
Highlights
- Cycling along the banks of the famous Loire river
- The stunning approach towards the fairy-tale castle in Chinon, the Chateau d’Usse
- Riding to the Renaissance Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau
- Visiting the vast and spectacular Chateau de Chambord
- Winding your way to the picturesque town of Amboise, where Leonardo de Vinci spent his final years
- Exploring the lovely Tours
We visited some stunning places and enjoyed fantastic weather. The service from saddle skedaddle was at its usual high and attentive standard before we left. Lots of lovely quiet roads through fields of wheat, sun flowers and vines with a vivid splash of poppies.
Itinerary
After making your way to your first night’s hotel, you will be provided with your bikes (should you be renting), as well as the route notes and maps for your trip. A local representative will brief you on your route notes and the week to come, giving you the opportunity to ask any last minute questions. Depending on your arrival time, you may have time to explore Tours’ historic centre.
- Meals: Breakfast
Today you’ll be following the River Cher to the Chateau de Villandry. Known for the geometric beauty of its vegetable gardens, divided by vine-shaded paths, Villandry Castle is the last of the great chateaux of the Loire built during the Renaissance.
You’ll then continue your ride, leaving the banks of the River Cher and switching to the banks of the famous Loire itself, passing the Chateau of Langeais on the way.
Riding on small roads parallel to the Loire river, you’ll be passing through rural villages, making your way to the beautiful fairy-tale castle, the Chateau d’Ussé: approaching this magical Chateau will be a highlight of the week. Today your destination and your home for the night will be Chinon, dominated by the ruins of the castle of Charles the VII.

- Meals: Breakfast
Today there are a couple of options to choose from depending on how far you’d like to ride. Leaving Chinon, you’ll make your way to the wonderful Abbaye de Fontevraud, Europe’s largest remaining monastic city. Founded in 1101, the organisation of the abbey was unique: separate communities of priests, nuns, laypeople and lepers lived here (the guided tour of the abbey is excellent).
Next you’ll continue on to the pretty town of Saumur, one of the most beautiful, historic towns of the Loire valley where you can take a break and relax in its lovely gardens, before heading back to Chinon through vineyards and sunflower fields.
- Meals: Breakfast
Today you’ll be riding through vineyards and small villages. You’ll cycle through Crissay, once deserted but now home to numerous artists and artisans who have settled here, then onto Azay-le-Rideau located in the Indre Valley.
The Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau sits on an island in the middle of the river and is one of France’s loveliest Renaissance castles. You might even catch the gourmet night market as you wander around the cobbled streets.

- Meals: Breakfast
Today you’ll enjoy cycling through romantic river landscapes. First you’ll follow the River Indre and then, after having conquered a small climb, you will ride down to follow the River Cher through meadow paths to the small market town of Bléré.
After crossing the river, you’ll arrive at the Chateau de Chenonceau, which spans the river. It is known as the Château des Dames or the Ladies’ Castle since its upkeep and construction were managed by six different women. Chenonceux itself will be your home for the night, a small village perfect for soaking up some traditional French charm.

- Meals: Breakfast
Today you’ll make your way through beautiful little villages, towards the market town of Montrichard and the perfectly symmetrical Chateau de Cheverny.
You’ll then ride on towards Chambord, where you’ll soon you’ll start to see the vast and spectacular Chateau de Chambord (one of the Loire Valley’s largest and most recognizable chateaux), through the trees of the surrounding forest. The day ends with a lovely flat ride, which will lead you to your hotel in Blois where you’ll discover Chateau de Blois, located in the city centre.

- Meals: Breakfast
For your last day you will cycle to Tours where your trip began. During the day, keep an eye out for the dwellings which have been dug into the soft limestone of the riverside cliffs: sometimes only the rising smoke reveals their existence.
You’ll cross the river to reach the picturesque town of Amboise, lodged under the fortified Chateau d’Amboise. Leonardo Da Vinci spent his last years here and the museum, dedicated to him and his work, is worth a visit.
Afterwards you’ll continue cycling through vineyards and past wine cellars via Rochcorbon to finally reach Tours. And relax!
- Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast it’s time to say au revoir to this beautiful cycling destination.
Gallery
The Cycling
Terrain
Although the route is predominantly flat, there are some long distances to be covered, especially on the last two days. With this in mind, we wouldn’t recommend this tour to inexperienced cyclists or families with young children. The route is predominantly flat, but there are some undulating sections and hills to conquer along the way. 70% of the time you’ll be riding on small, quiet country lanes, and minor roads (shared with vehicle traffic), the other 30% will be spent riding on mixed use cycle paths (used by both cyclists and pedestrians). Short sections will see you riding on hard packed gravel and hard packed dirt / farm tracks. We recommend a hybrid bike for this tour, but road bikes with semi-slick tyres would suffice.

Leisure Cycling Grade
Distances generally between 20-45 miles / 32-72 kms per day
For the leisure cyclist with a good level of physical fitness
May include some steeper, cheeky climbs
Possibly sections of varying terrain (eg. forest tracks, gravel paths etc).
Our grading guidelines have been carefully created based on our many years of cycling experience, as well as customer feedback from our trips. Of course, if you're still struggling to figure out where you fit on the scale, do feel free to give us a quick call and we'll be more than happy to help!
For more information about our grading system click here.
Is this suitable for you?
Although you may not cycle everyday, you do keep yourself relatively fit and maybe enjoy an afternoon out on your bike at the weekend. Your preference is perhaps for flatter terrain but you don’t mind tackling some hills, and the occasional steep climb if you can take it at your own pace. For those happy to tackle some ups and downs, and possibly some sections of varying terrain (eg. forest tracks, gravel paths etc) we’d recommend our grade 3 trips. We’d generally expect those on a Grade 3 trip to have a decent level of physical fitness and be comfortable with some longer days in the saddle.
Another marvellous holiday experience, thanks to Skedaddle! The personal touch, eg phone call from Skedaddle office a couple of days before departure, adds a lot. You feel you really matter.
Dates & Prices
2021 Friday, Saturday and Sunday departures available between (and inclusive of) the 19 Mar and 31 Oct.
Whats Included 
A) Accommodation (shared twin / double en suite rooms) in 3* and 4* hotels and chambres d‘hôtes
B) Meals as per the itinerary (B-Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
C) Local representative (with welcome meeting)
D) Detailed route notes and maps
E) Luggage transfers
What's not Included 
A) Bike rental (available if required)
B) Flights and charges for travelling with your bike
C) Travel to first hotel on arrival day
D) Travel from final hotel on departure day
E) Single room (available if required)
F) Travel insurance
G) Meals not stated in the itinerary
H) Personal clothing and equipment
I) Personal expenditure (souvenirs, bar bills, hotel facilities etc)
J) Entrance fees to museums and other attractions en route
K) City tax (payable locally) – between €0.80 and €1.50 per adult per day (where applicable)
The Essentials
News, Reviews & Stories
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Reviews
Sheila and Sam, Stockton-on-Tees, UKWe'll definitely be back for more!Another marvellous holiday experience, thanks to Skedaddle! New friends made; new countryside explored; the exhilaration of sun, wind, rain and snow(!) in your face; legs tired but happy – perfect ingredients for a wonderful time! Bags were ALWAYS delivered in good time, even on the short day when we arrived much earlier than usual. The personal touch, eg phone call from Skedaddle office a couple of days before departure, adds a lot. You feel you really matter to Skedaddle. Thank you! We’ll definitely be back for more.
Hester, Edinburgh, UKExcellent...First experience of a cycle holiday – had a great time, thanks!
It’s expensive, but the hire bikes were better than expected and the luggage transport worked like clockwork, and most of the hotels were very good and bike friendly.
Dave, Powys, WalesWe had a brilliant time and loved the Loire Valley...We visited some stunning places and enjoyed fantastic weather. The service from saddle skedaddle was at its usual high and attentive standard before we left. Lots of lovely quiet roads through fields of wheat, sun flowers and vines with a vivid splash of poppies.
Christopher, Bedfordshire, UKExcellent service from Skedaddle staff...From the initial contact through to sorting out the only problem we had whilst we were away, the Skedaddle team were very helpful. Both accommodation and bikes were overall better than on on holidays with Freedom Treks. We particularly loved the shortish Day 4 from Chinon to Azay-le-Rideau which left lots of time to look at the fortress in Chinon before we set off and the Chateau in Azay-le-Rideau at the end – we travelled through some really characterful villages that day and the sun shone!
Christopher, Wirral, UKExcellent!Every single day was equally enjoyable!