Loire Valley Bike Tour Reviews
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★★★★★ Sandra Bentjerodt 2 months agoViaje perfecto
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
Todo muy bien
La ruta muy bien indicada , fantástica coordinación
Hoteles de calidad con gente muy amable.
Teníamos paquete con cena y muy ricos los restaurantes- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Tim Cooper 4 months agoDream trip
· Nature, Villages & Castles of the Loire River Valley
The daily route map was good but it needed specific directions about where to turn and specific streets with noticeable landmarks. This is a critical factor especially when arriving in Ambois and. how to get to the designated hotel.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 19,02023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Cindy Kinney November 8, 2022Great way to discover France
· Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
We had a knowledgeable guide that helped us experience the beauty of France. We enjoyed the food, wine and people. Great biking and a wonderful adventure.
The gardens were amazing and the history of the area was fascinating.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ John Rosenfeld November 7, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyable
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
Will plan by the tour group. Beautiful scenery. Many interesting sized to see that were both historical and educational. The bed and breakfast is that were selected were outstanding. Food along the way was outstanding. The directions were easy to follow
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Becky Foster October 11, 2022
Loire Valley - Bike Trip you Want to Take!
· Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
This was a great choice for a bike trip! The roads are narrow and beautiful, but the drivers in France are incredibly patient. Each day we saw one or two chateaux. They are all quite different from one another, so I loved visiting every one! Our guide, Sam, was fantastic. He was personable and encouraged each of us in the way we needed. We upgraded to two chateaux and I would highly recommend doing that.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept/Oct 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Ellen Hatfield October 10, 2022
Great trip!
· Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
This trip was a great way to explore the Chateaus of the Loire Valley. The trip was over nice roads and was very scenic. We were a returning group with experienced riders, so we had a lot of fun and traveled at a good pace. Our guide, Sam Taylor, really made the trip. He was fun, engaged with us, knew his stuff and can change a tire at a remarkable pace. He is a fantastic guide.
The only thing I would recommend is having the chateau tours included in the tour price. It was a real hassle having to get tickets for a large group at the site. I guess I thought the tickets were included in the tour. We had someone from our group pay for the tickets, but then we had to do a money exchange everyday which was a pain.
I also thought some wine was included but we could get more if we wanted. We paid for- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Murray Goring October 8, 2022
Tours to Anger 4 day bike ride
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
We went with our son and his wife. It was their first longer bike ride. They loved it. We did too but felt our previous Danube trip from Passau to Vienna was better. The hotels and food was good but the bike route was boring at times.
We missed not having a spa hotel included.- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Kathleen Cook October 5, 2022
Fantastic Trip
· Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
This trip was even better than expected. The riding was enjoyable. The routes were mostly flat and lightly traveled roads or bike paths. Our guide, Sam, was very knowledgeable and personable. Hotels and meals were great too. We upgraded two hotels. A+
- What was the date of your tour?
- September-October 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Jan Ludwinski September 28, 2022
Nice and easy
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
We did the 13 day tour. Food and accommodations were excellent. The bikes were rugged and reliable and we never ran out of charge. My one strong recommendation would be that the bikes be equipped with front shock absorbers, which would make the rougher roads more pleasant and easier on the wrists. The ride was almost exclusively in rural areas although there were a few places near the larger cities of Tours, Angers, and Nantes that would make some novice urban riders uncomfortable, but they were quickly forgotten.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- None previously
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ James Hutcherson September 21, 2022
Could have been better
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
This tour was our 12th bicycle tour, but the first in France. Distances were good, weather cooperated, Hotels were excellent. Route was very well sign posted. We found the route much more difficult than we expected. Many hills. The previous reviews and description did not even mention that aspect. These would have not caused much of a problem if we had opted for ebikes, and the vast majority of riders that we encountered did have ebikes. I would disagree that this tour would be labeled as family friendly, unless the family has no kids. One difficulty we had was that there were no intermediate stops for coffee, snacks, lunch, water, etc. I would recommend packing those items from the departure town each day. While the route does generally follow the river, most of the route is not next to the river and it is not visable most of the time. I hope this review does not deter anyone from this tour, since the castles, hotels, food should be enjoyed. Just a little heads-up advice.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Susan B March 22, 2022
Best time ever on a bike tour
· Nature, Villages & Castles of the Loire River Valley
We had the most wonderful time on this tour. We are 73 and 75 years old, fairly frequent bike riders at home, and were completely capable of doing this easy route. Mostly flat, had to walk a couple of minor hills, very little riding in traffic. The route was beautiful (we were blessed with great weather in late September), the hotels were outstanding (I recommend taking the dinner package option with the tour; we didn't but ate at the hotels because several were in very small towns. The food was absolutely gourmet.) Our bikes were first class; the whole trip was just magic. People at Biketours.com are super easy to work with. Will definitely use them again.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ mrank July 9, 2021
Great trip - highly recommend!
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
We just completed the 9 day Orleans to Angers segment of this tour and really enjoyed it. It's the first trip we have taken that we would actually take again, but next time complete the entire 13 night tour. We have taken quite a few bike tours but this one provided the best supporting materials we ever had. The turn-by-turn materials and maps were very well done and easy to follow. We never needed the GPS. Of course the trail itself is extremely well marked, which helps a lot. In addition to the great support we received from the local tour company, the Bike Tours support while setting up the tour was also very good.
The bikes were fine, a bit heavy, but comfortable. Our only issue was the tires on both bikes were under-inflated upon receipt, but we were able to resolve that without too much issue. We always carry our own tire gauge and check regularly. One bike had a mechanical issue, but the tour company was excellent at quickly resolving it.
All the hotels were great and were prepared for our arrival. They also had very good facilities for storing the bicycles. Luggage transfer went smoothly and always arrived at our hotel before we did. The only minor issue was that one hotel did not have a lift, which was surprising, but not a big deal for us. I mention it in case it might be a concern to others.
The meals, both breakfasts as well as dinners we purchased were top notch. We only had a complaint about the poor service in the Orleans restaurant. The food was good, but the entire restaurant was served by one person and it took forever to get through our meal. While the meals were all delicious, in hindsight, we may have gone without the supplemental meal package and just purchased dinners on our own. There were so many choices in almost every town that we would have enjoyed an occasional casual meal, like a delicious pizza vs the traditional French food every night. However, you can't go wrong in going with the meal package. It is definitely a French experience!
Finally, the only other suggestion I would give is to alert people in the riding materials that there is a river crossing that you have to manage on your own using a little metal raft that you have to pull to your shore, load the bikes, and then pull to the other side. Its not too difficult, but managing the loading of bikes was a little tricky. I read afterwards there are ways around this crossing but it would have been good to know about it ahead of time.
All in all, a great trip and maybe in the future we will be back to do it again.
It goes without saying that the trails, scenery and points of interest were fantastic with lots of stops along the way. Even with less than great weather, we totally enjoyed this tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 6/25 - 7/5, 2021
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Bruce July 10, 2021
Thanks for your review and glad that you had a nice trip! Good suggestion for the riding materials. What wonderful photos!
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★★★★★ David2019 October 2, 2019
A memorable cycling trip ...
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
We were extremely pleased with the service we received through Biketours.com. Your website served as a terrific tool for choosing and planning a trip to meet our interests. The staff added to the quality of the planning by clarifying information on your website and by answering all of our questions. You were prepared to customize the tour to meet our needs and you offered suggestions that improved our experience. We felt that our trip was important to you. We were particularly pleased with the speed in which the staff responded and how another staff member would provide answers if our main contact was out of the office.
We were very pleased with the route. It offered us a nice combination of excellent and safe pathways (of varying surfaces) along rivers, through farmlands and in parklands. The route allowed us to enjoy some wonderful smaller towns and villages. The scenery was spectacular. The route also offered us opportunities for some interesting stops so that we could enjoy the local history, architecture, culture, foods and people.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 3 - 13
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Orange50 September 28, 2019
Relaxing easy route
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
- What was the date of your tour?
- September
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Terry 56 September 25, 2019
Enjoyable
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
The trip met or exceeded all of my expectaions. Some in my group wished there were rest days every 4th or 5th day so they could relax off the bike and sight see more in the towns we slep in.
- What was the date of your tour?
- september 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- many
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Lcooper31k July 18, 2019
Perfect Way to Enjoy the Loire Valley
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
This was our first bike tour, and we were a bit apprehensive about everything going well... but it did! The folks at biketours.com were so helpful and responsive, answering all our questions. We did Tours to Angers and it was a beautiful, relaxing (yet challenging!) ride. The bike paths/roads were easy to ride and follow, the rental bikes ride very well, the hotels at each town were superb (mostly old historic small hotels, all with AC), the breakfasts were delicious. But best of all, the scenery riding along the rivers and seeing or at stopping at the chateaus was fantastic. I can’t think of anywhere more perfect to do a bike tour. Directions were adequate, but we used the GPX files throughout the trip. When they took us off of the main Velo route, we really needed that extra technology, but once on the Loire de Velo route, it was very well signposted.One surprise no one told us... we needed to cross a small river using a self-operated ferry. We had no idea how to operate it! Fortunately, we met a Dutch couple who knew how to do it, so we crossed it.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Lindynw July 15, 2019
A Wonderful Tour of the Loire Valley Chateaux
· Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
This tour exceeded our expectations. First we wish to extend a huge thank you to Bernard and Lydia for agreeing to guide this tour even though we were the only 2 people who signed up for it. That was most generous and gracious. Bernard is knowledgeable, funny, and very kind. His guide-in-training, Lydia, who accompanied us added an extra amount of fun and was very willing to help with French translations. We feel very fortunate to have been on her first tour and know she will succeed in her future guided trips. Although our group was small we immensely enjoyed the hotels, the wonderful food and wine, the picnics, and the chateau visits. We were sad to have the trip come to an end. We highly recommend this trip and feel it is the best way to experience the chateaux of the Loire Valley.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 29, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ KneeJerk July 5, 2019
· Loire a Velo: Orleans to the Atlantic
We went Orleans to Tours (self-guided) and it was lovely. Almost (!) completely level (handful of short challenges), paved path/crushed stone, 95% away from traffic, often shaded. I'm almost 64, in decent but not heroic shape, and it was easy. People very friendly (but not as bilingual as Danube trip, for example); accommodations quite satisfactory. Got quite hot (late June 2019) but that was apparently unusual. Printed materials disappointing -- almost all brochures in French only, no restaurant/bistro suggestions, few recommendations of nearby sites. Maps OK but cue sheets not written by native English speaker; need to download app and follow that way.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Tonzo June 9, 2019
The Loire Valley Chateau and Garden Tour
· Loire Valley Châteaux & Gardens Tour
What a wonderful experience and a lovey biking trip. So enjoyed our guide Bernard and his vast knowledge of the area. The accommodations were excellent and the food was great. What more can I say other than my husband and I had a great time.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 18-25
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
