Loire - Orleans to Tours Cycling Break

A leisurely 5 night cycling break exploring the northern end of the Loire Valley. Enjoy easy cycling along the banks of the Loire River taking in quaint riverside towns, fabulous Châteaux and breathtaking natural beauty

Discover Joan of Arc’s Orléans with it’s imposing cathedral and narrow cobbled streets. Easy riverside cycling leads you to the flowering city of Beaugency with its famous Caesar Tower dating from the 11th century.

The fortress of Chaumont-sur-Loire

The route takes a detour from the river to take in Château Chambord, one of the Loire’s most impressive châteaux before delivering you to Blois, a beautiful, historic city full of traditional restaurants offering delicious local cuisine. You’ll also pass the fortress of Chaumont-sur-Loire standing guard over the river near Amboise.

Finally, after riding through the vineyards of Montlouis you arrive in the beautiful old city of Tours with its narrow streets and half-timbered houses.

You’ll be covering around 30 miles a day on this tour. Much of it is on dedicated cycle paths with the remainder on quiet lanes and roads. Its mainly level with some slightly hilly sections but nothing too strenuous and well within the reach of anyone with a reasonable level of fitness.

Loire - Orleans to Tours Cycling Break

A leisurely 5 night cycling break exploring the northern end of the Loire Valley. Enjoy easy cycling along the banks of the Loire River taking in quaint riverside towns, fabulous Châteaux and breathtaking natural beauty

Discover Joan of Arc’s Orléans with it’s imposing cathedral and narrow cobbled streets. Easy riverside cycling leads you to the flowering city of Beaugency with its famous Caesar Tower dating from the 11th century.

The fortress of Chaumont-sur-Loire

The route takes a detour from the river to take in Château Chambord, one of the Loire’s most impressive châteaux before delivering you to Blois, a beautiful, historic city full of traditional restaurants offering delicious local cuisine. You’ll also pass the fortress of Chaumont-sur-Loire standing guard over the river near Amboise.

Finally, after riding through the vineyards of Montlouis you arrive in the beautiful old city of Tours with its narrow streets and half-timbered houses.

You’ll be covering around 30 miles a day on this tour. Much of it is on dedicated cycle paths with the remainder on quiet lanes and roads. Its mainly level with some slightly hilly sections but nothing too strenuous and well within the reach of anyone with a reasonable level of fitness.

Itinerary

Day 1 : Arrive Orléans

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.

Day 2 : Orléans – Beaugency
16 miles/26 kms

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 so there is plenty of time to stop and admire the Château de Meung-sur-Loire, once the country residence of the Bishops of Orléans. Continue along quiet lanes and cycle paths to the charming old town of Beaugency where you will spend the night.

Our Châteaux Visit package supplement includes entry to Château de Meung-sur-Loire.

Day 3 : Beaugency – Blois
29 miles/46 kms

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.

Our Châteaux Visit package supplement includes entry to Château Chambord and gardens

Day 4 : Blois – Amboise
27 miles/42 kms

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.

Our Châteaux Visit package supplement includes entry to Château Chaumont and the Leonardo Da Vinci Park in Amboise

Day 5 : Amboise – Tours
18 or 33 miles/30 or 53 kms

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. You can also opt for a longer ride by cycling south to visit the stunningly beautiful Château Chenonceaux straddling the Cher river. Afterwards you follow the brand new Cher cycle path to Montlouis and then on to Tours.

After checking in to your hotel in Tours take a stroll through the atmospheric streets of the old town to ‘Place Plumereau’, a lovely old square graced with fine old half-timbered town houses.

Day 6 : Tours - end of trip

After breakfast it’s time to check out and head for home or your next adventure.

Bikes

On this trip you can opt for regular hybrid bikes, trekking bikes or electric bikes.

The regular bikes provided on this route are modern alloy framed models with 27 speeds. They offer a very comfortable, upright riding position, perfect for sightseeing a long the way.

The trekking bikes offer a more dynamic riding position and front suspension - they also feature 27 speeds. These bikes will best suit experienced cyclists who appreciate a more sporty riding position.

The electric bikes come with 9 or 10 speed transmission and feature step-thru frames for ease of use.

All bikes come with a 20 litre pannier, a handlebar bag, front/rear lights and bike lock. Additionally, one repair kit is provided per booking.

Helmets are not provided, so you will need to bring your own.

Accommodation

Below you will find examples of the types of accommodation typically used on this tour. Please note that the hotels we book for you may differ slightly from those described but they will certainly be of a similar standard. The hotel list below is for the complete tour.

Comfort: Comfortable 2 and 3 star hotels, guesthouses and inns.

Orleans: Hotel Escale Oceania

Beaugency/Tavers: Hotel Les Relis des Templiers

Blois: Hotel Le Monarque

Amboise: Hotel Le Chaptal

Tours: Hotel Mirabeau

Superior: Good quality 3 star hotels and guesthouses.

Orleans: Hotel d’Orleans

Beaugency: Hotel Ecu De Bretagne

Blois: Hotel Novotel

Amboise:  Hotel Le Clos d’Amboise 

Tours: Hotel Artist

Local taxes: Some hotels have started to charge a local/tourist tax. These taxes are not included in the sale price of the tour and must be paid directly by you at check-in or checkout at the hotels. The fee varies and is frequently changing but as a guide, you may be asked to pay between €1-€4 per person per night.

Getting there

Fly or take the Eurostar to Paris and then take the train to Orléans. At the end of the holiday return to Paris by train from Tours and then fly or take the Eurostar back to the UK.

Research flights from the UK here

Research Eurostar from UK here

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