• Luxurious Stays
  Explore (and in some cases, sleep) in some of the most beautiful Châteaux in the world—from well-known Chambord to smaller, privately owned Châteaux.
• Incredible Rides
  The Loire Valley is a cyclist’s paradise—from the gently rolling hills in the Chinon vineyards and pristine landscapes dotted with medieval villages.
• Unique Gastronomy
  Touraine is rich in tasty local products and is full of delicious wines. Indulge in local gastronomy with a variety of meals, from picnics to farm-to-table Bistros and Michelin-star restaurants.

Day 1

Warm up your legs with a ride along the Loire River and quiet countryside roads to the jaw-dropping Valmer castle. Enjoy a picnic and wine tasting on the grounds before pedaling back to the hotel. This evening, indulge in a delicious dinner prepared by the chef.
Where you’ll be staying: Les Sources de Cheverny
Activity: 41 km (25 mi.) ride into forests and villages and then inland through the Chambord forest | Elevation gain: 286 m (938 ft.)

Day 2

Cycle through the peaceful landscapes of the Loire and Cher, stopping in Amboise for your own explorations. Join a guided tour of the Close Luce, Da Vinci’s last residence. Dine in the hotel’s bistro tonight, savoring the freshest local ingredients.
Where you’ll be staying: Les Sources de Cheverny
Activity: 31 km (19 mi.) morning bike ride through the wine region of Cheverny | Elevation gain: 205 m (685 ft.)

Day 3

Head south on countryside roads to Château de Chenonceau, where local guide will help us discover what is considered the most romantic château in the Loire Valley. Pause for lunch by the river at Castle Fontenay as we learn  the wines and history of the property
Where you’ll be staying: Domaine de la Tortinière
Activity: 49 km (340 mi.) ride to Azay-sur-Cher via Chenonceau | Elevation gain: 649 m (2,219 ft.)

Day 4

Ride pass charming hamlets and beautifully manicured gardens at Azay le Rideau, where we’ll tour its Renaissance château with a local historian. This evening, enjoy a chilled glass of bubbly and local vintages in the town of Richelieu.
Where you’ll be staying: Château du Rivau
Activity: 57 km (35.4 mi.) ride from Indre Valley to Lémeré via Azay le Rideau | Elevation gain: 477 m (1,564 ft.)

Day 5

Cycle through the enchanting vineyards of Chinon with plenty opportunities to stop at a wine estate for an impromptu tasting. This evening we’ll toast to an unforgettable week over dinner prepared by Chef Nicholas Gaulanddeau. Santé!
Where you’ll be staying: Château du Rivau
Activity: 48 km (29 mi.) loop ride through the Chinon appellation vineyards | Elevation gain: 349 (1,145 ft.)

Day 6

After breakfast, we’ll say farewell to the Loire and drive to St Pierre des Corps train station for connection to Paris – both downtown and Charles de Gaulle Airport. Bon Voyage!

• Carbon Performance E-Road Bike
  An e-road bike marries cutting-edge innovation with classic cycling performance. Tailored for cyclists who want a more aerodynamic position, this electric-powered, pedal-assisted bike seamlessly conquers diverse terrains, ensuring a thrilling and smooth ride every time. An e-road bike gives you a boost while maintaining the form and function of a top tier drop handlebar bike. You’ll be able to ride farther and faster while remaining comfortable every day of the trip. Available in select regions. Make and model may vary. Quality will not. *Please note that e-road bike upgrades are an additional $400 USD per bike.

• Carbon Performance Road Bike
  Our road bikes are custom designed and meticulously crafted to strike the perfect balance between comfort and performance. The result of extensive planning and innovative design, each bike is equipped with a lightweight, high-end carbon frame, cockpit, and seatpost, ensuring an unparalleled riding experience. Tailored for our travellers, the bike’s geometry is carefully calibrated to provide enduring comfort throughout your ride. Elevating the cycling experience, our bikes are fitted with the industry-leading SRAM electronic shifting and hydraulic disc brakes, offering precision and control that set our road bikes apart as some of the finest in the market.

• European E-Bike
  Our e-bikes are regular pedal bikes that provide electric assistance whenever you want it. Each bike is programmed for a specific maximum speed that can be optimized while riding. Our fleet boasts sporty, road-focused bikes with skinny tires, a low-step frame and a very efficient e-system. The bike is incredibly lightweight (for an e-bike), and its clever design makes it extremely comfortable to ride.

• Touring Bike
  Built specifically for the B&R traveller, this bike performs like a road bike, but offers the comfort and stability of a hybrid—it features the Shimano Ultegra R8000 group set and TRP disc brakes and offers a more relaxed geometry and flat handlebars. The adjustable stem allows the handlebars to be raised and lowered for the perfect fit, and the ergonomic grips keeps hands comfortable over a long day of riding.

Rendezvous Point
Airport City: Paris
Trip Start: Chateau Louise
Time: 8:30am

Farewell Point
Airport City: Paris
Trip End: St. Pierre des Corps TGV Train Station
Time: 10:00am

Hotels
Like many places in rural France, you’ll only find 4-star hotels in the Loire. However, our hotels are equipped with all the amenities you can expect in any great hotel.

Rides
Most of the rides are on flat terrain but expect a few short hills whenever heading inland away from the rivers and a few short sections on mixed gravel roads. We recommend familiarity with biking in these conditions.

SLOWING DOWN FOR OVER 50 YEARS
We’d love to assure you that Butterfield & Robinson began with a well-formulated business plan and thorough market analysis, but the truth is, our genesis was a lot more straightforward. B&R began in 1966 in the same vein that it continues today—with a few friends getting together to share their common passions for life, travel, companionship, great food and a bottle of wine. And the strong belief that such simple, yet commendable pleasures should be shared. So was born a new style of travel, and a new type of travel company.

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY
Though we’ve evolved throughout the years, the fundamental value that guided us since the beginning remains the same: to opt for quality over quantity.

The trip moments we value aren’t the most expensive or grandiose, but the ones where something can be learned, shared and experienced. Sure, we appreciate the finer things, like exceptional hotels and rare vintages. But mostly, we are interested in what has character, what is authentic and what is done with passion with the same curious spirit as those students who embarked on their first adventures half a century ago.

From our roots in student trips to biking and walking, we’ve come to encompass any activity that brings out the best of a place and you closer to it. Sometimes that means a camel ride to a luxury camp in the Moroccan desert or a safari in the Serengeti. Maybe it’s chartering a yacht to sail between the Adriatic Islands or horse trekking from your private lodge in Colorado.

As we continue to grow and expand, no experience is out of reach.

WHY TRAVEL WITH B&R

1. Seamless Planning
   Your time is precious, and we help you make the most of it. We are perfectionists who meticulously tend to details and anticipate your needs. It’s why we speak with chefs directly about your dietary preferences. It’s why we hit the road before you do to confirm every route is detour-free. And it’s why we value hyper-personalized, one-on-one service that ensures we check (and recheck) all the boxes on your list.
2. Years of Local Friendships
   When you travel with us, the people you meet aren’t just our business partners; they’re our close friends. Like the mayor of a village in Croatia who shows us around town, the Italian nonna who welcomes us into her kitchen for a pasta-making lesson or the Count who invites us to taste wine in his French castle. The loyalty we share with our connections is invaluable and is what allows us to give you insider access to authentic local experiences.
3. Curated Accommodations
   We go to great lengths to find properties that are unique expressions of the regions you visit, opting for places with style, sophistication and flair. Anywhere you rest up has been vetted by a member of our discerning team, and the relationships we’ve nurtured with hoteliers means you always get preferential treatment.
4. Consummate Hosts
   We seek out people who are instinctively programmed to take care of others. Then, we train them up to our standards. We don’t undermine the importance of knowing the local history or fixing a flat tire with ease. But what’s most important is that the people who lead our trips are a fascinating crew from diverse backgrounds who keep you engaged, laughing and feeling pampered.
5. Tailored To Your Tastes
   Our team knows how to design amazing trips, but we encourage you to make them your own. We offer a range of activity levels and experience types, allowing you to choose the one that suits you best, and then set your own pace. Whether you travel with us on a Scheduled trip or go Bespoke, you’ll have the freedom to go as fast or as slow as you want and make adjustments along the way.
6. Dedicated Expertise
   From tending to your pre-trip needs to hearing about your adventures once you’ve returned home, a member of our travel team is with you all the way. Our team aims to develop a genuine connection with each of our travelers. They want to know your reasons for travelling, learn your story and take your trip to the next level.
7. Limitless Support
   Our staff and local partners are here for you. Should anything untoward ever happen, our team will be available 24/7 to be by your side. Maybe you just need some strings pulled to sort out your wine shipment or snag reservations at the most exclusive restaurant in town? Whatever support you need, consider it provided.
8. Creativity & Spontaneity
   From our office teams to our road warriors, every person who touches your trip pours their passion and creativity into it, turning even modest events into unforgettable moments. And while we like to have things perfected and polished, we make sure to leave room for surprises, impromptu pit-stops and the simple pleasures that you can’t plan for.
9. Innovation & Evolution
   We’ve stayed in business for over 50 years by constantly taking stock of how we can improve. Our team hits the road annually to venture into unchartered regions and refresh some of our classic journeys. We’re always looking for ways to do better for our travellers, the communities we visit and our world.
10. Industry Recognized & Award Winning
    You don’t have to take it from us. We’ve been awarded titles from revered travel publications, including Condé Nast’s Top Travel Specialists and World’s Best Tour Operator by Travel + Leisure, and have been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Afar, CNN, the Wall Street Journal and more.