Hey! It's a Loire "Would You Rather" question!

Posted by Hank (City of Seattle) on 04/13/17 07:49 PM

Dearest community of the Rick Steves Forum, division of France:

My wife, 8 year old girl, and I will arrive in Amboise on (hopefully) a lovely summer evening, stay 3 nights there. We will rent bikes and ride to some of the chateau etc outlying to Amboise.

Then we will ride bikes to Azay-le-Rideau and spend one night there.

And then we have TWO MORE NIGHTS/PLACES to ride bikes to, before with fond and grateful hearts we TGV to the Alps.

So these last two nights - we have it narrowed down to:

Short ride to CHINON, Short ride to SAUMUR.

Optimal length ride to SAUMUR, Optimal length ride to ANGERS.

We like to ride abotu 50km a day, the first option is 30km or less. And waking up on departure day in ANGERS is slightly more convenient, but not greatly so.

On the other hand, Chinon looks fabulous, I desperately love Chinon wines, and we tend to favor villages over cities (but Angers is our type of city, smaller provincial capital).

Rental bikes are easily returned in either Saumur or Angers.

so wise oracles of all things French travel: which of these option would you choose if you had to make the choice? Why?

Merci beau-very-much!

Posted by Gail

Orinda, California, United States

04/14/17 03:28 PM

286 posts

I don't ride bikes and I've never been to Angers, but I did visit Saumur. We went mainly to see the caves of the troglodytes: http://www.experienceloire.com/troglodytes-loire-valley.htm

Some fascinating ones were along the Loire River; they included a hotel, restaurant, shops and a museum. Very unique! There were also flat boat rides offered nearby, but we did not investigate those.

Posted by Hank OP

City of Seattle

04/14/17 05:07 PM

1774 posts

Thank you Gail!
Saumur looks great and is definitely on our agenda.

Chinon or Angers though, that's the question ...

Posted by Travel Boss

Florida, USA

04/14/17 10:06 PM

12172 posts

I rode from Chinon to Amboise in one day, with a stop at Villandry. It was doable but not completely easy. If you can stay right on the bike trail along the Loire, it's easy. Once you get off the river, whether it's toward Chinon, Clos Luce or Chenonceau, you will ride up some pretty good hills - not Tour de France hills but more than I'd call "rolling" hills. The ride from Chenonceau is about 22 km (and back is just under your limit for the day) I arrived close to opening, stayed maybe three hours and it was into the afternoon before I was riding back into Amboise. Clos Luce is much closer but it's a pretty good hill out of town.

I had a separate problem with my GPS. It completely didn't work in bike mode and made the trip harder than it had to be. I'd say know the route beforehand. Getting through Tours was a terror but I think primarily because I let my GPS take me off the bike trail and put me on some scary narrow roads with lots of truck traffic.

I'd suggest some kind of tandem bicycle with the 8 year old so she feels like she's riding but not always pulling all her own weight.

To shrink my number of days I started in Chinon rather than the original idea of Saumur, dropped a car and picked up a bike there, then spent two nights in Amboise, cycling to some chateaux, before training back into Paris. Essentially I had one day of riding from Chinon to Amboise with a stop at Villandry and another day of riding to Chenonceau and Clos Luce before turning the bike in and seeing Chateau Amboise by foot. I only packed a day pack and carried it on my back. You will need to think about what you need to carry when you are riding, especially if it's not just a loop for the day.

Posted by epltd

04/15/17 07:48 PM

3122 posts

I can recommend Chinon. The fortress is well restored with interactive exhibits and interpretive signs. We bought a bottle of local wine and it was great. Did not have time to tour the old city down by the river, but maybe next time...

I've been hearing about Saumur for years but never made it there yet. The Cadre Noir performing horses would be a highlight, if I ever get there.

BTW in Azay-le-Rideau we stayed at Hotel Biencourt and absolutely loved it. The innkeepers are the nicest people, the property is beautiful, and the breakfast excellent.

Posted by Travel Boss

Florida, USA

04/16/17 01:50 PM

12172 posts

I didn't plan on Azay le Rideau last fall because it was supposed to be mostly in scaffolding. I'm not sure if they've completed the construction yet?

I also liked Chinon. The fortress is a different experience than most of the Chateaux, less opulent but more history connections. The town isn't as pretty as some but it does have some great medieval buildings.