Grottes Pétrifiantes” (Petrified caves). Then it’s on to Château de Villandry and its impressive terraced gardens before following the River Indre to Azay le Rideau and its lovely Renaissance château. You will overnight in the village.

The Loire valley is of course famous for its many chateaux, and today’s ride showcases two more fantastic fortresses. Riding north you meet the Loire River at Langeais, a pleasant village with a stunning castle at its heart. A little further downstream you arrive in Ussé and here you can visit an even more impressive castle. This one may look slightly familiar as it is said to have been the inspiration for the fairytale ‘Sleeping Beauty‘. From here its a relatively short ride to the charming town of Chinon on the River Vienne. Be sure to visit a wine cellar to taste the very good red wines produced around this area. Overnight in Chinon.

Leave Chinon cycling west along the Vienne River. Cross the river at the pleasant village of Candes-Saint-Martin and ride on quiet lanes to the beautiful Abbey of Fontevraud where Richard the Lionheart is buried. The route leads you back to your old friend the Loire River and after following its course on lanes and cycle paths you reach the lovely town of Saumur. The old town’s narrow streets are lined with half-timbered buildings and the views from the hilltop Château de Saumur are definitely worth the climb.

More scenic riverside cycling for your last day in the saddle as you follow the Loire River north west to Angers. You will be cycling past the Anjou vineyards – famous for producing a variety of high quality wines – and a succession of small pleasant riverside towns and villages. Angers is the regional capital and this small historic city is dominated by its huge Plantagenet castle, which houses the famous Apocalypse Tapestry.

After breakfast it’s time to head for home or your next adventure