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During your tour from Blois, there's plenty to discover.
Amboise
Pagode chantaloup
Along the Way Loire Castles
Chenonceau

Loire Castles

The region around the Loire is dotted with magnificent residences, such as the castles of Chaumont, Amboise, Chenonceaux, Cheverny, Villesavin, Beauregard, Chambord, and Blois. On this easy-to-cycle route, you'll encounter all eight of these castles. Along the way, you can also enjoy nature, culture, and delicious food. » read more about Loire Castles

  • Blois, Amboise, Pontlevoy, Tour-en-Sologne, St. Dyé
  • Château de Beauregard, Château Chambord
  • Royal Cycling Holiday Along the Loire
Prices and dates
Prices and dates

Lavishly Decorated Residences

Around four hundred years ago, kings returned from their journeys through Italy, their eyes filled with wonder—they had seen paradise and wanted to recreate it in France. The immensely wealthy King Francis I commissioned the construction of the most famous château along the Loire. Magnifique! Just Chambord alone could take up your entire holiday. And beyond it, more of these richly adorned “whipped cream castles” await discovery.

Secret Affairs

There’s much to discover on your tour from Blois—including Blois itself. The medieval castle alone may tempt you to stay longer, if only for the stories during the guided tour. Tales of kings and their mistresses, whose secret affairs were anything but secret. Hidden? Hardly. The entire royal court knew—including the queen. Then it’s time to move on: to Amboise, the splendid Château de Chenonceaux, along the Cher River to Pontlevoy, and onward to Tour-en-Sologne and St. Dyé.

Blois on the LoireOrnamental Castle Along the LoireBlois on the Loire

Got a Moment?

Château de Chambord boasts no less than 440 rooms, 83 staircases, and 282 chimneys. Of those, you can wander through sixty rooms and admire 4,500 works of art. Got a moment? Better lock up your bike well—you're not coming back anytime soon. And that's not even counting the immense garden, with six hundred trees, eight hundred shrubs, two hundred rosebushes, and more than 15,000 plants. Enclosed by a 32-kilometre wall, the château’s park is as large as the entire city center of Paris. Well, when you’ve got money, you spend it—especially four hundred years ago.

Illustrious Castle

As you stroll through the throne room, you can almost see kings gliding past in ermine-lined robes. But also, blood on the floor. In the Château de Blois, Duke Henri de Guise was stabbed by forty bodyguards. “King Henry watched the murder through a keyhole,” the guide explains. “The king’s mother, Catherine de’ Medici, saw a rival in every person. In her chamber, hidden compartments behind the walls were used for storing jewels, incriminating documents… and poison. Press a foot pedal, cleverly concealed under the baseboard, and the compartments would pop open.”

Castle of BloisCastle of Blois

Here Lies Leonardo

The Italian Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, but he was also an inventor, engineer, philosopher, physicist, chemist, sculptor, and architect. The French kings brought him to the Loire Valley, where he left his mark on several castles. In 1519, he died at Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise. In the cellars of this château, you can see his sketches and models. Just a short walk away lies the Château Royal, where Leonardo was buried in the castle’s chapel.

When are you going to take this trip?

Loire Castles

Prices and dates

Routes

Loire Castles

Details

Included

  • 6 nights with breakfast or half board (4x half board& 2x breakfast)
  • Luggage transport
  • Maps and navigation app for your smartphone (GPS tracks for your own GPS device on request)

Excluded

  • Return to Paris; we can book a tailor-made train journey for you
  • Entrance fees for, for example, castle gardens and châteaux
  • Travel insurance
  • Tourist tax
  • Rental bikes
  • Entrance fees, transfers, etc. that are not listed under “including”

  • Rental bike (excl. bike insurance): € 140,- p.p. 
    8 gears, bag and lock
    Extension: € 15,- p.p. per day
  • E-bike (excl. bike insurance): € 265,- p.p.
    Extension: € 30,- p.p. per day
  • When booking a rental bike/E-bike, we ask for your height so that we can provide a suitable bike.
  • Bicycle insurance: You can take out a separate bicycle insurance with Happy Cycling Holidays. A travel insurance often does not cover bicycle damage and/or theft.
  • Read more about rental bikes, helmets and insurances

  • Parking: approx. €15 per day (parking garage near the hotel in Blois)
  • Dog allowed: on request. Costs to be paid on site.
  • No half board in Tour de Sologne and on Sundays in Blois.

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Loire Castles

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Amboise
Amboise
Pagode chantaloup
Pagode chantaloup
Along the Way Loire Castles
Along the Way Loire Castles

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Cycling holidays with dog
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