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Loire Valley: practical tips for a cycling holiday
Enchantée! This is the Loire, with all the nicknames that say so much about its legendary beauty: Vallée des Rois (Valley of the Kings) and Jardin de France (Garden of France).
Proud, noble, overflowing with wonders that UNESCO wanted to include in its World Heritage List in 2000, voilà la Loire à vélo! But what makes this route one of the most popular?
How long is the Loire Valley cycle route?
At 840km, it is one of the longest cycle routes in the world, just like the river it follows.
It is considered by many to be Europe’s last great wild river because of its ever-changing environment, its diversity of flora and fauna and its legendary, uncontrollable and feared floods.
The trail starts at Cuffy in central France and ends at Saint-Brévin-les-Pins on the Loire-Atlantique. There are signs in both directions indicating that the route can also be travelled in the opposite direction.
Bicycle counters have been installed on the cycle route since 2004 and there are currently 16 of them. In 2018, these counters registered 51,100 passages (not to be confused with individual cyclists) in the Centre-Val de Loire region, the longest and most popular section. An increase of 10% compared to 2017!*
Where to find the Loire Valley cycle route
The Loire Valley has something in common with Tuscany: it is the cradle of the French Renaissance.
Its location in the heart of the country, south of Paris, has always made it easily accessible, an ideal place for the classic ‘country house’ of the high nobility. The large plain and the presence of a wide, navigable river encouraged trade and cultural exchanges; Joan of Arc and Leonardo Da Vinci, among others, passed through here.
The Loire is part of the larger project of Eurovelo 6, an endless cycle route that aims to link the Atlantic to the Black Sea and that includes Europe’s main rivers: the Loire, the Rhine and the Danube.
Staying on French soil, there is no shortage of opportunities for small and large detours. From the Loire, you can follow the Vélodyssée, which runs along the Atlantic coast from Brittany to the Basque country; you can cycle along the Vendée cycle paths; you can join the Camino de Santiago in Tour; or you can take the Vélo Francette in Saumur or Angers, a 600-kilometre route from Normandy to La Rochelle – in short, a great crossroads! Learn more about cycle paths in France.
How to get to the Loire Valley
From Paris it is easy to get to the Loire cities; there are many trains from Gare d’Austerlitz that take you daily to, for example, Orléans in 60-90 minutes. Take a look at the website of the French railways Ratp.
Why choose the Loire Valley cycle route?
Flat and well signposted from start to finish, the route alternates between stretches on dedicated cycle paths and very quiet, low-traffic back roads through rural areas and woodland.
The only places where you need to be careful are at the entrances to towns and villages.
Facilities for cyclists are excellent, ranging from larger and smaller hotels and farmhouses, all with a bike-friendly focus, to hire or repair stations along the way.
There is also an efficient rail network that allows you to shorten the stages and load your bikes onto special carriages. All along the way, you can take the TER, the regional train that links towns and cities and also carries your bike free of charge.
During the summer, the special Vélo Loire train runs between Orléans, Nantes and the Croisic peninsula and can carry between 33 and 83 bikes free of charge.
Visiting the Castles of the Loire with children
The simplicity of the route makes it ideal for those who ride children’s bikes, family tandems or carry their children on a trailer. Stages can be shortened to create a route with the right mileage.
There is also plenty of fun for the little ones: Leonardo’s workshop in Amboise, with all its inventions, is designed to arouse their curiosity. In front of the Château de Blois there is the Maison de la Magie, where the heads of a golden dragon sprout every half hour, while the terrible labyrinth of Beaugeancy is said to be inhabited by evil monsters.
How many castles are there in the Loire Valley and which are the best to visit?
More than 300 castles tower over the Loire Valley. Small, large, with vast gardens, each is magical in its own way. Among the most beautiful are:
- Chambord Castle, immense and breathtaking
- Amboise Castle, the home of Leonardo da Vinci
- Blois Castle, the favourite of the kings of France
- Chenonceau Castle with its magnificent gardens
- Chaumont Castle, where Nostradamus passed by
- Ussé Castle, the castle of Sleeping Beauty
Cycling tours in the Loire Valley
If you decide to visit the Loire châteaux by bike, there are many places where you can hire a bike, or you can contact Girolibero, who will not only provide you with a bike, but will also take care of everything else: luggage transport from stage to stage, hotel reservations, maps and assistance if necessary.
Girolibero has a real base in Orléans for trips between the Loire castles. It is here that our colleague Leonardo brings the orange bicycles (around 200!), checks them before each departure, transports the luggage and intervenes if necessary.
All this tells us that the Loire cycle path is ready to be used and that some organised cycle tours are ready to be tried out: discover all the tours between the châteaux of the Loire and bon voyage!
*data from the Centre-Val de Loire Regional Tourism Committee and the Conseils Départementaux d’Indre-et-Loire and the Loiret.