Die Schlösser der Loire entdecken – Der Loire-Radweg
Text: Atout France
Auf dem Loire-Radweg, abseits der Hauptverkehrsstrassen, auf Radwegen, Nebenstraßen und Deichen können Sie zwischen den Städten Tours und Angers durch eine vielfältige Landschaft mit Weinbergen und malerischen Flussufern radeln.
Sehenswert auf dem Weg sind unter anderem das malerische Winzerdorf und die Weinberge von Sancerre (gehört zum Zusammenschluss „der schönsten Umwegen Frankreichs“) ebenso wie die beeindruckende 662 Meter lange Kanal-Brücke in Briare. Etwas abgelegenere touristische Höhepunkte wie das Schloss Azay-le-Rideau und die mittelalterliche Stadt Chinon erreicht man über zwei beschilderte Umwege des Loire-Radweges.
Entlang des Loire-Radweges garantieren Fahrradvermietungen und Radwerkstätten ausgezeichneten Service sowie hervorragendes Material und sind speziell auf die Bedürfnisse von Radreisenden eingestellt. Das heißt unter anderem: Auswahl an Qualitätsfahrrädern, fachmännische Beratung, Fahrradtransport, Reparatur sowie zusätzliche Ausrüstung und Informationsmaterial.
In der Region Loiretal-Atlantik, am Unterlauf der Loire, sind weitere Radwege direkt an den Loire-Radweg angeschlossen, zum Beispiel entlang der Atlantikküste, auf dem Treidelpfad an der Mayenne, durch das Moorgebiet „Marais Poitevin“ oder im Heckenland der Vendée.
| Service | Tipps der Redaktion |
|---|---|
 | Ganz bestimmt ist unsere Rubrik Radreisen interessant für Sie. Schauen Sie dort, was Ihnen Spezialisten anbieten können. Vielen Dank. |
 | Neu bei uns: Stadtfeste in der Radsaison 2024. Dabei haben wir zusammengestellt, was im Süden Deutschlands los ist. Interessant sicherlich, wenn Sie dort gerade Radurlaub machen. Schauen Sie mal. |
 | Sie pilgern gern mit dem Fahrrad? Dann wäre die Eurovelo 3 von Aachen nach Paris eine prima Idee. Im Shop International haben wir dafür einen Radreiseführer. |
Mitgeteilt von La Loire à Vélo / Pays de la Loire Tourism Board / CRT Centre-Val de Loire / Atout France – Französische Zentrale für Tourismus
Stand: April 2017
La Loire à Vélo,
a unique cycling route Experience and enjoy all its magical beauty.
Extensive and particular at the same time, La Loire à Vélo offers a unique outdoor holiday to enjoy with family or friends: escape for a vineyard visit, explore the great Loire cities, visit beautiful Châteaux, discover bohemian and back-to-basics living, party in trendy riverside spots or simply cycle along with the flow of things. Below are just 7 of the thousand and one ways to explore La Loire à Vélo!
La Loire à Vélo: France’s first fully signposted cycle route, ready to go!
It took the Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire Regions over ten years to create, signpost and secure this unique cycle route, now a genuine phenomenon, starting in Cuffy (Cher) and finishing in Saint-Brévin-les-Pins (Loire-Atlantique). La Loire à Vélo unfurls over 800 kilometres of riverside scenery through the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The first section between Angers and Tours was opened in 2005.Over 900,000 tourists cycle along the route every year. Its eco-responsible reputation, links with other cycle routes and exceptional itinerary attract cyclists from all over Europe as well as Canada, the USA and even Australia. The two regions concerned were quickly convinced by this major project and soon brought together the 6 departments crossed by the route (Cher, Loiret, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique) as well as its major cities: Orléans, Blois, Tours, Saumur, Angers and Nantes (over €50 million in investments). «La Loire à Vélo» has thus become a genuine tourist destination in its own right, associating the Loire Valley’s human, cultural, gastronomic and winemaking riches.
La Loire à Vélo in figures
800 km of signposted, safe itineraries regions (Centre and Pays de la Loire) – 6 departments – 280 km in a UNESCO World Heritage Site – 1 Regional Natural Park (Loire-Anjou-Touraine) – 578 professionals bearing the trademarks « Accueil Vélo » and « La Loire à Vélo » – (416 accommodation facilities, 21 bike hires, 99 sites to visit, 42 Tourist Offices)
City break with La Loire à Vélo
Tours the Gourmet, an open air feast! From the famous Place Plumereau to the open air café at Pont Wilson, from the city centre to the banks of the Royal River, there are plenty of gastronomic discoveries to be made, such as the Halles Centrales market with their lively atmosphere, established in 1866, offering typical Touraine produce. The City of 30 markets, Tours has a market every day ideal for buying rillettes, Sainte-Maure cheese, saffron, nougat and poires tapées! Alongside this you will find the Frères Bironneau restaurant, Hardouin the famous bakery with its 30 different varieties of bread, as well as the Place Plumereau for a Touraine A.O.C aperitif. The plus:discover the city by bike in New York style (hire from Détours de Loire of the Vélociti network) with a Greeter – a well-informed, gourmet volunteer from Tours!
Orléans and its River, boatman style!
From little streets lined with medieval houses to the Île Charlemagne, Orléans offers riverside visits with an urban stroll in a natural decor: discover the Quai du Roi with its market, the architecture of the Pont de l’Europe, the old sector of Orléans by the Pont Georges V, and the Pont Thinat leading to the Île Charlemagne, ideal for a waterside picnic or games of boules. During the summer months from June onwards the quays are transformed with street theatres, concerts, trades and craft stalls, shipyards, cafés, restaurants, local produce and exhibitions covering a total of 2 km. To top it all off there is the bi-annual Festival de Loire d’Orléans, with Europe’s biggest freshwater gathering bringing together 700 boatmen and more than 650 000 visitors. The plus: discover the city with Vélo + and its network of 350 bicycles, 34 stations and 65 km of cycle paths. Less than 2 hours from Paris, seven beautiful cities nestled beside the river Loire welcome metropolitan cycle tourists. Tours, Orléans, Blois, Saumur, Angers, Nantes and Saint-Nazaire: this is the urban Loire à Vélo, far from the “voies vertes” of the countryside. Cyclists can immerse themselves in the heart of the cities and their history, enjoy the best deals and discover 6 different ways of chilling out city-style!
Blois the Royal, a centre of history and art!
In the picturesque student district surrounding the former abbeys, the ancient district of Le Puit-Châtel with its Renaissance-period houses, the district on the right bank with its views, the city centre: this city’s rich history cn be seen everywhere! There are so many places where cycle tourists can immerse themselves in different time periods, from the Middle Ages through to today, with the famous château, the extraordinary Maison de la Magie (House of Magic), the Fondation du Doute (Foundation of Doubt) set up by the artist Ben Vautier, the multidisciplinary scenes of the Halle aux Grains, concerts at the Chato’Do, the festival BD Boum and the “Lyres d’été”. The plus: cycle paths connect different districts, the banks of the Loire and the châteaux, as well as “Visit’Blois”, the smartphone app that allows visitors to keep the city in your pocket.
Nantes the Super creative, for travelling in style!
From the Lieu Unique to the western point of the Île de Nantes, the city stands out for its multifaceted and unique cultural interest. Every summer during the Voyage à Nantes , an incredibly diverse festival, visitors stroll along a 15 km urban itinerary, broken down into 30 different stages with artistic and culinary exhibitions. These include the Château des Ducs de Bretagne, the Jardin des Plantes, the Parc des Chantiers and the Passage Pommeraye – a shopping arcade whose building is a listed historic monument, not forgetting the former LU biscuit factory, now converted into a specialised arts scene covering 8,000 sqm. For an interesting place to stay, “Surprenantes” offers 6 exceptional urban gîtes dedicated to the world of Jules Verne. Thanks to the Navibus which will take visitors to the opposite bank in 5 minutes, cycle tourists can also discover Trentemoult, a former fishing village whose buildings boast multicoloured façades, and where they will find La Civelle, a former dance hall transformed into a restaurant, with large tables of unfinished wood, industrial lamps and a view over the Loire and Nantes port. The plus: Nantes cycle hire Bicloo with 950 bikes and 103 stations!