6-day Loire Valley Cycling Holiday (Part 3)
Self-guided Saumur to St Nazaire bike tour
- Fortified towns and medieval castles along the River Loire
- Wild riverscapes on your way out to the sea
- Nantes, the prettiest city in the Loire Valley
- Red Saumur-Champigny and white Savenières wines
Start: Saumur Finish: St. Nazaire
You individually travel to Saumur. Check-in at your hotel. Have you got some time left then visit the horse town Saumur, the home base of the prestigious riding academy Cadre Noir, where the elite of the French horsemen is trained. Enjoy the beautiful houses with their white tuff stone fronts in the centre. Admire the proud castle and all the other classified monuments.
Go right along the southern bank of the river. Admire the monuments of local white tuff stone, such as the church in Cunault and St-Maur Abbey. Once in St-Mathurin-sur-Loire you follow the northern bank of the Loire through a former swamp that was drained in the Middle Ages. Some time later you see tracks of the old slate quarries of Trélazé. Then, taking a small ferry, you cross the Authion river. Faraway your destination Angers, situated on both sides of the river Maine, attracts your attention.
Challenge: 58 km / 36 mi, 192m ascent, 190m descent
You leave the busy town in a surprisingly calm way through a park like setting. Cycling along the river Maine you reach Bouchemaine, with pleasant restaurants and nice picnic places. Here the Maine flows out in the Loire. Somewhat more to the west the vineyards of Savennières and Coteaux du Layon begin. You cycle close to the river and cross the island of Chalonnes. Via calm tracks you reach the high Montjean-sur-Loire with beautiful views. In the charming St-Florent-le-Vieil you finally finish.
Challenge: 42 km / 26 mi, 79m ascent, 98m descent
Start the day on the Mont Glonne with a great view of the Loire. Set off to the fortified Champtoceaux via calm roads and tracks, and have a go at a climb for a magnificent panorama. Here, in the department Loire-Atlantique you already begin to experience the influence of the Atlantic. The Muscadet vineyards on the islands and the fields with vegetables provide a variation in landscape. After Mauves-sur-Loire you notice the outlines of Nantes, the biggest and maybe the most attractive town on the Loire.
Challenge: 64.4km, 442m ascent, 447m descent
Surprising works of art at unusual places enliven the start of this trip along the mouth of the Loire. After Le Pellerin the Martinière canal is your guide. You cycle via small, quiet roads through landscapes belonging to the mouth of a big river: broad swampy areas and vast forelands. From Paimboeuf you follow a part of the coastal route ‘Velodyssey’ and you more and more notice the strong influence of tides and currents on the Loire. The end is in sight: St-Brevin, a lively seaside resort on the Atlantic.
Challenge: 58km / 36 mi, flat
Breakfast marks the end of the trip. You travel back to Saumur by train. You can leave your rental bike.
All accommodations are carefully selected because of their location, atmosphere and/or unique services.
We choose comfortable 2*/3* hotels or B&Bs where all rooms have private en-suite bathroom and every morning breakfast are included.
For more comfort, when it's possible we can upgrade the hotels with 3/4 * category (supplement applied).
The hotel is ideally located opposite the train station, on the right bank of the Loire, and a 10-minute walk from the city center. Welcoming, modern and warm, with a comfortable bed and a functional bathroom, our rooms offer everything you need for a pleasant stay.
In the middle of the Loire Valley, discover Angers, a cosmopolitan and cultural city. The hotel is located 5 min walk from the city center of Angers, Le Progrès offres you a pleasant and comfortable stay in a family atmosphere. Near the hotel you will find everything that makes the attractiveness of a city.
Located in Le Mesnil en Vallée, on the banks of the Loire, the Poisson d’Argent is an ideal halt between Nantes and Angers for cyclists who travel on the Loire à Vélo route. You will love our rooms overlooking the Loire and our restaurant with seafood specialties and fish.
Le Voltaire Opéra, a charming three-star independent boutique hotel, nestled in a beautiful 19th-century building in the heart of the Graslin district, welcomes you to a refined environment that blends chic and elegance.
The hotel Le Petit Trianon is situated near the sea and the beach, even as the city centre, located in Saint Brévin les Pins. It offers a privileged location
Stay in a historic monument, admire the sunrise over the Loire, sleep in a room with Louis XVI decoration, relax in a jacuzzi while looking upon the Château of Saumur or enjoy a gourmet and refined breakfast in a pleasant interior courtyard. The hotel Anne d’Anjou opens its doors to their guests for a stay you won’t forget!
Easily recognizable in Angers thanks to its Haussmannian facade, the Hotel de France is a hundred-year-old prestigious hotel establishment. This hotel has been owned for several generations by the Bouyer family who have been able to develop it and adapt to the needs of its customers.
Located in Le Mesnil en Vallée, on the banks of the Loire, the Poisson d’Argent is an ideal halt between Nantes and Angers for cyclists who travel on the Loire à Vélo route. You will love our rooms overlooking the Loire and our restaurant with seafood specialties and fish.
Located in the heart of the cultural center of Nantes, just a step away from the passage Pommeraye, of Cambronne Court and the Theatre, the Best Western Hotel Graslin will know how to seduce you by its refinement and its peaceful atmosphere.
The hotel Le Petit Trianon is situated near the sea and the beach, even as the city centre, located in Saint Brévin les Pins. It offers a privileged location
Departure any day fo the week from April to October.
The international airports Paris Charles de Gaulle in the north and Paris Orly in the south are served by a large number of scheduled and low cost airlines. They are connected with Paris by metro and bus services. From Paris you can take a train to Saumur, see below.
Also, possibility of arrival in Nantes Airport or Rennes Airport.
Arrival in Saumur
You can get to Saumur by train. For time tables and further information look at the website of the SNCF or TER-SNCF
Departure from Saint-Nazaire
On the end of your trip you can take a train from Saint-Nazaire. For time tables and further information look at the website of the SNCF or TER-SNCF
From Paris to Saumur (approx. 3h10 - 325 km/202 mi). Acces to driving routes see the website ViaMichelin.
Parking informations on request
HYBRID RENTAL BIKE
SCOTT Sub Cross Men/Lady Alloy Frame, 24 Speed
The bikes come with pannier, handlebar bag, spare tube, tools, pump, helmet and lock
ELECTRIC BIKE RENTAL
SCOTT E-Sub
The bikes come with pannier, handebar bag, spare tube, tools, pump, helmet and lock
GPS tracks are available on request
Included
- 5 nights' accommodation with breakfast
- Luggage transfers
- Digital detailed route notes and maps in English
- Access to the trip in GUIBO, the digital guidebook and navigation App
- 24-hour telephone assistance
Not included
- Travel insurance
- Transport to first and from last accommodation
- Trains, busses or any transport wherever necessary
- Other Lunches & Dinners
- Personal expenses such as drinks, phone calls, additional transfers, etc
- Hybrid bike rental
Extras
- Single Room Supplement
- Solo Traveller Supplement
- Upgrade Supplement hotels 3/4
- Additional nights
- Transfer from the train station to your hotel
- Transfer back from your last accommodation
- Hybrid bike rental
- E-bike supplement
- Shipment of printed documents to the first accommodation
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6-day Loire Valley Cycling Holiday (Part 3)
Contact
-
Edificio Sovega bajo, Crta General s/n
33554 Arenas de Cabrales
Asturias , Spaininfo@s-capetravel.eu
+34 (0) 985 846 455
UK call free 0800 707 44 35 -
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am – 6:00pm (CET)
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am – 6:00pm (CET)