Self-guided Cycling Tour round trip from/to Saumur

Arrival in Saumur.

Discover the pleasant town of Saumur overlooked by its 14th century château and famous for its National Riding School and its sparkling white wine.

Saumur – Fontevraud | 45 km.

This first stage will guide you through the « Saumur Champigny » vineyards producing very elegant red wines. You will make a stop at château de Brézé, well known by its impressive underground cellars ! Then, ride until Fontevraud and its royal abbey : an outstanding example of Romanesque art founded in 1099, considered as the most important monastic city of Europe.

Excursion Fontevraud – Montreuil Bellay – Fontevraud | 50 km.

Enjoy the swimming pool of your hotel or visit the Fontevraud Abbey which houses the tombs of the Plantagenets Aliénor d’Aquitaine and Richard Cœur de Lion before making a pleasant excursion loop via the typical fortified village of Montreuil-Bellay and its château.

Fontevraud – Chinon | 50 km.

After cycling through the Fontevraud forest, discover the famous Chinon vineyards producing the red wine much appreciated by Rabelais ! After a stop at the château du Rivau which evokes the wonderful middle-Age stories and legends, reach the mediaeval town of Chinon, built on the Vienne river banks.

Chinon – Azay le Rideau | 44 km.

This itinerary via troglodyte wine cellars and vineyards will lead you to the village of Crissay sur Manse, listed among the most beautiful villages of France. Continue along the countryside roads until Azay le Rideau and its romantic Renaissance château, elegantly enclosed in its setting of water and greenery

Excursion to Villandry | 44 km.

Leave Azay-le-Rideau riding along the river Indre, a tiny detour allowing you to visit the small castle of Sache, where the French author Honore de Balzac came to seek inspiration for his novels. Keep going in the heart of the Touraine's countryside to Villandry. You should not miss visiting its exceptional gardens - French-style gardens, English-style gardens, labyrinth, shady paths. These will enthrall children and adults, garden lovers and art-lovers. Arrive at Azay-le-Rideau along the Loire river banks with the possibility of a tiny detour to visit the medieval castle of Langeais..

Azay le Rideau – Saumur | 58 km

Following the river Indre, arrive at the splendid tiny chateau of Islette, still inhabited by its owners, before joining the Loire river and the village of Candes-Saint-Martin. Stop for a while and feel the quietness of this place, walking in the flowered streets. Keep going riding to Montsoreau and its castle on the Loire banks. The troglodyte's villages and the vines on the hills lead you to Saumur.

Departure during the day