I couldn’t go to France without adding some cycling trips to my travel routine. After all there are some great cycling opportunities throughout the country and my bike now is always with me. Between the La Loire à Vélo path and the Seine River, cycling in France for me was a great way to discover the country differently. Especially seeing all the remote tiny villages I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Le Mans
Cycling along the La Loire river
Blois
My base for the first big cycling trip in France was Blois, sitting right on the La Loire river. I liked Blois. Especially after a disappointing stop in Tours (it is really not worth seeing), Blois was a little bit more likeable, with wider shopping boulevards and, in contrast, still plenty of characteristic old pebbled streets and buildings. The stairs, with the Mona Lisa artwork, were particularly unique.
Furthermore, Blois is surrounded with very old French Chateaux and you can pick from a few cycling tours, called Les CHÂTEAUX à Vélo (see link here). I did a short 35km exploring ride in the afternoon, but otherwise left my energy for my longer ride the next day. All the way to Orléans (Orleans).
La Loire à Vélo
The ‘La Loire à Vélo’ bikepath is very popular and stretches over 800km. There is a great map online here. I chose a 70km route from Blois to Orleans.
And the ride was stunning!
It is so beautiful to see the different coloured fields, whether it is the golden wheat colours or the red poppy fields. It is great to be outdoors.
There are also plenty of wild animals to spot (I saw mainly small deers and rabbits). In addition, and worth mentioning, you can always rely on the bugs. Especially along the rivers, that hit you in your face when you least expect it. If you are a cyclist I am sure you know what I am talking about.
All in all however, nothing beats the overall enjoyable experience of just cycling on a glorious and sunny day. Thank you La Loire à Vélo path!
Orléans (Orleans)
Once showered and refreshed, it was time to explore Orléans (Orleans) by foot. I liked the look of the town as soon as I started seeing it approaching it on my bike.
Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) has a central place in the city’s history, due to the famous Orléans siege 1428-1429, and therefore one can see plenty of signs and memorials of her.
The Orléans Cathedral was stunning and the overall feel of Orléans was grand, vibrant and lively. The gorgeous timber houses and renaissance mansions definitely added to the prettiness of it all. A very nice city to see and even a better one to cycle to.
And so…
Cycling back the next day was easy and enjoyable. A quick catch up with a friend along the way, a nice pizza for lunch back in Blois (well deserved of course) and I can say, I was pretty satisfied with my overall achievement.
I was planning to do a bit more cycling along the La Loire river near Angers and Nantes, but it was not meant to be. I was rather disappointed by the town Nantes (it was a pain to get in and out of this particular place and it was a rather dirty and rundown city, amongst the funky diners and shops) so I decided to move on and head towards Brittany instead (as written in my previous blog), with a quick stop in the coastal town Saint Nazaire.
Saint Nazaire
That said I am sure I will be back and do more cycling around the La Loire à Vélo bikepath. It is a great cycling route and Orléans was great. What is next you ask? Let’s cycle the Seine River, Rouen and Versailles. So excited!
