Day One Arrival in Tours
Arriving at Tours, you’ll stay at a 2 star hotel in the centre of this prosperous city, beautifully restored to reveal much of its medieval glory. You can explore the medieval quarter with its half timbered facades, hidden courtyards and crooked towers, visit the magnificent Cathédrale St-Gatien or simply drink in the atmosphere at a pavement café in Place Plumereau.

Day Two Tours to Azay-le-Rideau
Your journey starts cycling along the banks of the Loire before crossing the Cher to visit the spectacular Renaissance gardens at Château de Villandry. South then to the Indre to see the château at Saché, a retreat for the novelist Balzac, before following the river downstream to Azay-le-Rideau. Your accommodation is in a 3 star hotel a few minutes walk away from the château, whose round towers are reflected in the Indre below. Wine-tasting in the village is a welcome reminder of the vineyards all around.
(43km, 27 miles)

Day Three Azay-le-Rideau to Chinon
As you cycle along the banks of the Loire, you can contrast the fiercely feudal 15th century fortress of Langeais, with the fairytale Château d’Ussé. Overlooking watery meadows and the river Indre, the castle’s white turrets and pointed towers inspired Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty. The medieval town of Chinon is like a film set, nestling beneath the Château Chinon. Stroll down Rue Voltaire lined with medieval houses to No.44, the stone mason’s house where Richard the Lionheart is said to have died. Your 2 star hotel is tucked away in the ancient streets behind the market place. (41km, 26 miles)

Day Four Chinon to Saumur
Cross the river Vienne and cycle through vineyards to the 12c Abbey at Fontevraud, the largest and most remarkably intact in France. Today you’ll have plenty of opportunities to taste the wines of the Loire, as well as sampling the local méthode champenoise sparkling wine, when you arrive in Saumur.
Celebrated for its fairytale château and cavalry school, Saumur is also famous for its mushrooms and you’ll pass caves burrowed out of the rock, used for mushroom growing, storing sparkling wines, as well as for dwellings, as you approach the ancient town. (45km, 28 miles)

Day Five Saumur to Doué-la-Fontaine
Leaving the Loire, you now start to follow the river Thouet south to the wonderful walled town of Montreuil Bellay. After visiting the imposing château, you’ll cycle through the Forêt de Brossay to the ruined 12th century monastery at Asnières. The small town of Doué-la-Fontaine, where you spend the night in a 2 star hotel, is the centre of rose growing in France and is built on a chalk plateau riddled with caves, forming cellars, stables and dwellings.
(37km, 23 miles)

Day Six Doué-la-Fontaine to Brissac
First stop today is La Fosse. Heralded by chimney pots, the underground hamlet is still inhabited as a living museum. Nearby are the 16th century cave carvings at Dénezé-sous-Doué. You spend the night in a two star hotel overlooking the Château de Brissac, standing extraordinarily tall at 48 metres.
(39km, 24 miles)

Day Seven Brissac to Angers
This morning, you’ll cycle past windmills and through beautiful vineyards to Les Ponts-de-Cé, whose long main street bridges a canal and several branches of the Loire. After crossing the Loire, you head for the lively, university town of Angers, the historic capital of Anjou and a fitting end for our journey. You spend the night in a 2 star hotel a few minutes walk from the mighty 13th century château walls. (31km, 19 miles)

Day Eight train to Tours
After breakfast, there’s time to visit the Château and see the Apocalypse, one of France’s finest medieval tapestries. You might fancy a little shopping at Galeries Lafayette before jumping on the train to take you back to Tours.
Please note that train fare to Tours is not included in the price of the tour (single fare is approx 16 euros).

Travel Information