(No availability) 7 Days From Nevers to Orléans Bike Tour in Loire Valley, France

Your journey starts in Nevers. Visit the earthenware makers (faïenciers) district and the Ducal Palace, a 15th and 16th-century castle, the residence of the counts and dukes of Nevers. The next morning, hop on your bike. Your adventure starts and takes you to the beautiful Loire riverbanks.

Subsequently, between the side channel and the major bed, a series of floodplains, meanders, and unlikely islands announce the Natural Reserve of the Loire Valley. Then, you go up to Sancerre, a historic town overlooking the Loire. Nothing but vineyards, famous around the world, surround you! You will continue to Briare and its magnificent canal bridge before entering the perimeter of the Loire Valley World Heritage Site. It leads you from the famous Renaissance Sully Castle to the arrival point of your cycling adventure in Orléans, the city of Joan of Arc.

Close assistance

One of Abicyclette's guides greets you on your first day. He will hand out all the needed documents for the trip (hotel vouchers, maps of the area, GPS, and practical guide) and get you settled on your bikes (for rental bikes). There is also phone assistance so you can reach the Abicyclette team whenever you need.

GPS

Abicyclette loans you a GPS so that you can easily follow your itinerary without having to look for your way around - TwoNav Anima hiking GPS (bike support included). This is a practical cycling guide with all the useful information (addresses, highlights for the day, and touristic information). The GPS is attached to your handlebars by a special rack so you can easily follow the itinerary it shows you.

For optimal precision, the GPS displays a topo map IGN 1/25 000e. A colored stripe indicates the suggested itinerary. You only need to take a look at it from time to time to make sure you are on track, like at crossroads or roundabouts. Finding your direction becomes easy. You won’t argue over which direction to take.

The guide will hand you the GPS when he greets you on the first day. He will show you how to use it - turn it on and off, select your itinerary, as well as handle the charge and batteries. He will also give you a memo with the main features. They also provide a French topo maps of the area (IGN 1/100 000e) to have a global view of your itinerary.

Bike

You can rent a high-end quality bike for real comfort, cycling pleasure, and reliability a long trip requires. Abicyclette has top of the range rental bikes, which are light and efficient. The bikes are suited for road and gravel road long-distance cycling and also offer comfort and security so you can fully enjoy your cycling journey. Fully equipped and highly reliable, they are faithful travel companions. For this tour, you can choose a trekking bike, touring bike, e-bike, and bike trailer for children.

The supplied equipment per bike includes:

• 1 helmet
• 1 waterproof back bag (20 liters)
• 1 front bag (four liters) with a plastic map holder (waterproof)
• 1 lock
• 1 repair kit (patches, tube, and tire lever)
• 1 multi-tool box
• 1 pump
• 1 bike computer
• 1 bottle

If you chose to bring your own, Abicyclette recommends a trekking or hybrid bike with 21 to 30 speeds and 26 or 28-inch (700) wheels.

Luggage transfer

On the itinerant stages, Abicyclette transports your luggage from accommodation to accommodation. The luggage transfer is included in the price in order for you to travel light everyday, between each accommodation. These transports are carried out by the guides, taxi partners, or companies specialized in luggage transport.

In order to respect your sleeping time and enjoy the comfort of your accommodations, Abicyclette picks them up after 10:00 and deliver them before 16:00. So you get up without haste. If the day is a little wet, you find your suitcase already waiting for you in the following accommodation. A luggage tag is provided for each suitcase. They ask you to hang it visibly and to simply write your name on it.

Difficulty

You occasionally or regularly ride your bike and have experience in cycling for a whole day. You enjoy discovering new territories in a leisurely way. You can ride up to 35 to 55 kilometers a day on relatively flat routes.

Itinerary

Day 1: Nevers

Discover Nevers at your own pace, the city of art, history, and nature. The capital of beautiful faience, it is in this ancient City of Dukes where the first castle of the Loire is built.

Day 2: From Nevers to La Charité-sur-Loire (40 kilometers)

From Nevers, join the starting point of the Loire à Vélo itinerary then take the canal to the side of the Loire. Enjoy a mid-term break in Marseilles-lès-Aubigny, a charming river port. You finish your day by pedaling on the Loire à Vélo bike path to reach La Charité-sur-Loire, the city of book and its famous monastery.

Day 3: From La Charité-sur-Loire to Sancerre (29 kilometers / 40 kilometers)

You are in the heart of the natural reserve of the Loire Valley. Two wine regions are on your day’s agenda. Abicyclette guides you after a small detour to the first in Pouilly-sur-Loire and its vineyards, village, and bell tower. You then get back on your bike on an easy path that allows you to gain strength before the climb to the Sancerre hill. Upon arrival in Sancerre, enjoy a breathtaking view from Tour des Fiefs, the last of the six towers on the feudal castle of Sancerre. If you like, you can ride for a few more kilometers.

Day 4: From Sancerre to Briare (55 kilometers)

A few pedal strokes will take you to a first gourmet stop in Chavignol. You can choose to taste the famous goat cheese of the same name and visit an emblematic cellar to taste the famous white wine of Sancerre of a remarkable finesse. After this pleasant moment, it is time to leave the peaceful wine-growing landscapes to join the channel to the side of the Loire that you follow by alternating with the banks of the river. You reach Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and its museum of the Loire then Briare where you stay for the night to discover more deeply its aqueduct, classified as part of the UNESCO heritage.

Day 5: From Briare to Sully-sur-Loire (42 kilometers)

By small, slightly hilly roads, you will discover the castle of Gien whose city is a high place of world-renowned earthenware. You are slowly moving toward the Loire Valley territory classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The famous Renaissance castle of Sully-sur-Loire symbolizes the door of the castles of the Loire that its military architecture defended. Behind its military armor, the castle reveals all the grace of the Renaissance interiors which gratified its owner, the Duke of Sully.

Day 6: From Sully-sur-Loire to Orléans (53 kilometers)

Today, many beautiful stops are available to you, including the views offered on the Loire. In Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, you can visit the exceptional setting of the 12th-century Roman basilica. Save some time at the end of the day for a visit to Orléans, the iconic city of Joan of Arc.

Day 7: Orléans

This is the end of stay after breakfast.

This bike tour will take you through the natural reserve of Loire Valley, vineyard, Renaissance castle, and Loire à Vélo cycling route in France. You will start cycling from Nevers and then continue to La Charité-sur-Loire, Sancerre, Briare, Sully-sur-Loire, and Orléans.

Loire Valley

A part of UNESCO’s World Heritage, the Loire Valley is a living cultural landscape. With a great river, a fertile land, and temperate climate, it is a privileged place. Its geography, history and natural sites make the Loire Valley an obvious choice for a cycling holiday. Castles, vineyards, rivers, typical and preserved architecture offer a variety of interests of a rare density. All around the river, many roads and greenways take you to castles, vineyards, and other attractions of the Loire’s rich heritage.

The Loire Valley is so dense it is impossible to mention all of it. It takes several trips to discover! From Sully to Orleans, you can find the castle of Sully - a gateway to UNESCO’s World Heritage territory. In a bucolic countryside along the riverbanks, you cycle through beautiful small villages built around Romanesque churches, sometimes on the river.

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• 5 days of self-guided cycling
• A personalized greeting with Abicyclette's team at the beginning of the trip to receive your travel documents
• Loan of a bicycle GPS uploaded with a full itinerary of the trip
• Cycling practical guide including restaurant recommendations for lunch and dinner
• Topo maps
• 6 nights' accommodation
• 6 breakfasts
• Luggage transfer
• Phone assistance
• Application fee
• Taxes

• Breakfast on day 1, lunches, and dinners
• Drinks, visits, and other personal expenses
• Repairs, spare parts, and mileage allowance

• A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.