Five-Day Loire Valley Cycling Tour

Visit Amboise, Chenonceau & Villandry while cycling through the beautiful Loire Valley

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From Our Customers…

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Five-Day Loire Valley Cycling Tour Itinerary

Day 1 — Welcome to Amboise

Arrive in Amboise and meet at your 4-star hotel at the foot of the Royal Castle, right on the Loire. Bike fitting — you’ll take a short ride to make sure everything is dialed in before tomorrow’s real riding. You’ll get your bike, helmet, repair kit, detailed route maps, castle entrance tickets, and hotel vouchers. A 24/7 emergency phone number is provided in case you need anything en route.

This is a self-guided tour, which means you ride at your own pace, stop where you want, and follow the routes we’ve mapped for you. No guide riding alongside unless you add that option.

Amboise is worth exploring on foot before or after dinner (included tonight). The Royal Castle directly above the hotel is where Leonardo da Vinci is buried — the Chapel of Saint-Hubert on the grounds holds his tomb. A 10-minute walk brings you to Clos Lucé, the manor house where François I invited Leonardo to spend his final years. The town itself is small, walkable, and full of restaurants along the river.

Day 2 — Château de Chenonceau (35 km loop)

Breakfast at the hotel. Today’s ride takes you through the gentle hills south of Amboise into the Cher River valley. The terrain is flat to rolling — vineyards, farmland, quiet country roads. About 35 km round trip.

Your destination is Chenonceau, built spanning the River Cher on a series of arches. It’s known as the “Château des Dames” — shaped by the women who owned it across centuries. Diane de Poitiers designed the bridge and the gardens on one side. When her rival Catherine de Medici took over, she added the long gallery across the river and her own larger gardens on the opposite bank. During WWI, the gallery served as a hospital. During WWII, the front door was in occupied France and the back door in the free zone — making it an escape route. Your entrance ticket is included.

Take your time at Chenonceau — the gardens alone are worth an hour. Then ride back to Amboise at your pace. Dinner on your own — your hotel will have recommendations. The restaurants along the river and in the old town are excellent.

Day 3 — Amboise to Tours (25 km)

Breakfast, check out. Today you ride west along the Loire to Tours — about 25 km, roughly 2 hours of easy riding along the river. The route is flat and follows dedicated cycling paths for much of the way. The Loire à Vélo network is one of the best-maintained cycling routes in France, and this stretch is particularly scenic.

Tours is the largest city in the Loire Valley and has been the region’s cultural center since Roman times. The old town around Place Plumereau is a maze of half-timbered medieval buildings, now full of restaurants and cafés. The covered market, Les Halles, is one of the best in the Loire.

Check in to your 4-star hotel in the center of Tours, in a fashionable area near the old town. Two nights here. Dinner on your own — Tours has the best restaurant scene in the valley.

Day 4 — Château de Villandry (34 km loop)

Breakfast. Ride west to Villandry — about 17 km each way, flat along the Cher. Villandry is famous for its gardens more than the château itself. Three terraces: a formal water garden at the top, ornamental flower gardens in the middle including a “garden of love” with hedges shaped into hearts and masks, and below that a geometric kitchen garden that changes with the seasons and is one of the most photographed in France. The château itself is the last major Renaissance castle built on the Loire, and the interiors — particularly a Moorish ceiling brought from Spain — are worth seeing.

Ride back to Tours at your pace. Last evening in the Loire — dinner on your own.

Day 5 — Departure

Breakfast and check out. Train back to Paris from Tours — about 1 hour by TGV.

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Your Bikes

High-quality touring bikes with 21 gears, anti-flat tires, lock, small bag, and helmet. Bikes are professionally fitted to you on Day 1. Luggage is transferred between hotels each day — you ride with nothing but what you want to carry.

Optional Add-Ons

• Daily guide to accompany the group
• Wine tastings on select or all days
• Michelin-starred wine tasting lunch on select or all days
• Substitute Tours with Blois and Chambord (adds 32 km of riding)

Getting There

Amboise is about 1.5 hours from Paris by TGV via Tours, then a short local connection. Round-trip 1st class rail is approximately $196 per person. We can book your tickets once tour dates are confirmed.

Cancellation and Refund Policies

Due to the small group aspect of all of our tours, our cancellation policy is as follows. More than 7 days before tour date – 100% refundable; from 7 to 3 days before tour date – 50% refundable; less than 3 days – non-refundable. If cancelling please contact us as soon as possible to ensure we can credit you properly.

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