It has all the makings of a fairy tale. Storybook castles. Towers, flying buttresses and flawless gardens. Fertile fields, graceful rivers and idyllic biking routes. Exquisite treats at patisseries and gourmet feasts. The Loire Valley—a family getaway that ends with "happily ever after."
Days 1-2 Ride past picture-perfect Loire Valley villages and serene woodland | Venture through the spellbinding town of Chinon | Explore Ussé, the castle that inspired Sleeping Beauty | Pedal through rolling hills to Azay-le-Rideau, home to a magnificent château | En garde! Kids wield épées with a world-class fencing master.
Day 3 Discover the rolling pastures and goat farms behind Loire's famous fromage de chèvre | A peaceful route through vineyards and villages leads to Château de Villandry and its exquisite gardens | The younger set embarks on an exciting ropes course adventure before a kids-only dinner.
Day 4 Tour magical Château de Chenonceau, with its richly appointed interiors and dazzling artwork | Kids get their own special tour and discover their way out of the garden's labyrinth | Relax or take a dip in the pool at our a luxury manor-turned-hotel on the banks of the Loire River.
Days 5-6 Visit Leonardo da Vinci's home, Clos Lucé, where you'll marvel at the models and designs of his creations | Pedal to Vouvray, one of France's oldest wine-growing regions | Join a local vintner for a private tour of the family's centuries-old wine cave | Adults stroll, shop and sip un café in the lively town of Amboise, while kids get a tasty lesson in chocolate making.
For me, it was a true vacation. I got to exercise everyday, see new places that I'd only read about in books but had dreamed of visiting, and I didn't have to worry about a thing, not even my daughter. She could run and play with the other kids, without my having to worry about anything.- New York City
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception. Read the Straight Talk
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
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Turrets and secret passageways attest to the medieval origins of this hotel, whose expansive gardens include grapevines used to produce 2,500 bottles of wine each year. (pool)
A belle epoque dream castle of perfumer François Coty, set among manicured gardens above the Indre Valley.A Small Luxury Hotels of the World member. (pool, spa)
A collection of three beautiful 18th-century manor houses in a peaceful setting along the Loire River. A Small Luxury Hotels of the World member. (pool)
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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Comments about Loire Valley Family Bike Tour:
For me, it was a true vacation. I got to exercise everyday, see new places that I'd only read about in books but had dreamed of visiting, and I didn't have to worry about a thing, not even my daughter. She could run and play with the other kids, without my having to worry about anything.
Comments about Loire Valley Family Bike Tour:
Backroads delivered again; exceptional service, excellent accommodations, incredible food, super-friendly leaders
Comments about Loire Valley Family Bike Tour:
The unique chemistry between the three group leaders was magical. They complimented each other and were especially good with the kids. Both individually and collectively they formed an "A" Team and provided the experience of a lifetime for three generations of our family .
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
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.
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| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | ||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | |
| 1 | 13* | 500 | 20 | 800 | ||||||
| 2 | 15* | 800 | 27* | 1100 | 40 | 1400 | ||||
| Kids: Fencing Lesson (2 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 3 | 14* | 500 | 23* | 800 | 39 | 1300 | 52 | 1700 | ||
| Kids: Ropes Course (1.5 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 4 | 17* | 700 | 30* | 1200 | 40 | 1600 | 52 | 2300 | ||
| 5 | 15* | 600 | 29 | 1000 | 37 | 1400 | 43 | 1600 | ||
| Kids: Chocolate Making (2 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 6 | 13 | 400 | ||||||||
Note: On this Family Trip, our routes follow gentle rolling terrain. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary and mileage is moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
The Loire Valley ticks every box for the ideal family biking destination: easy riding among fields of sunflowers, visits to storybook castles, canoeing down a river overlooked by medieval battlements – even a chance to try your hand at fencing. Small wonder that this classic trip, originally researched by Backroads Founder Tom Hale, has proven to be our most popular family adventure in France and one of the highest-rated trips in our European portfolio.
In Loire Valley you head off each morning after choosing among several expertly designed routes—all with detailed directions, mileage and shuttle options. Unlike trips with one fixed daily route (or worse, one guide that everyone's obliged to follow), you're free to enjoy the best of the region at your pace, stopping wherever you want to explore further.
On this Premiere Inn trip, you can count on the best lodgings Loire Valley has to offer. In fact, the hotels we've chosen in this region have higher retail room rates than those offered by any other active travel company—even when their trips cost more.
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in Loire Valley—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
Choose a Backroads Custom Titanium or Custom Electric Assist bike—both are included in your trip price. Maybe a Specialized carbon-fiber pro model is more your speed or go for double fun on a tandem. Our fleet is the best in active travel, so you don't have to roll the dice on this vital trip component. Learn why our titanium bikes are ideal for most riders. See the bike options for this trip.
We design and support our Loire Valley trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
Guests rave about our picnic spreads. Enjoy a welcome break in a scenic spot, or a quick refuel stop if you don't want to lose momentum. And because we have two vans, one can host lunch while the other is out providing support along the route.
Your ride comes equipped with a Garmin Edge Explore 1000, the best bike-touring GPS device on the market. This is a Backroads exclusive, and it's included with your bike in Loire Valley. If you prefer to bring your own device, we also have downloadable GPS files and of course, our good old paper directions are always available. Read more on why our navigation options are the best.
When everyone's together, there's lots going on; and when kids' and adults' priorities diverge, it can seem like two different trips. That's why our Family Adventures in Loire Valley have three Trip Leaders—including a dedicated Kids Activity Expert who regularly takes younger travelers off to do their own thing. Other companies try to get by with two leaders; we step up and do it right. For more on our family focus, check this out.
It may be hard to imagine being on a family trip with no other families on it—but it happens regularly with some companies. On a Backroads Family Adventure there are typically several families on each departure, creating more opportunities for your kids to make new friends as they try fun things together – which is a big part of the experience.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Loire Valley, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
At Backroads we've honed our expertise in active family travel over many years and a lot of trips. We host at least 20 times more family guests than any other active company, so we're constantly gaining new insights that make our trips even better. Detailed planning, behind-the scenes logistics, unrivaled support from three Trip Leaders—all backed by a team that proudly creates the kind of experiences we'd want to share with our own families.
Backroads is the leader in designing trips that ensure everyone, young and young-at-heart alike, has an amazing time. Your Backroads Family Adventure balances family activities with diversions designed exclusively for the kids—giving the adults a welcome break from making decisions, other than choosing whether to explore a few more miles or just enjoy each other's company. A family vacation where everyone gets to relax, recharge and have fun – what a concept!
Our Trip Leaders in Loire Valley live in the area and are deeply engaged in their communities, giving them unique inside knowledge they're happy to share in making your experience that much richer. They'll introduce you to people, customs and parts of town you'd likely never encounter on your own—and teach you a few local phrases to help break the ice.
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from the selection of dates below for your group; some dates are only available for 16 or more guests while other dates are available for 8 or more guests. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you. Call or email us to reserve your date.
Click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date! i
Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
