Loire Valley Cycling: Two Secret Routes Through Castles and Troglodyte Villages

The Saumur area offers the widest troglodyte ensemble in the Loire Valley! These cavities are former tuffeau quarries, the soft stone used to build the castles. Many have been converted into wine cellars, gîtes and other underground curiosities. Starting from Saumur, following La Loire à Vélo on the south bank, you come across the formidable caves of the Ackerman wine house, then those of the Mushroom Museum. After 15 km, from Gennes-Val-de-Loire, rural roads (marked route by Grézillé and Rochemenier) lead to Doué-en-Anjou, renowned for its “plain” caverns. There one tastes fouées, small bread loaves stuffed with rillette or mushrooms, before visiting the zoo, also troglodytic. After Le Puy-Notre-Dame, a short stretch of the Vélo Francette (the Ouistreham–La Rochelle véloroute) reconnects at Montreuil-Bellay with a winding path (marker “10”) to Fontevraud Abbey, via Brézé and its castle with underground chambers carved into rock. A few pedal strokes bring you back to the Loire and Saumur, through villages like Turquant and its Bistroglo. From Doué and Montreuil-Bellay, it’s easy to ride straight back to Saumur to shorten the itinerary.

Tours and the Indre Valley: in the saddle in the land of castles

A ride at the heart of the Loire Valley’s treasures, blending two cycling routes: La Loire à Vélo and the Cyclo Bohème, or the Indre véloroute. Starting from Tours, along the Cher to the west, one first admires the gardens of the Château de Villandry, considered one of the most accomplished examples of the French Renaissance style. A little farther, the banks of the Loire come into view. The fortress of Langeais, perched on the opposite bank of the river, is worth crossing for! At Bréhémont, head east onto the Cyclo Bohème, which leisurely climbs the Indre’s winding paths. The Château d’Azay-le-Rideau, this “diamond facet-set by the Indre” (as Balzac put it), does not take long to reveal itself. In Montbazon, Tours is only a few pedal strokes away. But it’s worth prolonging the experience: extend to Loches, then aim for Chenonceaux, via a marked route on quiet back roads. A cycling path runs along the left bank of the Cher, offering a striking view of the château. From here, a final detour to Amboise and Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life, beautifully caps this excursion in the land of noble residences.

➤ Article published in GEO HS magazine no. 134, “Great Escapes at Slow Speed,” August–September 2026.

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