Pedalling through the Loire à Vélo®

3 days / 2 nights

Relax on the famous “Loire à vélo” (Loire Valley cycling) route, with routes for all ages and fitness levels, in a region with UNESCO World Heritage Site status for its cultural landscape: an ideal setting for your adventures.
Discover the tourist capital of the Loire Valley; admire a Renaissance masterpiece; enjoy the gentle way of life and the pleasures of the land.

DAY 1

Unaccompanied visit to the CCC OD, Centre de Création Contemporaine Olivier Debré. In this artistic setting installed in a building with remarkable architecture, discover contemporary art through temporary exhibitions from nationally- and internationally-renowned artists. In this truly artistic setting, you can admire the exhibitions open on the date of your visit.
Free time to visit the historic districts. As you discover the narrow streets of the historic districts (secteur sauvegardé), fall under the spell of the myriad charms of the Loire way of life. On the famous Place Plumereau make sure to stop at a pavement café.
Dinner in a restaurant and night in a hotel in Tours city centre.

DAY 2

You will leave by bike heading eastward, on a route along the banks of the Loire as far as Rochecorbon, a small market town nestled at the foot of cliffs with troglodytic caves carved into them. The village is located in the Vouvray wine region, renowned for its white wine since the 4th century when Saint Martin planted vines there.

You will arrive at the vineyard and will be welcomed for an accompanied visit of a TROGLODYTIC CAVE.
Throughout the tunnels sculpted in tuffeau stone, and arriving at the deepest one, you will discover the secrets of the production of sparkling wine and the ageing of still wines. There you will taste a selection of still and sparkling VOUVRAY WINES.

Dinner in a restaurant and night in a hotel in Tours city centre.


DAY 3

You will leave by bike heading westward, for an idyllic ride along a former tow-path towards Villandry. You will make a stop in the charming village of Savonnières on the banks of the River Cher, where you will find traditional flat-bottomed boats. 

At Villandry, unaccompanied tour of the CHÂTEAU DE VILLANDRY AND ITS GARDENS. Each room in this cosy, family castle represents a specific era in its furnishings and careful decoration. In THE GARDENS that wrap around this CASTLE, one of the last great castles built, like a jewel in its case, you will stroll through one of the most beautiful gardens in France, arranged on three levels: the water garden; the decorative garden; The ornamental vegetable garden, like a multi-coloured chess board with its nine squares of vegetables and fruit trees planted geometrically.
Return to Tours by bike.

2 days / 1 night

Discover the famous "Loire à Vélo" itinerary during your stay in Tours. Take advantage of the gentle way of life in the Loire Valley during walks that are accessible to all in this region, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for cultural landscapes: an ideal setting for your visits.