Cycling Holidays - Loire Valley to the Atlantic Coast

Loire Valley to the Atlantic Coast

France

From £690 P/P

The wild-romantic Loire is one of Europe’s last remaining unregulated rivers flowing through gently undulating terrain towards the Atlantic. This river accompanies the culture-enthusiastic cycling-holidaymaker following its course along the Loire-cycle path from Orléans until Saint Nazaire past magnificent palaces and blooming gardens taking you back into France‘s glorious past – and you are off into the heart of the royal cycling holiday bliss. Look forward to one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, enjoy the sweet life à la francaise and admire impressive natural spectacles.

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Itinerary
Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Tours

Arrival in Tours

Day 2: Tours – Chinon approx. 60 km

The river Cher, a Loire tributary, leads you directly to Villandry palace 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. Via small villages and on side roads you will reach today’s Day Finish – Chinon, impressing visitors with its mighty castle complex.

Day 3: Chinon – Angers approx. 80 km

You leave Chinon with its medieval alleyways and follow the river Vienne to Candes-St. Martin. A charming stroll through the village up to the highest point of the hill enables an impressive view onto the confluence of both rivers Vienne and Loire. We highly recommend another panoramic view onto the vast Loire-valley from Saumur palace.

After that you enter the vineyards situated at the southers shores of the Loire and cycle towards your next big Day Finish Angers. In case this tour is too strenuous for you, you can bypass the route by train from Saumur onwards.

Day 4: Angers – Saint-Florent-le-Vieil/Surroundings approx. 45-55 km

Take a bit of time for the small, lively university town of Angers. Especially for the castle featuring a monumental tapestry sequence, the world-renenowned ‚Apocalypse of Angers‘ dating back to the 14th century and displayed in a specially built galery. Angers is situtated on the river Maine, the final significant tributary of the Loire before the Atlantic. You follow this river until is joins the river Loire at La Pointe-Bouchemaine.

You continue along the foot of a slate-granite massif until Savennières featuring the oldest church of the region. Some of the best wines of the Loire-valley are grown here, fruity, dry white wines – we recommend a visit to one of the vintners. We also highly recommend a detour to Béhuard, the only village literally ‚in‘ the Loire. Béhuard is located on one of the numerous islands, created by the Loire river. From La Poissonnière the route leads you via dykes with wonderful views onto the river Loire into the trim little town Saint-Florent-le-Vieil.

Day 5: Saint-Florent-le-Vieil/Surroundings – Nantes approx. 50-60 km

Another day along the Loire river through continuously changing scenery awaits. The Loire now finally enters Brittany and carves through slate- and granit rocks all the way to Nantes. The cycle path changes the side of the river several times, which also includes tackling a few smaller ascents – which again rewards you with beautiful views.

The route leads you past market gardens, which produce lamb’s lettuce, carrots and lily of the valley on a large scale. The Loire ‚escorts‘ you into the centre of the historic capital of Brittany, Nantes. Although the Loire estuary into the Atlantic is another 70 km away the influence of the sea is already noticable and visible.

Day 6: Nantes – Saint Nazaire approx. 55 km

Now the river becomes ever wider, the scenery increasingly placid. You proceed through little villages always downstream to the resort Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, with its location embedded between the Loire estuary and the Atlantic Ocean.

From Saint Nazaire you are only separated by the impressive long bridge with a length of about 3.5 km, and that is why we have organised a collective transfer to cross it in the afternoon and take you to your Day Finish hotel. Saint Nazaire is one of the most impressive towns in the Loire-delta. Visit the Atlantic shipyard, which is one of the largest ship building corporations in the world, or the submarine bunker, which is also accessible by bike.

Day 7: Round Trip to the Sea approx. 40 km or 45 km

At the end of your holiday allow yourself to leave all your cares behind and choose from two tour options. One option offers a round trip along the coastline with bays and seaside resorts into the beach resort La Baule. You cycle back through the hinterland or via the medieval town of Guèrande and return to St. Nazaire.

The other option is a cycling tour along the coast via La Baule until Batz-sur-Mer and to the fishing harbour Le Croisic. Return transfer by train to St. Nazaire.

Day 8: Departure or extension
Route Overview

Route Overview

The route is signposted well and follows the course of the river and is without any ascents worth mentioning. The majority of the route leads along country roads with very little traffic or cycling paths. Only maybe the length of the daily tours and some headwind require a bit more than just a basic fitness level. There are bypass options by train always available along the entire route.

Total distance cycled: 330 km

Starting point of the cycling holiday: Tours

Route Map (For guidance only):

Routes maybe subject to change or alteration. All route notes, maps and day-by-day information will be given to you upon arrival at the first hotel or at the welcome meeting. GPS/GPX Files are available for most our the cycling holidays we offer. Please ask us for details.
Getting There

Getting There

We recommend flying to Orleans, Tours, or one of the Paris region airports to reach the starting point of this cycling holiday.

Flights are available with a number of airlines to your required airport or you can travel to the start using alternative methods such as rail or road.

We recommend using Skyscanner to find the best flight prices by date or Rail Europe for European rail travel. There is customer car parking available at most hotels for a supplement. Please contact us for more details.

Please use local transport to arrive at the starting point or call us on 0161 703 8161 for more specific travel advice.

You do not need to go back to the starting point of the cycling holiday as all hire bikes are left at the final hotel.

Important: Please book your flights only after the cycling holiday has been confirmed by invoice or email. Flights and transfers are not included in the advertised holiday price.
What’s Included?
What’s Included?

The Loire Valley to the Atlantic Coast cycling holiday includes the daily transfer of luggage to the next hotel and local support if required.

Included Services (Subject to confirmation)

- Overnight stays in the listed category
- Breakfast buffet or extended breakfast
- If half board is booked: 7x 3-course-dinner (supplement payable)
- Luggage transfer between hotels
- Excellently planned routes
- Detailed travel information
- Own signposting
- GPS-tracks available
- Rental bike and bike insurance
- Service hotline

Not Included
- Flights to/from the start and finish
- Evening meals (unless stated)
- Local daily taxes (Payable at the hotel)
- Helmets
- Water Bottles
- Travel Insurance
- Bike Insurance (unless stated)
- Welcome Meetings (unless stated)
- Transfers (unless included)
Bike Hire

Bike Hire

21-gear Unisex bike

A low entry unisex frame, ideal for an upright but relaxed riding position. The number of gears varies by destination. In Italy, for instance, standard bikes have 27 gears, while in northern Europe they are generally fitted with 7 gears and a pedal brake (although bikes with more gears and conventional breaks can sometimes be requested).

21-gear Men's bike

Citybike with men's frame. The design and number of gears varies from country to country. As with unisex bikes, for example, bikes for our Italian tours have 21/24 gears, while in northern Europe they are usually fitted with 7 gears and a pedal brake (although bikes with more gears and conventional breaks can sometimes be requested).

Electric Bike Upgrades

Why not upgrade your cycling experience to an E-Bike (Electric Bike)? Using a power assisted bike is a great way to go on a cycling holiday and will help you smooth out inclines or longer days in the saddle. Each E-Bike features an LCD display, removable batteries for easy charging and assistance up to 25 km/h with a range of around 120 km for each full charge depending on usage.

E-Bike upgrade prices vary per tour, but if you require any more information about bike hire and electric bikes, please get in-touch with us on +44 (0) 800 703 8161.

For 2020, there is an additional bike rental option available for a supplement. The PLUS hybrid bike now available on most cycling holidays is sportier with higher quality brakes (Magura HS 11) and better specification gears (Shimano Deore XT). The riding position is designed to have a slightly sportier sitting posture and a high quality Suntour suspension fork gives smooth riding on most surfaces. All accessories are compatible with the new PLUS bike rental option.

Hotels

This cycling holiday stays in good quality 2/3 star hotels with private facilities carefully selected for their proximity to your cycle route and comfort. If you wish to know specific information about the hotel facilities, Wi-Fi and upgrades used on the holidays, please contact us on 0161 703 8161 for more information.

You will receive your final hotel list approximately 4 weeks prior to your arrival date detailing the hotels used on your cycling holiday. If you wish to know more about the hotels prior to completing a booking form, please contact our Customer Services team via email or by phone.

LOIRE VALLEY TO THE ATLANTIC	EXAMPLE HOTEL LIST
TOURS	AU RELAIS ST ELOI
CHINON	IBIS STYLES HOTEL
ANGERS	LE PROGRES HOTEL
ST FLORENT LE VIEL	LOGIS HOSTELLERIE LA GABELLE
NANTES	MERCURE GRAND HOTEL
SAINT NAZAIRE	COMFORT HOTEL DE L'EUROPE

Date & Prices

You can find out more about this cycling holiday calling 0161 703 8161 to speak to one of the team.

You can now book this cycling holiday online using our secure online booking engine.

Seasons:

	Season 1	Season 2	Season 3
Range 1	Apr 3 2021 - Apr 23 2021	Apr 24 2021 - Jun 18 2021	Jun 19 21 - Sept 3 21
Range 2	Sept 25 2021 - Oct 9 2021	Sept 4 2021 - Sept 24 2021
Arrival Days	Saturday	Saturday	Saturday

Prices:

	Season 1	Season 2	Season 3
Double	£690.00	£745.00	£785.00
Single	£350.00	£350.00	£350.00

Bike Hire:

Bike Type	Price
21-gear incl. rental bike insurance	£80.00
7-gear incl. rental bike insurance	£80.00
rental bike PLUS incl. rental bike insurance	£125.00
Electric bike incl. rental bike insurance	£180.00

Extra Nights:

Location	Room Type	Season 1	Season 2	Season 3
Tours	Double	£60.00	£60.00	£60.00
	Single	£105.00	£105.00	£105.00
Saint Nazire	Double	£50.00	£50.00	£50.00
	Single	£95.00	£95.00	£95.00

Date From	Date To
03 April 2021	03 September 2021

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