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Route Rating Level 1 to Level 4

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Premiere Inns
  • $4,898 pp dbl. occ.
  • (+$880 for sgl. occ.)

Reserve early for the best available price. More Info

6 DAYS, 5 NIGHTS
ROLLOVER DATES BELOW FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
2009 DATES
CLASSIC TRIPS
ROLLOVER DATES ABOVE FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
TRIP NOTES

All meals included except 1 lunch and 1 dinner.

Cancellation Policy

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Meet / Depart

Tours, France

Special Interest

Culture & History, Fine Wine & Cuisine, Romance &/or Honeymoon

My Backroads

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Contact Us

Call: 800-462-2848
or 510-527-1555
Fax: 510-527-1444
E-mail us

801 Cedar St.
Berkeley, CA 94710

Business Hours:
7 days a week
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time

Or contact your travel agent

Early Booking Savings
$500 per Couple
Rollover the list of dates
for savings on
select departures.

Loire Valley Biking Vacations

Loire Valley Biking

Among the Grand Chateaux

Pedal through a lush forest and emerge as if you're in a fairy tale. Standing proudly before you is a château of Gothic majesty, its halls rich with the trappings of nobility. Such is the landscape you'll encounter with Backroads in the Loire Valley - a beguiling mix of overt opulence and serene natural beauty. Some castles are yours to tour, others extend an invitation to slumber, immersing you in luxury and nourishing you with world-class wines and cuisine. All around, the gentle countryside is graced with rolling vineyards, and fields of sunflowers, fruit orchards and wheat fields. If you've dreamed of living like royalty, there's no place more ideal than the Loire Valley.

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Day 1 chinon

Rendezvous in Tours Shuttle to Chinon, known as much for its full-bodied red wines as for its turbulent history At its most famous castle, now in ruins, the legendary meeting between Joan of Arc and Charles VII took place Explore the peaceful château-dotted countryside on a warm-up loop  Before our first sumptuous dinner, enjoy a dip in the pool or meander through the extensive hotel grounds.

Days 2-3 montbazon

Spinning through gentle woodlands and past charming villages, you see why bicycling in the Loire Valley is such a delight Visit Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, one of France's most magnificent castles Ride through vineyards and orchards outside Montbazon to the town of Villandry, and meander through the impressive Italian Renaissance gardens of this town's château.

Days 4-6 amboise

Travel back in time on a visit to the magical Château de Chenonceau A private guide shares details of its richly appointed interiors, vast galleries and dazzling artwork Visit Clos Lucé, the last residence of Leonardo da Vinci, and see the designs and models for his many creations Join vintner Daniel Jarry on a private tour and degustation at his family's centuries-old wine cave in Vouvray  In Amboise, stroll on the Rue Nationale, a great place to shop and people-watch.

Route Rating What's this? Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Each offers options for more or less activity, so you can decide exactly how much you want to do day by day.

Lodging What's this? Our lodgings are divided into three different categories.

Premiere Inns:These lodgings possess both elegance and authentic regional flair.

Casual Inns:These lodgings are comfortable and appropriate to the areawith such characteristics as authenticity, scenic settings and proximity to our activities.

Deluxe Camping:We set up the tents (and take them down), handle every camp chore and perform culinary magic.

Detailed Itinerary

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Guest Trip Reviews

My daughter, Courtney, and I had a fantastic experience with Backroads in the Loire Valley. Our leaders were terrific! They made our trip memorable with their extensive knowledge of the French language, history and of course, biking. But above all, we appreciated their kindness and friendship. We will remember this trip with lots of smiles and we thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you!
Molly Hsieh - Rockville, MD

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All Guest Reviews

For 30 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the Loire Valley tour experts. For biking tours in Europe France, trust our in-depth connections. To see all our Europe France biking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe France walking and hiking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe France multisport tours click here.

Loire Valley Biking

TRIPLE CROWN: Premiere Inns

Chateau de Marcay

Chinon (1 night): Turrets and secret passageways attest to the medieval origins of this Relais & Châteaux-member hotel with a sparkling pool, elegant rooms and exceptional dining.

Chateau d'Artigny

Montbazon (2 nights): A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, grand from staircases to spa to swimming pool, and once home to perfume magnate François Coty.

Le Choiseul

Amboise (2 nights): An elegant 18th-century manor house with a Michelin-starred restaurant, swimming pool and membership in Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Loire Valley Biking Loire Valley Biking

Chateau de Marcay

You are viewing the Classic Premiere Inns version of this trip.
View the Classic Casual Inns Itineraries.

View the Family Premiere Inns , Family Casual Inns Itineraries.

Loire Valley Biking

Route Rating

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
  • Level 1 1 Route Option Available
  • 12 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Day 2
  • Levels 1 to 3 3 Route Options Available
  • 18, 27, 40 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Day 3
  • Levels 2 to 4 3 Route Options Available
  • 22, 35, 45 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Day 4
  • Levels 1 to 4 3 Route Options Available
  • 18, 33, 43 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Day 5
  • Levels 1 to 3 3 Route Options Available
  • 14, 32, 40 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Day 6
  • Level 1 1 Route Option Available
  • 12 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Loire Valley Biking Loire Valley Biking

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Average Distance
    Biking Walking
& Hiking
1 2-3
hours		 10-20
miles		 2-5
miles
2 2-4
hours		 21-30
miles		 5-7
miles
3 3-5
hours		 31-40
miles		 7-9
miles
4 4-6
hours		 41-55
miles		 9-11
miles
5 5-7+
hours		 56-75+
miles		 11-13+
miles