8 days/7 nights with at least 6 of days cycling
Start any date between May 1 and October 31
We recommend you to start your tour on a wednesday to see the market held in Amboise every Friday
This Tour cannot start on a Thursday or Friday for the Classic accomodation level
Moderate 20-40+ miles daily
Terrain: 4 days are mostly flat, 2 days are moderately rolling
Classic Accommodation: US$2040/ CAD$2040
Luxe Accommodation: US$2945/ CAD$2945
Single suppl. classic: US$520/ CAD$520 Single suppl. Luxe: US$750/ CAD$750
- 7 nights hotels.
- All breakfasts and 1 dinner
- Use of a top quality 21-speed hybrid bike complete with handlebar bag, pump, and all the necessary accessories for changing flats. We recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene reasons
- Detailed route instructions and map
- Area Manager available throughout the tour
For those arriving via Paris, most international flights arrive at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport.
The easiest way to reach Tours is via a train from the Montparnasse station (trains take a little more than 1 hour).
You can book trains by calling Rail Europe at 1-800-387-6782 or visiting their web site at www.raileurope.com
The easiest way to reach the hotel in Tours is by taxi and these can be found on arrival outside the train station. |
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Randonnée Tours
France
Chateaux of the Loire Cycling 8 Days
Only 1 hour south of Paris lies a region that since the Renaissance has been a favorite of kings and the aristocracy; the Loire River valley is dotted with fine chateaux, vineyards, and some of the most beautiful (and gentle) cycling routes in France. This tour visits the most magnificent chateaux, the extraordinary gardens of Villandry, but also leaves time to explore the subtler aspects of a region that has much to offer.
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 Day 1
Arrive in Tours. Take some time to wander in the old town center, filled with 18th-century monuments, public gardens, and cafés...Our area manager will give you the bikes and a briefing for the tour.
Day 2
Amboise. Starting from Tours, you'll ride east along a quiet road winding through vineyards to Amboise, with its impressive castle and charming village. Leonardo da Vinci lived here and you have the opportunity to visit the museum in his former home. (Distance: 33.2 km or 72.8 km)
Day 3
Amboise. you'll cycle forested roads to Chenanceaux where you can enjoy a visit of one of the most magnificent chateau in France. Finish the day with wine tasting or alternatively, a visit to a chocolate maker with a tempting degustation selection. (Distance: 35 km)
Day 4
Veigne. The ride is quite beautiful with a morning stop at another chateau, this one owned by the Prince of Broglie. Chateau de la Bourdaisiere was built by Francois I for Marie Gaudin, one of his mistresses. Today, the chateau raison d’etre are tomato gardens and over 500 varieties can be found here. A tour of the rooms and property will reveal secrets of its colorful past. In Veigne you will stay at a former mill that has been turned into a charming hotel, with a restaurant that is outstanding. (Distance: 42 km)
Day 5
Veigne. Today’s loop ride is out to Villandry and return. Villandry’s gardens have garnered international fame and are perhaps the most fascinating in France. En-route is also a goat cheese farm where you can taste the local fromage de chevre. (Distance: 55 km)
Day 6
Azay-le-Rideau. Following one of the tributaries of the Loire, you’ll enjoy some of the best riding in the region, stopping to visit Chateau de Sache, where the writer Blauzac resided. In Azay- le-Rideau you can visit the impressive chateaux that is the ‘jewel of the Loire Valley’. Your hotel for your final 2 nights is the charming Hotel Le Grand Monarque in Azay-le- Rideau. (Distance : 22.1 + option for 42 km)
Day 7
Azay-le-rideau. For this last day of riding, we suggest riding to Chateau Usse, the castle that was the setting for Charles Perrault’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Riding back along the Loire towards Brehemont along a bicycle path is some of the best riding of the week. (Distances : 44 km)
Day 8
Departure at your leisure.
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