Cycling in the Loire Valley, France

Famed for its magnificent châteaux and wide, lazily flowing rivers, the Loire region is a delight. With a gentle terrain and plenty of cultural interest, this is perhaps the best corner of France for leisurely days on two wheels, so take your time, pausing at the places of interest en route and enjoying long picnics on the riverbank.

West of Tours, the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Park is characterised by vineyards, rolling farmland, hunting forests and limestone cliffs into which astonishing troglodytic dwellings have been carved. Crowning these beautiful landscapes are some of the Loire's most romantic and elegant châteaux: Azay-le-Rideau, Ussé, Chinon, Villandry and Saumur. With short, easy routes that are largely on the flat, you have plenty of time to visit all of these during your holiday, along with vineyards and mushroom caves (pay locally in all cases).

Traveller Reviews of This Trip

We really enjoyed visiting the châteaux - particularly at Azay, Fontevraud (the abbey), Ussé and Chinon. We had an excellent holiday. The travel all went smoothly; the bikes were well set up and did the job; the hotels were varied and interesting. Thank you very much Inntravel. Mr M Dunn, Middlesbrough, 14/09/2011

Overall it was a great success. The routes were exceptionally well-planned. To be honest, the chateaux are interesting to look at but they are not the reason for taking the trip. They are, in fact, from our perspective, overrated. The holiday was brilliant because of the appropriate distance covered every day and, generally, the high standard of hotel at the end of each day. The highlight was the Hotel de Biencourt and the Hotel La Croix Blanche. They were just exceptional in every sense. The best thing about the vacation was the ability to just enjoy the moment by moment beauty of the environment without having to worry about the logistics. Mr S P Middleton, Oxted, 27/05/2011

The relaxed cycling, welcoming hotels, smooth train travel and excellent documentation made for a brilliant holiday. Mr Wheatley, Dunstable, Kent, 25/04/2011

It was a joy cycling on quiet roads through beautiful French countryside where bikes are welcome and motorists are considerate to cyclists. It was comforting to see our luggage waiting for us each day. Very successful holiday. Mr C, Preston, 24/09/2009

For more reviews of this trip, see: Reviews of Self-guided cycling holiday in the Loire