A day in and around Tours
-
placeDeparture/ArrivalTours
-
compare_arrowsDistance42 km
-
access_timeDuration1 day
-
Rillettes de Tours © M. Perreau - CRT Centre-Val de Loire
-
Cyclotouristes sur la Loire à vélo, à Savonnières © P.Forget - CRT Centre-Val de Loire
-
Tours : femmes à une terrasse de café sur la place Plumereau. © C. Mouton - CRT Centre-Val de Loire
-
Les jardins de Villandry © J. Damase - CRT Centre-Val de Loire
Enjoy a great bike ride through a green setting in a family outing. Start in Tours, one of the major Loire Valley cities, and discover the petrifying caves in Savonnières and the magnificent gardens at the Château of Villandry.
Bonus: The panoramic view from the Bec du Cher, where the river Cher meets the Loire
Les jardins de Villandry © J. Damase - CRT Centre-Val de Loire Take time to wind your way through the old district of this lively, gourmet city listed as a City of Art and History (Lien vers Coup de Cœur Découvrir Tours, concentré de culture, nature, pauses gourmandes…). Visit the Saint-Gatien cathedral and soak up the ambience on Place Plumereau with its half-timber houses and multiple terraces which are always busy on fine days. Stock up on local produce in the city’s covered market. With rillettes, rillons, cooked meats and goat’s cheese, there’s no shortage of local specialities for preparing a lunchtime picnic!
If you have 2 days to spare, Tours is well worth a weekend break.
Leave Tours and follow the south bank of the Cher towards Villandry. You will cycle past private gardens bordering the itinerary and Bergeonnerie lake, which is popular among joggers and walkers, before arriving in Savonnières. Its petrifying caves will take you on an amazing journey to the heart of the Earth.
This fun and educational visit will be enjoyed by the whole family. You can also do the visit on the way back.
As you follow the Cher you will arrive at the Château of Villandry, one of the last great châteaux built in the Loire Valley. Enjoy the sense of harmony here as you explore the château’s magnificent French formal gardens offering both flowers and vegetables. Admire the view from the terrace of the keep or the light bouncing off its tuffeau stone walls. Just after Villandry, the Bec du Cher offers a spellbinding view of the confluence of the two rivers! Then set off back to Tours. Although the route goes back the way it came, the scenery looks so different in either direction that you will get the feeling you hadn’t come the same way in the morning!
Information about the stage:
Sur les bords du Cher ou de Loire, laissez-vous tenter par l’ambiance animée et conviviale des guinguettes. Sur ce parcours, deux d’entre elles vous accueillent : “A la Soupette de Memère” (lien) à Savonnières et la guinguette de “Tours sur Loire” pour terminer la journée.
Idea for a break:
Yield to the lively, convivial atmosphere in the open-air cafes on the banks of the Cher and the Loire. Two of them are waiting to welcome you on this route: ‘A la Soupette de Memère‘ (lien) in Savonnières and ‘Tours sur Loire’ to round off the day.
