pedelon travels by eBike

Loire Valley 2019 pedelon. travels by eBike +49 (0)89 61466980 www.pedelon.com 1

+++ green river islands and golden +++ green river islands and golden sand banks on the last wild river in Europe +++ The Touraine and the Loire are France. So, it is not surprising that royalty lived here and built palaces as great as itself” (Balzac) +++ Eleonore d’Aqui-taine, divorced from France, married to England +++ 1000 years of French history, great nature, excellent gastronomy +++ Italian rebirth in the Garden of France +++ “If not we, then who? If not now, then when?”(Joan of Arc) +++ clay, lime, gravel and flint nourish noble wines +++ the end of a genius in the arms of a king +++ down in the valley, the narrow river bends run through the graceful hills +++ grand dining in Sancerre, Vouvray and Muscadet +++ from the castle of the ladies to rock solid proof of imperial dignity +++

Our tour of the Loire Valley in 7 days, max. 14 people, 3 double overnight stays.

Hotels *****Gastronomy ****Culture ***** !Nature ****

Travel dates 2019FVL1: Saturday, 1-jun-2019 to Saturday, 8-jun-2019NEW! FVL5: Saturday, 8-jun-2019 to Saturday, 15-jun-2019FVL2: Saturday, 15-jun-2019 to Saturday, 22-jun-2019FVL3: Saturday, 6-jul-2019 to Saturday, 13-jul-2019FVL4: Saturday, 24-aug-2019 to Saturday, 31-aug-2019

Traveling pricePrice per person in the DR for 7 nights with half-board, eBike, entrance free, transfers, guided tours: € 1930Single-room surcharge: € 370Does not include lunch, drinks and your personal expenses as well as travelling there and back.This travel starts in Angers and ends in Orléans.

LoireCher

Venant Parc naturelrégional de

la Brenne

by bus

by eBike

20 km

Paris280 km

Angers

Saumur

Tours

Blois

Amboise

Chenonceaux

Chambord

Beaugency

Orléans

Cheverny

LochesBrézéFontevraud

Chinon

Villandry

LOIRREVALLEY

pedelon travels by eBike

Loire Valley 2019 pedelon. travels by eBike +49 (0)89 61466980 www.pedelon.com 2

FlightFlights to/from Nantes NTE booked by you or by pedelon at your request. Directly from Munich and very good transfer connections from all larger German cities.As there is no airport in the Loire Valley, which has a flight to Germany, you have to chose Nantes airport NTE, which is flown by Ger-man airports via Munich. From Nantes it is 45 minutes by local trains to Angers .At the end of the travel in Orléans, you can get back to the Paris CDG airport directly to your terminal, which is arranged by pedelon.We will gladly take over the organization of your arrival or departure. The pedelon package for 380 € / person is the return trip from Munich to Nantes NTE, as well as the train ticket from Nantes to Angers and the airport taxi from Orléans to Paris CDG. The surcharge for other German airports is 60 € / person.If you would like to book your flight to Nantes / from Paris, we will be pleased to assist you with the organization and the purchase of tickets from Nantes to Saumur (about 30 € / person) or the reservation of the airport taxi from Orléans to Paris (about 70 € / person).

TrainAngers can be reached in a day trip in about 10 hours from Munich and Stuttgart by trains with one change of train in Paris. From Ham-burg and Berlin it is at least 16 hours; this also involves several changes of trains.

CarWhen traveling by car, it is recommended to travel around Paris. From the east, the best way is via Troyes and Sens to Orléans, park your car in the pedelon partner garage (pre-registration required) and take the train from Orléans (17:02). If you prefer to drive direc-tly to Angers with your car, you can park the car safely in the guarded parking garage of the station (about € 86 / week). Pre-registra-tion is not required.

Participation conditionsThe arrangement contains the above services. Our terms and conditions apply.

The “pedelon travel information” is sent with the booking confirmation, containing useful instructions on getting to Angers and other tips for the trip.

pedelon travels by eBike

Loire Valley 2019 pedelon. travels by eBike +49 (0)89 61466980 www.pedelon.com 3

Take the eBike through the charming valley of the Loire, passing countless green river islands and golden sand banks. The effects of shadow and light charm the cyclists on the last wild river in Europe. Blessed with French history, it leads to stately royal palaces and major cities, through picturesque villages, past elegant manors and unknown jewels. Cy-cling in the Garden of France, delicacies at Sancerre, Vouvray and Muscadet in top restaurants and cozy “Auberges”. An unforgettable tour through French history, surrounded by magnificent nature and with excellent gastronomy.

The overnight stay with breakfast from Saturday to Sunday as well as the first dinner together are included in the tour price. If you arrive early to Angers, from our “Hôtel 21 Foch” you can explore the narrow streets and the many picturesque squares of the old town . Meeting for the first dinner at 7:30 pm in the lobby.

1st day, Sunday: Angers – Saumur, 58 kmAfter breakfast, you will walk to the historical center to the castle of Angers, where the world-famous carpet cycle of the “Apoca-lypse of St. John” can be seen in this medieval fortress. After intense sightseeing, the first cyclistically unattractive kilometers are covered by taxi, and the bicycles are taken over by you outside the lively city. Following, you will enjoy a beautiful ride on quiet

paths in throughout flat countryside, through picturesque villages always in the immediate vicinity of the gently flowing Loire. In the afternoon, Cunault, which has an amazingly large Romanesque church, will be reached. After this visit, you will ride with your eBi-ke in a little more than a half hour, always along the Loire shore,

back to Saumur. The former “Tuffeau”, mines of the city where today wine cellars, apartments and restaurants can be found, or mushrooms are grown, are constant companions on the last cycle kilometers of the day. If you are interested, you can visit one of the most famous wineries in the city and taste the famous sparkling wine of the region. In the picturesque old town of Saumur, you will be greeted by the excellent “Hotel St. Pierre” (double overnight). For dinner, we go to one of the best restaurants in the city.

2nd day, Monday: Saumur – Abbaye de Fontevraud – Saumur, 42 kmIn the morning, we take a short walk through the picturesque old town to the “Château de Saumur”. With its high octagonal towers, its cross-windows, ornamental gables and its ornate shooting ranges, the castle of Saumur reminds you of a fairy-tale castle. Once the eBikes are adapted to you, the path leads from the vi-neyards and picturesque villages to the Abbaye de Fontevraud,

where the tomb of the Plantagenêts and the tomb of Richard

LOIRE VALLEY

pedelon travels by eBike

Loire Valley 2019 pedelon. travels by eBike +49 (0)89 61466980 www.pedelon.com 4

Loewenherz are located in the well-known abbey church. Par-ticularly impressing is the former monastery kitchen in the Ro-man “Tour d’Evraud”, with a very complex construction for the era. In the afternoon, on the way back to Saumur, you will reach the unknown but interesting to see “Château de Brézé”. The ol-dest parts of today’s building date back to the 13th century and they were greatly altered during the Renaissance. From the dry ditches, the visitor reaches an amazing cave system, which had been developed by the dismantling of the tufa stone and used for economic purposes since the 16th century. In the far-flung caverns, the visitor encounters, among other things, a bakery, a room for silk rape breeding, a wine press and a huge wine cellar. On quiet paths along the river Thouet, the last ten kilometers lead back to Saumur. Second overnight at Hôtel St Pierre. We dine in a very good tavern.

3rd day, Tuesday: Saumur – Chenonceaux, 65 kmIn the morning, after a short transfer, Chinon, the birthplace of Rabelais, is reached. This city, which was important in the Middle Ages, has essentially preserved its character. The castle complex, in 1429 the site of the memorable encounter between Joan of Arc and Charles VII, is of great importance for the history of the coun-try. The next 30 kilometers of cycling on romantic paths along the banks of the Loire lead us to Villandry. We visit the famous gardens of the Chateau, which were reconstructed according to the original Renaissance gardens at the end of the 19th century.

After lunch, a minibus will take us to Amboise in about one hour. This beautiful place is located right on the banks of the Loire Ri-ver, is rich in picturesque architecture and considered to be a high fortress of French history. Classified as a World Heritage Site for a reason, the Château d’Amboise offers a unique view of France’s European political and artistic influence during the Renaissance period, the intimate moments of the life of the rulers and the backdrops of the court. On secluded paths, the route leads us from the Loire Valley over the high bank and ends in the valley of the Cher in the afternoon. On this day’s destination, Chenon-ceaux, the pedelon partner hotel “Le Bon Laboureur” awaits us, the best house there and with excellent cuisine and very tasteful ambience.

4th day, Wednesday: Chenonceaux – Loches – Chenoncaux, 63 kmAfter breakfast, we visit the Château de Chenonceaux, also known as the “Castle of the Women”. For more than four centuries, the landladies have managed the destinies and provided for the con-struction, expansion and maintenance of one of the most enchan-ting castles. We exit the Cher valley in south direction. By eBike along the Chézelle, which is completely free of traffic, we arrive at Loches. The castle is situated on a rocky plateau on the left bank of the Indre above the French town of Loches. The resort has one of the oldest keeps of France and is one of the best preserved European architectural ensembles of the Middle Ages. After an in-depth tour and a cozy lunch break in the lively old town, we ride along the Indre through small hamlets and wide areas of

agricultural land back to Chenonceaux to „Bon Laboreur“. Here, you have again a second opportunity to experience the excellent quality of the food.

5th day, Thursday: Chenonceaux – Blois – Beaugency, 71 kmAfter a short morning transfer, the eBikes are accepted in the village of Ouchamps and we continue our ride on a tranquil route through forest and meadows. We soon come to the Château Che-verny. The castle, situated away from the tourist crowds, is known for the most magnificent furniture of the Loire Valley. It is equip-ped with remarkable paintings, Flemish tapestries from the 14th Century, rare chests of drawers in the style of Louis XIV and many other treasures. Around noon we reach Blois. Sat enthroned high on the banks of the River Loire, the Loire castle was the residence

of the French Valois and Orleans dynasties in the 16th Century and combines buildings from four eras. On a nearly traffic free bike path in the immediate vicinity of the Loire, magnificent manor houses and stately chateaus line the route along the river up to Beaugency. The 36-meter high 11th century keep can already be seen from a distance. It is one of the few largely preserved spe-cimens of its kind in France and lets the visitor imagine how rich

pedelon travels by eBike

Loire Valley 2019 pedelon. travels by eBike +49 (0)89 61466980 www.pedelon.com 5

English, I know nothing, but I do know that they will all be thrown out of France, except those who die here.“

The journey through the valley of the Loire ends at noon at the railway station of Orléans. From here, we will take the train and in two hours, with one change of trains, we are at the Paris Roissy CDG airport and can take all flights to Germany. If you have not booked the pedelon arrival package, we would be happy to help you book a place in the shuttle bus to the airport in Paris for about 70 € per person.

in history this place is. The comfortable, traditional hotel “L’Ecu de Bretagne” welcomes cyclists in the late afternoon after a cycling tour filled with impressions. A specialty restaurant, not far from the hotel, which has an excellent reputation in the region, spoils its guests with a “Menu gastronomique”.

6th day, Friday: Tour of the Sologne region, 68 km In the morning, we will ride through the heath and moorland landscape of the Sologne. The path leads through the dense mi-xed forests in which countless ponds hide. A preferred nesting area for ducks, wild geese and herons. The still untouched nature is interrupted now and then by picturesque villages with typi-cal Longères architecture. With their low-profile design, these old houses seem to be hiding in the country-side. Particularly vivid examples of this design can be found in picturesque La Ferté Saint-Cyr. From here, and in all Sologne, there are organized hunts which take place up to today. Hundreds of castles in the re-gion are witnesses of this centuries-old tradition. In the af-ternoon, we reach Chambord, the undisputed jewel of the Loi-re Castles. Through seemingly endless avenues and a gigantic

castle park, we will finally reach „the epitome of what human art is capable of“, or at least this is how Charles V described it. The magnificent architecture of the castle remains unforgettable and, on the guided tour, you can get a picture of the size and unique-ness of the castle. Discreet paths lead us back to Beaugency into the „Ecu de Bretagne” and in the evening, you will meet for an excellent dinner in a very good Auberge, located in the middle of the old town.

7th day, Saturday: Beaugency – Orléans In the morning, a small walk through sleepy streets leads us to the train station of Beaugency. The local train takes 15 minutes to Orléans. On a city tour through the old town streets, we visit the Maison de Jeanne d‘Arc, the mighty Cathedral Ste Croix, and the Place de Martoi with the famous statue of the Virgin of Orléans. This was the site of the triumph of Jeanne d‘Arc over the British, where she gloriously ended the siege of the city on May 8, 1429. Her quote is still unforgotten „Of the love or hatred God has for the