LOI RE V ALL EY +++ green river islands and golden sand banks on the last wild river in Europe +++ The Touraine and the Loire are France. So, it is not surprising that royalty lived here and built palaces as great as itself (Balzac) +++ Eleonore d Aquitaine, divorced from France, married to England +++ 1000 years of French history, great nature, excellent gastronomy +++ Italian rebirth in the Garden of France +++ If not we, then who? If not now, then when? (Joan of Arc) +++ clay, lime, gravel and flint nourish noble wines +++ the end of a genius in the arms of a king +++ down in the valley, the narrow river bends run through the graceful hills +++ grand dining in Sancerre, Vouvray and Muscadet +++ from the castle of the ladies to rock solid proof of imperial dignity +++ Our tour of the in 7 days, max. 14 people, with only two hotel changes: A triple night, two double overnight stays. Hotellerie Gastronomy Culture Nature ***** **** *****! **** Orléans Paris 280 km Travel dates 2017 FVL1: Saturday, 20-may-2017 to Saturday, 27-may-2017 FVL2: Saturday, 17-jun-2017 to Saturday, 24-jun-2017 FVL3: Saturday, 09-sep-2017 to Saturday, 16-sep-2017 Blois Loire Langeais Saumur Tours Amboise Brézé Chinon Fontevraud by ebike Chambord Cheverny Chenonceaux Azay-leRideau C h er Loches Ven ant Traveling price Price per person in the DR for 7 nights with half-board, ebike, entrance free, transfers, guided tours: 1920 Single-room surcharge: 360 Does not include lunch, drinks and your personal expenses as well as travelling there and back. This travel starts in Saumur and ends in Orléans. Angers Beaugency Parc naturel régional de la Brenne by bus 20 km 1
Flight Destination airport Nantes NTE from Munich (incl. onward journey by train from airport to Saumur, return trip to the airport from Orleans by private shuttle): 380 Supplement for other German airports: 60 Flights from airports in Austria or Switzerland on request. As there is no airport in the, which has a flight to Germany, you have to chose Nantes airport NTE, which is flown by German airports via Munich. From Nantes it is 45 minutes by local trains to Angers and a then only a few minutes to Saumur. At the end of the travel in Orléans, you can get back to the Paris CDG airport directly to your terminal, which is arranged by pedelon. We will gladly take over the organization of your arrival or departure. The pedelon package for 380 / person is the return trip from Munich to Nantes NTE, as well as the train ticket from Nantes to Saumur and the airport taxi from Orléans to Paris CDG. The surcharge for other German airports is 60 / person. If you would like to book your flight to Nantes / from Paris, we will be pleased to assist you with the organization and the purchase of tickets from Nantes to Saumur (about 30 / person) or the reservation of the airport taxi from Orléans to Paris (about 70 / person). Train Saumur can be reached in a day trip in about 10 hours from Munich and Stuttgart by trains with two changes of trains in Paris and Angers or Tours. From Hamburg and Berlin it is at least 16 hours; this also involves several changes of trains. Car When traveling by car, it is recommended to travel around Paris. From the east, the best way is via Troyes and Sens to Orléans, park your car in the pedelon partner garage (pre-registration required) and take the train from Orléans (17:02) directly to Saumur (18:36). If you prefer to drive directly to Saumur, you can safely park your car for a week. Pre-registration is also required here. Participation conditions The arrangement contains the above services. Our terms and conditions apply. The pedelon travel information is sent with the booking confirmation, containing useful instructions on getting to Saumur and other tips for the trip. 2
LOIRE VALLEY Take the ebike through the charming valley of the Loire, passing countless green river islands and golden sand banks. The effects of shadow and light charm the cyclists on the last wild river in Europe. Blessed with French history, it leads to stately royal palaces and major cities, through picturesque villages, past elegant manors and unknown jewels. Cycling in the Garden of France, delicacies at Sancerre, Vouvray and Muscadet in top restaurants and cozy Auberges. An unforgettable tour through French history, surround-ed by magnificent nature and with excellent gastronomy. In Saumur, rooms are available in the hotel Saint Pierre from 2 p.m. The accommodation with breakfast from Saturday to Sunday and the first group evening meal are included in the travel price. Those who arrive early can go from Saint Pierre into the old town to discover the nar-row alleys and the picturesque places on the Loire river. Meeting for the town tour at 6.00 pm in the hall of the hotel and then dinner in a lovely restaurant close to the Loire. 1st day, Sunday: Saumur Abbaye de Fontevraud Saumur, 42 km After breakfast, there is a short walk through the artistic old town to Château de Saumur. With its high octagonal towers, its crosses windows, parapets and ornamented slits, Château de Saumur reminds us of a fairytale castle. After each cyclist has received his/her ebikes, the path, surrounded by vineyards and pictures- que villages, leads to the Abbaye de Fontevraud with its important abbey church. It houses the tomb of the Plantagenêts with the tomb of Richard the Lionheart. The former monastery kitchen in the Romanesque Tour d Evraud, with a very complex construction for the era, is particularly impressive. In the afternoon, on the way back to Saumur, we visit Château de Brézé, which, although relatively unknown, is definitely worth a visit. The oldest parts of the present building, which are from the 13th Century, were greatly changed in the Renaissance. From the dry moat, the visitor comes into an amazing cave system, formed by the erosion of the tuff, which has been used for utility rooms since the 16th Century. In the extensive cave system, the visitor comes across a bakery, a room for silkworm rearing, a winepress room and a huge wine cellar. The last ten kilometers back to Saumur take us along quiet roads, along the river Thouet. Second night in the excellent Hôtel St. Pierre. We dine in a particularly good restaurant outside. 2nd day, Monday: Saumur Azay-le-Rideau Saumur, 68 km or 53 km In the morning, there is a twenty-minute train ride to Langeais. After the visit to one of the most beautiful castles of the, the tour leads through slightly hilly countryside and numerous fruit gardens to Azay le Rideau, with its famous water castle, a viewpoint among the royal buildings of the region. Following the detailed tour, we take the ebikes on remote paths, mostly through shady forests, to Chinon. This significant town in the French his- 3
tory has managed to fully preserve its medieval center. In the year 1429, Chinon was the place of the memorable encounter between Jeanne d Arc and Charles VII, many monu-ments point to this significant event. After a long break - and depending on the weather conditions and the tour mood - we are either picked up by a minibus a little later in the picturesque Candes St Martin to make the short return trip to Saumur, or we cycle the remaining 15 kilometers to the hotel on a beautiful route. Third night in St Pierre. Dinner in a typical country tavern near the hotel. If you like, we will visit one of the best known champagne cellars in Saumur for a detailed tour and tasting before dinner. 3rd day, Tuesday: Saumur Chenonceaux, 46 km After breakfast, a minibus brings us to Amboise in a little more than an hour. This beautiful village is locat-ed directly on the Loire river, is blessed with picturesque architecture and is a stronghold of French history. Classified as a world heritage site, the Château d Amboise offers its own view of the Europe-wide political and artistic influence in the Renaissance period, to the intimate moments of the life of the monarchs and the scenes of the Court. We leave the valley of the Loire by cycling through discreet paths on the high shore, and reach the valley of the Cher in the afternoon. A short stop in the medieval town of Mont Richard is particularly rewarding, a former Angevin fortress, which still today has an impressive keep, indicating the then crucial strategic importance of the site. After one hour on the ebike, we arrive in 4th day, Wednesday: Chenonceaux Loches Chenoncaux, 63 km After breakfast, we exit the Cher valley in south direction. We arrive at Montpoupon along the Chézelle, which is completely free of traffic. Only the towers remain from the first structure of the 13th Century. From the 14th to the 17th Century, the manor was in the possession of the de Prie family, who were re-warded for their loyalty to the house of Valois with high offices. By ebike we arrive at Loches. The castle is situated on a rocky plateau on the left bank of the Indre above the French town of Loches. The resort has one of the oldest keeps of France and is one of the best preserved European architectural ensembles of the Middle Ages. After an in-depth tour and a cozy lunch break in the lively old town, we ride along the Indre through small hamlets and wide areas of agricultural land back to Chenonceaux to Bon Laboreur. Here, you have again a second opportunity to experience the excellent quality of the food. 5th day, Thursday: Chenonceaux Blois Beaugency, 71 km After a short morning transfer, the ebikes are accepted in the village of Ouchamps and we continue our ride on a tranquil route through forest and meadows. We soon come to the Château Cheverny. The castle, situated away from the tourist crowds, is known for the most magnificent furniture of the. It is equipped with remarkable paintings, Flemish tapestries from the 14th Century, rare chests of drawers in the style of Louis XIV and many other treasures. Around noon we reach Blois. Sat enthroned high on the banks of the River Loire, the Loire castle was the residence of the French Valois and Orleans dynasties in the 16th Century and combines buildings from four eras. After the visit, it is worth taking a stroll through the picturesque old town or watching Chenonceaux, perhaps the most beautiful water castle of France and, thus, the day s goal is achieved. After the detailed tour of the Castle of the Six Women, this eventful day ends in the pedelon partner hotel Le Bon Laboreur, the best hotel in the area with excellent cuisine and very tasteful ambience. the colorful hustle and bustle of the town on a terrace of the many street cafes. On a nearly traffic free bike path in the immediate 4
vicinity of the Loire, magnificent manor houses and stately chateaus line the route along the river up to Beaugency. The 36-meter high 11th century keep can already be seen from a distance. It is one of the few largely preserved specimens of its kind in France and lets the visitor imagine how rich in history this place is. The comfortable traditional hotel L Ecu de Bretagne receives the cyclists in the late afternoon after a tour full of sights, and will spoil you with a gastronomic menu in the eponymous restaurant that enjoys an excellent reputation in the region. 6th day, Friday: Tour of the Sologne region, 68 km In the morning, we will ride through the heath and moorland landscape of the Sologne. The path leads through the dense mixed forests in which countless ponds hide. A preferred nesting area for ducks, wild geese and herons. The still untouched nature is interrupted now and then by picturesque villages with typi-cal to Orléans. On a city tour through the old town streets, we visit the Maison de Jeanne d Arc, the mighty Cathedral Ste Croix, and the Place de Martoi with the famous statue of the Virgin of Orléans. This was the site of the triumph of Jeanne d Arc over the British, where she gloriously ended the siege of the city on May 8, 1429. Her quote is still unforgotten Of the love or hatred God has for the English, I know nothing, but I do know that they will all be thrown out of France, except those who die here. The journey through the valley of the Loire ends at noon at the railway station of Orléans. From here, we will take the train and in two hours, with one change of trains, we are at the Paris Roissy CDG airport and can take all flights to Germany. If you have not booked the pedelon arrival package, we would be happy to help you book a place in the shuttle bus to the airport in Paris for about 45 per person. Longères architecture. With their low-profile design, these old houses seem to be hiding in the country-side. Particularly vivid examples of this design can be found in picturesque La Ferté Saint-Cyr. From here, and in all Sologne, there are organized hunts which take place up to today. Hundreds of castles in the re-gion are witnesses of this centuries-old tradition. In the afternoon, we reach Chambord, the undisputed jewel of the Loire Castles. Through seemingly endless avenues and a gigantic castle park, we will finally reach the epitome of what human art is capable of, or at least this is how Charles V described it. The magnificent architecture of the castle remains unforgettable and, on the guided tour, you can get a picture of the size and uniqueness of the castle. Discreet paths lead us back to Beaugency into the Ecu de Bre-tagne and in the evening, dinner is served in a great restaurant in the old town. 7th day, Saturday: Beaugency Orléans In the morning, a small walk through sleepy streets leads us to the train station of Beaugency. The local train takes 15 minutes 5