The itinerary
at a glance
For your 8-day round trip in the Blois area
Discover the historic old town and the imposing castle, already the kings of France were magically attracted to this place.
The river flows between the gold shimmering sandbanks in a leisurely manner. Typical of this area are the rock housings, which are directly built into the soft lime stones. Sometimes, only the rising smoke reveals their existence. You cross the Loire in order to appreciate the most royal of all the Loire Castles: Castle Ambois. It accommodated five kings and a Roman emperor. In addition, a genius of the 16th century attracts your attention – Leonardo da Vinci, who spent his last years in Ambois. On the Loire Cycle Path you keep cycling on to Tours. Alternatively take the train (independently) from Amboise and hence cut the stage short by about 30 km.
The river Cher leads you directly to the castle Villandry with its terraced gardens. Certainly, you should not miss paying a visit to this famous installation. Every visitor will be amazed by the shadowy footpaths, the flower-bedecked bowers, the fountains and the artistically laid out vegetable gardens. Some kilometres further on you will exchange the bank of the Cher for the bank of the famous Loire. And again you will be tempted by the next castle – Langeais. From the top of the fortified tower (this castle exclusively served for military purposes) you will see the river and its whole surroundings lying in front of you. On the verge of the dark and mysterious forest of Chinon rises the castle of Ussé, the castle of the Sleeping Beauty. Via small villages and on side roads you will reach today’s destination – Chinon.
The Vienne escorts you first in the small village Candes-St-Matin. A grandiose and romantic church was built at the place of death of the holy St. Martin. In Montsoreau conflate the Vienne with the powerful Loire – a impressing natural spectacle. These ‘cave gardens’ are approx. 800 km long. Your cyclist calves take you first to Fontervraud l’Abbey. Nowhere else in this world, you will find a medieval monastery that is so entirely preserved like the one in Fontervraud. You pass the birth house of Francois Rabelais, the famous author and also through the valley, where his story line of the book “Gargantua” takes place.
You leave Chinon with its medieval alleys, which crowd between the river and the rocks, towards the north. The tour leads you through vineyards and lonely villages. Like Crissay, once entirely deserted – it is now resettled by artists and people who always know how to make the best of things. But don’t be afraid – there will also be a castle for admiration today: to be precise, one of extremely high quality – Azay-le-Rideau. Balzac wrote about it “a diamond with thousand facets, set by the Indre”. What could we add to this? You will spend the night in town and have, therefore, the chance to enjoy the magic of the castle with its cultural events.
There is another highlight in store: this time concerning nature. Through the romantic river landscape, steadily following the Indre, you will reach Montbazon. A short ascent awaits you. By pedalling really hard over a mountain ridge you reach the Cher Valley. On meadow paths and along the Cher you go to Bléré, a small market town. For many visitors the Castle of Chenonceaux is the topping on the cake. A magnificent, double floored bridge gallery goes over the river. But before the lovely palace garden will enthuse your eyes. But see and discover on your own.
Today you have to choose between two tour variants: the shorter stage takes you through the lovely landscape of the Touraine to the Castle Chaumont, and then on romantic paths along the Loire to Blois. After moving into your hotel room you will go out on reconnaissance! The Castle Blois with its galleries, projected balconies and bay windows could be your destination.
Or there is the second, longer variant for all lovers of the Loire Castles: via Montrichard, Cheverny, Villesavine to the Castle Chambord. As far as the eye can see the ‘Domaine de Chambrod’ stretches here. Already from a distance, you can see the walls of the biggest and most magnificent residence on the Loire shimmering through the trees. It is the immortal legacy of a disloyal king. You are spoilt for choice!
Level
Occasional cyclists
You prefer flat terrain, but you won’t be put off by the occasional hill. There has to be the right mix of breaks, nature and culture. You enjoy exercise and bring some stamina and cycling experience to the table.
Topography
You will cycle through the flat or gently undulating Loire Valley. In the vineyards, the topography is somewhat more hilly and there are also a few gentle climbs (max. over a distance of 500 metres).
Road conditions
The route runs mainly on low-traffic side roads as well as cycle paths and farm tracks.
Route-finding & navigation
You will navigate by yourself using maps and/or GPS data.
Services & Info
Trip details
- 7 x overnight stays in accommodations of the chosen category
- 7 x hearty breakfast buffet
- Luggage transport from hotel to hotel
- Carefully designed routes
- Detailed cycling map with route information in English
- PEDALO app and/or GPS data
- Detailed info package per room in English
- 7-day service hotline in English
If you choose not to receive a printed copy of the detailed itinerary, you will receive a discount of € 20,- per room. In this case, we will email you the digital version of the itinerary and hotel list in advance. On arrival you will also receive a tour folder with luggage tags, up-to-date information and various city maps.
In section 4 of the booking form, you can choose between the printed itinerary and the digital bonus.
Local/resort tax: according to tariff
If applicable, these are to be paid directly to the hotel and are not included in the holiday price.
Prices & Dates
at a glance
Arrival: Daily from 29.03. to 11.10.2025
Frequently asked
questions
Your travel documents usually include general travel information, a hotel list, a road book and/or detailed maps as well as a textual description of the route; you will also get luggage tags and possibly also vouchers and/or information material on the various sightseeing attractions. The exact contents of the information package depend on the booked trip and its included services.
The documents will be sent to you approx. two to three weeks before the start of your tour. Depending on the trip, you may receive them partly in digital form and partly by post – or you will receive the hotel list and general travel information in advance by e-mail, and the remaining documents along with the maps on site at your starting hotel.
Please note that the travel documents are issued exclusively for PEDALO guests and are therefore not available without a booking.
The transport of your luggage from hotel to hotel is included as part of the basic service package for all staged tours and round trips in the PEDALO programme. You simply leave your luggage out for our courier in the morning before you set off on your cycling stage. When you arrive at your next accommodation in the late afternoon or early evening, it will be there waiting for you.
Just in case, we recommend always packing a change of clothes in your saddle bag, especially for short stages which you may cover more quickly than the luggage driver.
Depending on how the logistics are organised on site, there may be restrictions on the maximum weight and/or number of pieces of luggage. You will receive more detailed information on this with the travel documents well before the start of your trip.
Travel insurance is not included in our prices. You can decide whether to get a quote elsewhere or simply book your travel insurance online at pedalo.com/en/service/travel-insurance. In any case, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance!
Please note that for last-minute bookings (less than 30 days before the start of the trip), insurance cover can only be taken out within 3 days of booking.