Hello-I'm interested in renting decent bikes (better quality than your average touring bike) for a week while staying in the Loire Valley. I don't want to be a part of a tour--just self-guided. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Toni, my only first-had experience renting in this part of France is not applicable, but since you have gotten zero replies so far I'll make a few general suggestions. When I was renting bikes in Burgundy I discovered that the bike shops I was dealing with (both of them) offered a range of services under the rubric of "self-guided tour." Once I made clear that we were not interested in having them book lodging for us or port our bags or provide other services, these shops were quite happy to just rent the bikes, and also gave invaluable itinerary advice. So my suggestion would be to get in touch with some of the touring and rental companies and see what they have to offer. Be clear about what you want and see who will help. I also discovered that the kind of road bike that is popular in the states can be hard to rent in France. We ended up renting VTTs, which are like souped-up hybrids. They were great, in fact a road bike like the one I's originally sought would have had trouble on the tow paths and cobblestones on which we (partly) rode.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I don't any specifics about bike rental, but just a general observation. The distances between the chateaux in the Loire Valley are pretty significant. If cycling is a regular part of your life, this won't pose too much of a problem (although you may find yourself riding farther than you had planned). If you're only a casual cyclist, though, you might want to supplement the biking with a car.
Posted by
Manassas, VA, United States
20 posts
I've been looking to cycling in the Loire Valley too. I'll be in Paris 19 Jun - 26 Jun and want to continue my Europe travels with a cycling trip. A friend suggested the Loire and I found a company BikeToursDirect online that works with European companies for cycle tours. They may be a good resource for finding bike rentals. I'm also interested in a self-guided tour and they have several of those listed on their website.
Posted by
2527 posts
A quick Internet search revealed several companies offering bicycle rentals in the Loire Valley. Alternatively, the US firm Bike Tours Direct offers self-guided bicycle tours by partnering with European companies. Bikes may not meet your specifications however.