Directions to bicycle the Loire River Valley, France, and
the Châteaux of the Loire:

Cycle on your own, or join a commercial bike tour.

With information on cycling from the Atlantic to Budapest

Bike Rating: Very Good

On this page: Part I—General Information

Link to Part II: Organizing the Loire Trip Yourself; and Loop Tours
Link to Part III: Point to Point Route from the Atlantic to Headwaters (and with a link to crossing France and Europe)

Part I—General Information

Nature of the Ride: The Loire, France's longest river, flows in an arc of 600 miles (1010 kilometers), first north, then west, from the mountains of the Central Massif to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the river's course lies in flat plains or among low hills, where the cycling difficulty ranges from easy to moderate, upon riverside highways, with very light, light, and occasionally moderate traffic.

Most riders will not be drawn to the region for the Loire River itself, although it can be charming. Most will come to see one of France's most popular tourists sights—the Châteaux of the Loire.

Below: Cheverny Château.      

The most famous part of the Loire river valley is the château region— the 100 mile section of the valley, between Angers*** and Blois***—once home to France's kings, and now a striking reminder of the spacious, courtly lifestyles of the 15th and early 16th century aristocracy.

Commercial bike tours of Loire Valley normally target the central part of the Château region, 60 miles in length, usually in relaxed, easy loop trips of four to six days. Many self-organized bikers will choose to do the same, as the author recommends. You will find the greatest concentration of sights with the least effort.

If you are an adventurous rider with more time, however, you may find it rewarding to undertake a point to point trip, including the mouth of the Loire and a bit of adjoining Brittany; you may even choose to continue to the Loire's hilly headwaters in central France; or you may undertake a trip to cross all of France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and on to Hungary).

The Itineraries below suggest four different easy trips in the Châteaux region, as well as a point to point itinerary that follows the entire length of the Loire. (You can select the parts you wish to ride.) Those intrepid readers who wish to undertake a cross France or cross Europe trip, starting from the Loire Valley, will find a link to this site's page telling how to do so.

The information that follows should help you decide whether you would like to take a bike trip to the Loire valley.

Below: Sunday bike outing near Chambord.

Please refer to Bicycle Touring in Europe for important background on touring styles, transportation of bicycles, bike types, rentals, maps, information sources, traffic ratings, packing, and security and safety tips. Refer to this page for information on French pronunciation, French bicycle nomenclature, and French road signs.

When to Go: The best weather occurs from June through September. Rain is more probable before and after this period, and is least likely in July and August, but this period is subject to possible heat waves. As one approaches the Atlantic, the climate becomes more moderate, and also rainier.

The author undertook his most recent excursion of 535 kilometers (321 miles) from La Baule to Orleans in eight days, during a surprising streak of very sunny but quite cool weather in late March, 2002. He followed quite closely the point-to-point itinerary suggested herein.

In the late 1990's the author undertook a summer bike trip of 8 days from Paris to Le Puy-en-Velay, joining the Loire at Gien. Thus he has biked all but a few sections of the Loire route.

Brief History: 9th Century—Powerful nobles build feudal fortifications. The  counts of Angers (lower Loire) marry into English royal family and become Kings of England. At this time, the English kings already possessed dominions in France, as they had originally conquered England from French Normandy, and now they owned a great part of France. Many wars ensued with the Paris-based "French" kings. By the early 15th century, England had captured most of France, including Paris, but not the Loire Valley east of Tours. The "French" heir was forced to flee from Île-de-France to this part of the Loire valley.

1429— Joan of Arc defeats the English at Orleans on the Loire, and elsewhere, and forces them to leave France. The French kings continue to live primarily in the Loire Valley. They modernize their defensive châteaux .

16th century— Several French kings fight (and temporarily rule) in Italy They bring back to the Loire Valley Italian architects, designers, and painters, including Leonardo da Vinci. Many châteaux are built and redesigned in the Renaissance style.

Middle 16th century—Thirty years war between Catholics and Protestants in Loire valley, followed by outbreaks of plague. The French kings move to the Paris region. The Châteaux of the Loire became beautiful relics of a bygone era.

Below: The Loire River above Nantes.

Attractions: The highlight of any bike tour will be the fabulous Châteaux of the Loire — many quite wonderful, different in style, yet somehow all of the same cloth. Most of the Châteaux were built during the Renaissance to replace earlier feudal forts; but some feudal castles remain.

In addition to Châteaux, this part of the Loire also contains attractive cities and towns, some charming countryside, art treasures, and delicious cuisine. The author gives this itinerary a ranking of "very good" , because he finds the biking in the generally flat to rolling agricultural terrain of the central Loire region a bit monotonous. However, if your tasted differ from the authors, that is if you love touring castles, if you are limiting yourself just to the Chateau circuit around Blois, or if you are going to Angers and you love textiles, or if you visiting the Le Baule region just beyond the mouth of the Loire, or if you are new to France, or if you want to stay in Chateau Hotels and dine at gourmet restaurants, you will find your experience to be "excellent".

Guidebooks and Internet. Sites: The author strongly suggests that you obtain one or more guidebooks on the Loire Châteaux and the surrounding region, to aid both in the planning and in the enjoyment of your trip. The following Internet Site, in English or French, also provides many pictures and much historical information: http://www.francebalade.com/indexen.html.

( Star symbols in the text show ratings given by the Michelin green guide books, which the author likes and uses. Three stars mean worth a journey; two, worth a detour; and one, interesting.)

Authors opinion: Best Châteaux (from west to east):

Angers***— Medieval fort containing a display room for the one-of-a-kind, stunningly beautiful Apocalypse tapestry***, finished in 1383 (earliest extant tapestry), now in many panels, and over 100 yards long, as well as 20 feet high. The château also contains approximately ten more 15th and 16th century tapestries that are among the most beautiful in the world. These ten tapestries you can see only by taking a free guided tour. To see all of the above wonders, you must pay to enter the chateau.

The rich and the powerful of the middle ages and even of the renaissance often preferred tapestries over paintings, as you will quickly see on your tour of the Loire châteaux. Most of the tapestries have fallen into shreds or completely faded. Arguably, most of the best art of the period has been lost. Though faded, the tapestries in Angers validate the artistic abilities and taste of that bygone time.

Fontevraud**— Listed here though not a Château, Fontevraud is the largest abbey complex remaining in France, and, although unfurnished, the most impressive that the author has seen in France. The huge Abbey church dates from the 12th century. Two Loire Valley Counts who were also Kings of England are buried here, Henry II (Henri II—and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine) and, Richard the Lionhearted.

Azay-le-Rideau***— Attractive site surrounded by trees and lying on an island between two branches of the Indre River, attractive facade, grand staircase, sumptuous decor with period pieces and tapestries.

Villandry***— It is really not the castle that one comes to see, but the beautiful formal gardens, mainly in the Italian style of the 16th century.

Chenonceaux***— Beautiful formal gardens, beautiful river location, attractive exterior facades, some parts of the château contain collections of period tapestries and furnishings but much of it is empty, outstanding view from great gallery room built out over the Cher River.

Cheverny***— Beautiful surrounding park, beautiful exterior facades, incredible richness and beauty of the original, early 17th century, decorations and furnishings.

Blois***— Location on hilltop, beautiful exterior facades, interesting interior decor, including especially the restored original wallpaper and tile floors.

Chambord*** — Beautiful, extensive surrounding park and woods, incredible size, beautiful exterior facade, unbelievable architectural elements, including double helical staircase and roof, but few furnishings, which are not original.

Authors Opinion: Best towns and cities (from west to east):

La Baule***— Not in the Loire Valley, but due west of it by 16 kilometers (10 miles), it is the starting place of choice for a point to point tour of the entire Loire River, and gives a fine contrast to the rest of the trip. La Baule has a beautiful, wide and lengthy, beach, charming shops, a daily market, and many wonderful Victorian style houses. From La Baule a great biking circuit is as follows: walled village of Guérande* (ramparts walk), Kerhinet (outstanding hamlet, in the author's view, see the interior of the inn), Breca (edge of the Brière swamp, boat tours), road that circles to the north of Guérande to Kerhoux, then Clis then Toulan, then crossing the Marais Salants (salt harvesting pans) by route D92, then Kervalet, Le Croisic* (fishing boats), coast circuit via Pointe du Croisic, Batz-sur-Mer, La Baule***.

Sainte Nazaire— Not a place to linger, but the author highly enjoyed his ride along the estuary, over draw bridges, and through the naval yards. As one enters the town (on the west) one encounters an long row of fishing "cabins" with nets on huge pivoting arms holding nets. Across some drawbridges there are some excellent views of the estuary, the Saint Nazaire bridge, and of huge ships in the shipyards.

Nantes***— The author enjoyed the view from the ramparts of the fortress Château (which one passes as one cycles through town). The town has excellent bicycle lanes, and there is really no need to bypass it. There are several good museums and a cathedral, none of which the author has seen.

Angers***— In addition to the Chateau*** and its textile treasures, discussed above, there are many other sights, and a very attractive shopping area in medieval-era streets. Bike access is by city streets, which fortunately have only moderate traffic.

Saumur**— The center of the town has charm, there are several interesting churches and buildings, the Chateau (whose interior the author has not seen) has a dominating placement on a bluff.

Chinon**— The view of the town and château on its cliff from from across the Vienne river is wonderful, and the medieval town has great charm. The author has not visited the château**.

Amboise**— Strewn along the ramparts of the imposing château** (which the author has not seen), the town has great charm.

Blois***— The very impressive château*** is described above. The town lies on hills, is charming, and has many shops. It makes a fine spot to begin or end loop tours in the nearby region.

Orleans*— Though not a tourist town or a place to linger, still the center of the town is monumental and impressive. Sights include a fine arts museum**, the cathedral, and a restored house where Joan of Arc stayed. On the south bank of the Loire, not very far from the through bicycle route and a short detour on the way into Orleans, lies the Floral Park of the Spring (Parc Floral de la Source)** on 86 acres.

Towns and sights further upstream are covered in the point-to-point itinerary: Upstream, east of Orleans, the Loire valley, for a time, becomes less interesting. The Châteaux end. Towns with hotels become further apart, and fancy hotels and restaurants are rare. On back roads, traffic is very light, and outside of the towns, there is nary a cyclist to be seen. Some wonderful one and two star attractions do exist, but lie apart by 2 or 3 biking hours.

Towards the headwaters of the Loire, cycle touring again becomes more interesting: First there are some gorges to pass above, with some long, steep hills and good views. Somewhat further south, you will want to spend at least one night in Le Puy-en-Velay***, at an altitude of 2,000 feet (630 m), the official beginning of the most famous of the Saint Jacques of Compostelle pilgrimage routes in France. (See this site's page, Directions to Bicycle the Pilgrims Route of Saint James of Compostella, France.) Le Puy has a wonderful Romanesque cathedral, a perched church, and other high viewpoints.

If you continue further south along the Loire, now a mountain stream, you will eventually attain 3,700 feet near Pradelles, leave the Loire watershed, cross a divide, and cycle downhill continually for 100 miles into sunny Provence. (See this site's page, Directions to Bicycle Provence, France.)

How to Bike the Loire Valley: Join one of the many guided tours in the central Loire river valley; take a commercially organized, self-guided tour; or organize the trip yourself,

Information on commercial tours based in America may be obtained by searching on the Internet using the terms "Loire" and bicycle or biking or cycling, or by contacting well known cycling companies.

The author has heard recommended, but has no personal experience with, one French commercial company that provides bicycle rentals, self-guiding itineraries, hotel reservations and baggage transfers in the Loire area: Loire Valley Travel in Blois, whose e-mail is Loire.Valley.Travel@wanadoo.fr. Additionally, the author is aware of two French companies that, while not making reservations or transferring baggage, do rent bicycles and provide itineraries; one is in Tours, the other near Angers. Contact information is provided on the following page under "Rentals".

<For extensive information on organizing the Loire Valley trip yourself, continue to Part II of this article.>

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Incredible paneled fireplace at the Cheverny Château.

Hounds for the hunt at Cheverny. .

Chambord is the largest and oddest of the châteaux.

The Chambord Château is built around a double helical staircase.

A hunting-theme tapestry of the time, on display at Chambord.

The inside of the Blois Château has original wallpaper and tile flooring from the 16th Century.