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Loire Highlights

Castles, caves & vineyards
 
The magnificent Loire region is perfect for self-guided hotel-to-hotel cycling, with luggage transfers. Your leisurely and relaxing route offers the chance to visit fairy-tale châteaux and to call in for tastings of wonderful red and white wines along the way.
Loire Highlights. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Loire Highlights. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A cycling break in the Loire

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 and Villandry. 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).
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 7 8 11 15 18 22 25 24 22 17 11 7
    mm 62 58 54 52 63 50 49 45 53 58 65 62
  • Arrival in Azay-le-Rideau
    Night 1: at Hotel de Biencourt (where you spend one night).
    As your first night's accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of cycling.
  • Choice of routes from Azay-le-Rideau to Ussé: 18.5km or 35.5km

    Azay-le-Rideau to Ussé via Villandry: 35.5km
    You head north from Azay-le-Rideau past an elegant private château and through a deciduous forest to Villandry, where you can visit the château, famed for its magnificent formal gardens. From here you follow the River Cher to its confluence with the Loire, and cycle along the riverbank via a former river port (look out for vestiges of its past) to Ussé, where you stay the night at Le Clos d'Ussé.

    Azay-le-Rideau to Ussé via the River Indre: 18.5km
    For a shorter day, you can follow the course of the River Indre, passing a small but beautiful château and an attractive village, to reach the banks of the River Loire, which you follow westwards. 
    Villandry's château and gardens
    Azay-le-Rideau to Ussé via Villandry: 35.5km
    Azay-le-Rideau to Ussé via the River Indre: 18.5km
  • Ussé to Chinon: 13km
    Start the day with a visit to Ussé's fary-tale château, the inspiration for Perrault's original tale of Sleeping Beauty. From Ussé, you head through farmland and vineyards on a short cycle ride to Chinon, where you'll encounter a spectacular view over the town and the river before descending to your hotel, the Hotel de France. Unless you pause en route, you will probably arrive in the early afternoon and can spend the rest of the day visiting Chinon’s very different château and perhaps enjoy a wine-tasting in the unusual setting of caves that were once lived in.
    Ussé to Chinon: 13km
    Châteaux d'Ussé
  • Chinon to Azay-le-Rideau: 38km
    You head east from Chinon across open countryside, first through vineyards to Crissay-sur-Manse (one of the 'most beautiful villages in France'), before turning north across farmland and woodland and past cliffs in which there are numerous troglodytic cave dwellings. Continue through Villaine-les-Rochers, the basket-weaving capital of France, to return to Azay. End your holiday with one last visit – the fairy-tale turreted château of Azay-le-Rideau should not be missed – before a final night at the hotel where you began, the Hotel de Biencourt.
    Chinon to Azay-le-Rideau: 38km
    The Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
 

Accommodation

You stay in pleasant, comfortable hotels offering a warm and friendly welcome.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 4 nights: 01 April 2023 - 10 October 2023 & 01 April 2024 - 31 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 Apr - 21 May 2023 £740 £215
    22 May - 30 Sep 2023 £775 £220
    1 - 6 Oct 2023 £740 £215
    1 Apr - 21 May 2024 £815 £240
    22 May - 30 Sep 2024 £855 £245
    1 - 27 Oct 2024 £815 £240
    3rd & 4th person discount -£140 to -£150
    Single traveller supplement £135 to £150

    Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Included travel: return taxi from Tours airport or St Pierre des Corps railway station

    Electric bikes available: add £64pp in 2023 or £70pp in 2024

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

    4 nights: 01 April 2023 - 10 October 2023 & 01 April 2024 - 31 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 Apr - 21 May 2023 £925 £215
    22 May - 30 Sep 2023 £955 £220
    1 - 6 Oct 2023 £925 £215
    1 Apr - 21 May 2024 £1020 £240
    22 May - 30 Sep 2024 £1055 £245
    1 - 27 Oct 2024 £1020 £240
    3rd & 4th person discount -£135 to -£145
    Single traveller supplement £135 to £150

    Includes all elements in the 'cycle price', plus standard-class travel by Eurostar from London St Pancras to Lille or Paris, with onward travel as described below.

    Electric bikes available: add £64pp in 2023 or £70pp in 2024

    Included travel: UK–Paris (Eurostar), Paris–St Pierre des Corps (TGV), approx duration out 6h10/home 7h & taxi transfer (out 0h45/home allow 1h)
    > More about 'by rail' prices
    > The 'rail experience': what to expect

    If you book your holiday less than 10 months in advance of your travel date, seats may no longer be available at the tariffs on which our prices are based, but we may be able to offer you seats on the same services at a supplement.

    4 nights: 01 April 2023 - 10 October 2023 & 01 April 2024 - 31 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 Apr - 21 May 2023 £655 £215
    22 May - 30 Sep 2023 £700 £220
    1 - 6 Oct 2023 £655 £215
    1 Apr - 21 May 2024 £725 £240
    22 May - 30 Sep 2024 £770 £245
    1 - 27 Oct 2024 £725 £240
    3rd & 4th person discount -£95 to -£105
    Single traveller supplement £95 to £105

    Includes all elements in the 'cycle price', plus a return Channel crossing between Folkestone and Calais with LeShuttle for your party and one car.

    > More information about travelling self-drive

    Electric bikes available: add £64pp in 2023 or £70pp in 2024

    A supplement of approximately £65 per car per single journey applies for travel at key dates over Easter, while from May onwards a supplement of approximately £42 per car per single journey applies for travel over public holidays and at weekends during school holidays. See the self-drive page or contact us for more details.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Hotel de France, Chinon
    Superior: 01 Apr - 10 Oct 2023 £28
    Superior: 01 Apr - 31 Oct 2024 £31

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Prices include an extra day’s bike hire (standard or electric).
    Hotel de France, Chinon (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 10 Oct 2023 £116 £174
    01 Apr - 31 Oct 2024 £128 £192
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Tours or Paris CDG
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Paris CDG. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Paris CDG Air France,  KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Paris CDG Air France,  KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Paris CDG Air France,  easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Paris CDG Air France,  easyJet 
    Edinburgh - St Pierre des Corps via Paris CDG air/rail Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Paris CDG easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Paris CDG jet2 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Paris CDG easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Paris CDG easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Paris CDG British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    London Southend - Paris CDG easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Tours Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Paris CDG Air France,  easyJet 
    Manchester - St Pierre des Corps via Paris CDG air/rail Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Paris CDG Air France,  KLM 
    Newcastle - St Pierre des Corps via Paris CDG air/rail Air France 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Paris CDG. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Unless otherwise stated, connecting travel by rail or bus tends to be from the city centre station, rather than from its airport, and connections between the two should be paid for locally.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Paris CDG

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Paris CDG airport to St Pierre des Corps station (1h40), taxi St Pierre des Corps to hotel (0h45) £42-£46 1700
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to St Pierre des Corps station (1h), rail St Pierre des Corps to Paris CDG airport (1h40) £42-£46 1500

    Connecting travel options - flying via St Pierre des Corps SNCF

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    taxi St Pierre des Corps to hotel (0h45) included flexible
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to St Pierre des Corps (0h45) included flexible

    Connecting travel options - flying via Tours

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    direct taxi Tours airport to hotel (1h) included flexible
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    direct taxi hotel to Tours airport (1h) included flexible
What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 1 dinner
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • high-quality bicycle
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • return taxi from Tours airport
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 5 reviews
  • Dr C Amos
    Abergavenny
    20 May 2023

    This was an overall brilliant holiday - the first time I had attempted anything like it as a solo traveller and I loved it all! The cycling was excellent, although I think some of that is down to the E bike, which was great to use. The inntravel background notes were fascinating, especially tempting me into some of the recommended diversions, and an especial thank you goes to the wonderful Hotel de Biencourt in Azay-le-Rideau for their hospitality and sorting out my initial mistake of sending my car keys off on the taxi before I had finished sorting out my luggage! Thank you for such a great experience all round!

  • Mrs R Thomson
    Whitstable
    04 October 2022

    This cycling holiday was just right for us in duration, the distances on each day and the countryside.  The quiet roads the routes took were excellent and I, not being a regular cyclist, felt very safe and comfortable.  The notes provided on different things like what to visit in a particular village or town, where to buy provisions, and restaurants recommended were very good and most helpful.    We enjoyed visiting two of the chateaus, particularly enjoyed Villandry, the house and the gardens were lovely, and it was nice to walk round an historic building without areas being roped off or having someone sitting in each room you entered keeping guard!  You felt you could really get a feel for what it was like to live in such a place.

  • Happy traveller
    12 September 2022

    Cycling through the vineyards on day 3 was super at this time of year with harvesting. The Loire levee is good. Probably worth stressing that lunch isn't really available on day 1 after Villandry (or maybe we just timed it wrong) 

     

     

  • Mrs J Tucker
    Cardiff
    07 September 2022

    Really enjoyed our Loire Highlights cycle tour.  The information booklet provided was fantastic: the detailed routes and recommendations for places to stop were all excellent.  The hotels were lovely too, especially Hotel Biencourt in Azay.  The bikes were satisfactory.  They were however heavy.  I would suggest the bike rental shop should invest in some more contemporary hybrids before too long.  We weren't the only people slightly disappointed by the bikes.

  • Mrs G Smart
    Forest Row
    08 August 2021

    We thoroughly enjoyed our cycling holiday in the Loire. It was a great activity for us as a family, and we enjoyed seeing the area from our bicycles, rather than a car. We also really enjoyed the friendly welcome we received from the hotels along the route.
 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • Our chosen bike rental shop will provide you with a hybrid bike with 21 gears; a waterproof map case on handlebars; panniers/saddlebags; pump; puncture repair kit; and a lock. Electric bikes are available as an upgrade (see price panel), subject to availability, and must be requested at the time of booking.
  • While we would always recommend that you take your own well-fitting helmet, they can be hired locally for a small fee. Please let us know at the time of booking if you would like to hire a helmet.
  • Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide maps and our tried-and-tested route notes, which remain the principal means of navigation).
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our cycling holidays in Europe page.
  • You are responsible for damage to or loss of the rental bike while it is hired to you. Always be careful to lock it up, ideally to an immovable object, and remove all easy-to-steal accessories whenever you leave it unattended.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to France, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The official language is French. The currency is the Euro. French time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
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