Tour Overview
This tour is 6 days / 6 nights with day-trip rides from your base in the
beautiful city of Amboise. Using short train rides to various starting points,
you will have the opportunity to visit at least 8 major castles. The length of
the average train ride is 20 minutes at an average cost of 6 Euros per ride.
You'll be provided with a schedule of the trains that permit bicycles, and there
is no extra charge for bikes. And it's all very easy! Major châteaux on this itinerary include Blois, Chambord,
Chaumont-sur-Loire, Amboise, Chenonceau, Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau, and Langeais.
Even if you're not
particularly interested in visiting castles, this is an extraordinary tour for
beautiful scenery and easy cycling on bike paths and extremely lightly-traveled
roads.
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View Tour Photos: Click here to view a slideshow of sights included in this itinerary.
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Tour Dates: You may begin this tour on any day from April
1 to October 31.
See Schedule for blackout dates and additional tour scheduling considerations.
Location: The Loire Valley region of France known as
the "Garden of France." The region has been on the UNESCO's World Heritage list since 2000,
owing to its culture and art, concentrated largely in the region's châteaux (castles). The Loire Valley is just 1 - 2 hours from Paris.
This tour features only one overnight destination, Amboise, so no need to unpack
/ repack on this tour.
Tour Type: Hub & Spoke Tour.
Terrain: Flat
for the most part with occasional stretches of gently rolling hills. Only a
couple of climbs that require the granny gear. Cycling is primarily on
designated bike routes, which may be separate paths or tiny roads shared with
local residents.
Length: 6 days /
6 nights
Distance:
Total distance is 237 km / 147 miles. Average distance per day is 47 km / 29
miles.
Highlights:
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Historic royal cities of Blois, Amboise,
and Tours.
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The grandest of the
Loire Valley castles, including the castles of Blois, Chambord,
Chaumont-sur-Loire, Amboise, Chenonceau, Villandry, Langeais, and
Azay-le-Rideau.
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Countless smaller castles
and other historic sights.
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Tranquil cycling on bike paths and tiny, quiet roads.
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Easy cycling along the banks of the region's lovely rivers: the Loire, the Cher,
and the Indre.
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Beautiful countryside and charming medieval villages.
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Vineyards and lots of opportunities for wine tastings.
Pricing Details
Note: All prices are US dollars.
Per Person Adult Price: $375.00
Per Person Child Price (16 years or younger traveling with 2 adults): $200.00
The tour price includes:
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Tour Documentation: Route instructions, maps, Pre-trip Preparation Guide, On-Road Quick Reference Guide, and Sights Guide.
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Bike Rental for 5 Days: Excellent quality
hybrid bike with map carrier, cyclometer, water bottle cage, rear rack, rear pannier, lock, repair kit, helmet, and on-road bike assistance. Optional pedal cages. Tandem bikes are also available.
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Reservation of your
Accommodations
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English-Speaking Support Staff
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Shipping and Handling Charges for US customers
The tour price does NOT include:
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Hotels: Because you are free to select from a wide range of hotels -- from charming and basic 2-star to
4-star luxury (where available) -- the cost of your hotel accommodations is not bundled into the tour package price. See our
Accommodations Options page for the price ranges of each category of hotel. A list of accommodations options for this tour, with website links, is available upon request.
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Meals: You are free to determine your own budget for meals. A wide variety of options are available --
from creating a picnic from provisions obtained at a boulangerie / patisserie, to dining at bistros and restaurants, or taking meals at your hotel (where
available.) Please note that breakfasts are NOT included in France hotel rates. However, hotels with restaurants often offer a demi-pension option, which
includes the cost of your room, breakfast, and dinner at a reasonable price.
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Transportation from your home to Blois and from
Tours to your home.
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The cost of local train
rides to and from the day-trip ride starting points.
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Personal expenses
-
Insurance
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Shipping and Handling Charges for non-US customers. A shipping & handling charge of US $15.00 will be
added to tour package orders outside the US.
For Diverse Directions' payment terms, cancellation policy, and all terms & conditions, please see Terms
& Conditions.
When you are ready to book your tour, please complete
and submit our secure Tour Order Form.
Daily Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in
Amboise. Explore the town and its château. Spend
6 nights.
Your tour begins in
the historic town of Amboise, located about 2 hours by train from Paris. You may arrive as early as you wish to maximize the time you have to see the sights of this
lovely city and its royal chateau. No formal tour activities are planned
for this day.
With its impressive collection of Renaissance and Gothic
furniture, Château d'Amboise is of an earlier era than the other castles on your tour, built atop a bluff for defense. There is a
magnificent view from the castle's terrace of Amboise's pointed roofs and walls, and of the River Loire meandering through the lush valley. See the
Château d'Amboise website for additional details and photos.
Also worth a visit in Amboise is the manor house of le Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci (at the invitation of King Francois I) lived the final years of his life. Transformed into a
museum, the Château du Clos Lucé provides an opportunity to penetrate the captivating universe of a genius. The basement houses the museum of Leonardo's
fabulous machines, a collection of models made by IBM based on his designs, which were four centuries ahead of his time. Studying the many machines that he designed,
you may even conclude that it was Leonardo himself who invented the bicycle! For more details, visit the Clos Lucé website.
In addition, you'll
definitely want to spend some time strolling
the tiny streets of this incredibly beautiful town. Enjoy a glass of wine or a snack in one of the many cafés lining the lovely squares while soaking in the
local ambiance. Amboise maintains a series of scenic and historic walks that are well-signed and take you into nooks and crannies of the town that many never
see. This is another highly recommended activity. This
lovely slideshow is a nice introduction to the charm of Amboise.
Day 2:
Take a short 20-minute train ride to Tours to pick up your rental bikes. Cycle
to Villandry and return to explore Old Tours - 40 km / 25 miles. Return to Amboise by
train.
You'll pick up your rental bikes just 2 blocks from the train station in Tours. After leaving busy
Tours on designated bike paths, your route follows the River Cher to the beautiful riverside
village of Savonnières and the adjacent Grottes Petrifiantes (petrifying caves.) Formerly used as quarries, these caves are now open to the public for viewing their immense
underground galleries.
Just beyond Savonnières, you arrive at the Château de Villandry, one of the last great Renaissance castles
to be built in the Loire Valley. Best known for its internationally renowned gardens, Villandry's grounds contain canals, fountains, cascades, vine-covered pergolas,
and a Romanesque village church. For more information about the château and gardens, visit the Château de Villandry website.
After your visit of
the castle, you'll cycle along the Loire back to Tours for a ride through the
heart of Old Tours, which beckons you to dismount and take a stroll through its
narrow medieval streets and beautiful squares lined with half-timbered
buildings. The restoration of Old Tours with its pedestrian-only areas was in
fact so successful that it led to national legislation providing incentives for
the restoration and preservation of the nation's medieval structures (la Loi
Malraux.) Of course, you'll also have the opportunity to
visit Tours' own château before calling it a day.
Visit Tour's
website for a brief history of this ancient city and to discover some of its historic sights and/or view this
YouTube video for a taste of Tours' ambiance and sights.
Day 3:
Take a 20-minute train ride to Blois. Cycle to the Château de Chambord and
return to Blois via riverside cycling along the Loire. Return to Amboise by train -
47 km / 29 miles.
Today you will
visit one of the most
important sights of your tour: the magnificent Château de Chambord. Chambord is the largest by far of all the Loire castles and is built on a scale that
foreshadowed the château at Versailles. It owes its impact to its fine architectural unity and sumptuous Renaissance decoration, dating from the period
when this style was at its most splendid. Among the must-sees of Chambord are
the famous double staircase, conceived by Leonardo da Vinci; and the roof terrace -- a maze of lanterns, chimneys,
stairs, and dormer windows. The château contains 440 rooms, hundreds of fireplaces, and boasts a collection of some 3000 objects of art, furniture,
and tapestries. Adding to the vastness of Chambord's scale is its setting in a 13,591 acre park that is enclosed by the longest wall in France.
Additional details about the Château de Chambord can be found in its
Wikipedia entry or the Château de Chambord website.
On the way to Chambord you'll have the opportunity to see the real France --
charming medieval villages, vineyards, and or course, the River Loire. Following your visit to Chambord, your return ride to Blois includes 8 miles / 13 km of
cycling along the mighty Loire, with stunning views of the countryside and the castles on the opposite river bank.
Day 4: Cycle to the Château de Chenonceau and return via riverside cycling along the Cher - 51 km / 32 miles.
The principal
attraction of today's ride is the incredibly beautiful
Château de Chenonceau, a 15th century castle stretching across the River Cher in a harmonious setting of water, gardens, and trees. To this
perfection is added the elegance of the château's architecture, interior decor, and magnificent furniture. The château consists of a rectangular
mansion with turrets at the corners. Catherine de Medici's two-storied gallery stretches across the bridge over the river. For sheer beauty, a
visit to the Château de Chenonceau is a must. For more information, visit the Château de Chenonceau
website.
Today's cycling
route is equally impressive. After a mostly wooded route along tranquil roads on
the way to Chenonceau, your return
route follows the ancient towpath of the River Cher for easy, beautiful
riverside cycling past the pretty villages of Bléré, Nitray, and
Azay-sur-Cher, as well as several more castles. A stop at the Château de Nitray (website
in French only),
another pearl of the Renaissance, is recommended for those with the energy. The final leg of today's ride
takes you back into the vineyards and into gently rolling terrain that is
pleasurable and not too taxing.
Day 5:
Take a short 20-minute train ride to Blois and return to Amboise by bike. Explore Blois
and its castle, as well as the castle of Chaumont. 46 km / 29 miles.
Since 1986 Blois has been designated a "City of Art and History", owing to its efforts to value and preserve the vast
treasures of its glorious past. Blois is an easy walking town, with a large expanse of pedestrian-only streets located at the foot of its castle.
Blois Castle was built in four successive stages: medieval (13th century), transition
(Gothic-Renaissance in late 15th and early 16th centuries), Renaissance (1515 - 1524), and Classical. The result as described by Henry James: The facade of the
château is "one of the most beautiful and elaborate of all the old royal
residences in this part of France." See the Blois Castle website for additional information.
For a nice orientation to this lovely town, take a look at this
YouTube video, which received raves from one of the town's native. Visit the City of Blois website for additional information
and photos.
After your tour of the castle you'll be treated to a magnificent day of cycling. From the farm fields and woods
immediately surrounding Blois, to an awesome forested ride along the River
Beuvron, your short 13-mile / 21 km ride to the
Château of Chaumont-sur-Loire will leave you wanting more cycling. But you won't
want to miss Chaumont with its beautiful gardens and impressive collection of period furnishings and tapestries. Like the
château of Amboise, this defensive castle commands a beautiful view of the town and river. The feudal austerity of the structure is softened by its Renaissance influence, its
elegant stair tower, and its sumptuous Council Room. The 10-minute walk uphill to the castle provides the opportunity to admire the fine landscaped gardens,
as well as cedars, lime trees, and redwoods. The view from the terrace is remarkable. Visit the
Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire website for more information and photos.
After
departing Chaumont, your cycling route takes you atop the plateau -- one of this
tour's few climbs -- along quiet roads and into the
region's vineyards. You'll enjoy stunning views of the surrounding area, without
a lot of ups and downs.
Day 6:
Take the train from Amboise to Tour - Cycle from Tours to the Château de
Langeais and the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau - 50 km / 31 miles. Return to Amboise
by train.
Today's
route begins with beautiful cycling along the unspoiled River Cher, passing its
confluence with the Loire. You'll enjoy cycling tiny roads along the levy of the
rivers, which provide just enough elevation to afford a nice view of all there
is to see. You'll arrive in Langeais over its magnificent suspension bridge,
almost as popular as its chateau. Langeais is a lovely medieval village, set
at the junction of the Loire Valley's wine and castle routes. Its 15th century
château,
known for its exceptional collection of tapestries, is the perfect example of a
late medieval castle, complete with parapet walk and drawbridge.
Following your visit
to Langeais you'll return to serene riverside cycling to the charming village of Bréhémont and your introduction to
the River Indre. Following the course of the Indre you arrive at your final castle.
Truly one of the gems of the Renaissance,
the Château de Azay-le-Rideau commands a luxuriant setting 
on the banks of the River Indre. Its
lines and dimensions suit the site so perfectly that it conveys an unforgettable impression of elegance. Partly built over the River Indre, Azay-le-Rideau consists of two main wings set at right angles. The
reflections in the water add to the chimerical quality of the site and, together with the rows of houses and gardens along the Indre, make excellent
subjects for photographs. The interior is lavishly decorated and furnished with some pieces of truly outstanding beauty. For more information about
Azay-le-Rideau, see its Wikipedia entry or take an extended tour at the
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau website.
The historic center of the village of Azay-le-Rideau is another unforgettable experience -- so classically French. After your visit, you'll return to Tours via a quick train ride.
Day 7: Depart
Depart Amboise at the time of your choosing.
When you are ready to book your tour, please complete
and submit our secure Tour Order Form.
