Cycle route

La Loire à Vélo

France's best-known cycle route: the châteaux of the Loire, vineyards and villages along Europe's last wild river, all the way to the Atlantic.

Centre-Val de Loire → Pays de la Loire

Distance
399 km
Stages
7
Elevation gain
1 380 m
Difficulty
easy
La Loire à Vélo and its 7 stage points. Base map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where to sleep on La Loire à Vélo

Halta lists 417 places to sleep within 5 km of the route: 208 campsites, 4 bivouac spots, 205 hotels. For each one, the app shows the real detour from your stage — and it is that distance, not the straight line, that decides how a day ends.

  • Campsites
  • Bivouac spots
  • Hotels

Alongside the campsites, mountain huts and bivouac spots drawn from open data, there are the hosts of the Halta community: travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free. You write to them before you come; you do not book a slot.

The 7 stages of La Loire à Vélo

An indicative split, drawn on real roads: distances and elevation come from route calculation, not from an estimate. In the app every stage can be adjusted — stretched, cut short, or pushed back a day.

Stages of La Loire à Vélo with distance and elevation gain.
#StageDistanceElevation
1 Orléans → Blois 59 km 66 m
2 Blois → Amboise 39 km 186 m
3 Amboise → Tours 24 km 108 m
4 Tours → Saumur 72 km 147 m
5 Saumur → Angers 50 km 260 m
6 Angers → Nantes 99 km 432 m
7 Nantes → Saint-Brevin-les-Pins 56 km 181 m

Frequently asked questions about La Loire à Vélo

How many days does La Loire à Vélo take?

La Loire à Vélo takes about 6 days, split into 7 stages over 399 km — an average of 67 km a day. The split is indicative: stages stretch or shorten depending on your form and the weather.

Where can you sleep on La Loire à Vélo?

Halta lists 417 places to sleep within 5 km of La Loire à Vélo: 208 campsites, 4 bivouac spots, 205 hotels. On top of those are the hosts of the Halta community, travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free.

How hard is La Loire à Vélo?

La Loire à Vélo is rated easy, with 1 380 m of cumulative elevation gain over 399 km. Per stage, that works out at roughly 197 m of climbing a day.

Where does La Loire à Vélo go?

La Loire à Vélo runs from Orléans to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, by way of Amboise, Saumur, Nantes, across Centre-Val de Loire → Pays de la Loire. It is travelled by bike and totals 399 km split into 7 stages.

Figures established on 17 September 2026, from Halta’s own data. How they are calculated.

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Étapes indicatives d'après France Vélo Tourisme / La Loire à Vélo (ODbL). Halta 2026-07. Places to sleep: OpenStreetMap, refuges.info and DATAtourisme (ODbL). Photo : Wikimedia Commons (CC).