1. Provence

2. The Loire Valley

Ref : Fr/w/1.1/Atour

Unguided
6 days/5 nights or 5 days/4 nights
Daily, from 1 March until 31 October (not between 1 July and 15 September)

PROGRAM

For the 5 day tour you can eliminate any day.

Day 1
Settle in at the hotel located in the downtown area of Aix-en-Provence. You have some free time to visit Aix-en-Provence or to have a little walk on your own. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (D)

Day 2
Walking tour in countryside just outside Aix toward the Mountain Sainte Victoire, made so famous by Cezanne. You will be transferred to Beaureceuil to start your walk. There is a choice between a more challenging or a easier walk. Return to Aix for dinner and overnight in the hotel. (B, D) 10 -12 km

Day 3
After breakfast, transfer to the foot of the Mountain La Sainte Baume for a wonderful hike among the forests of the Var and Arc River Valley. From the summit you can see the Mediterranean as well as the Ste Victoire and other points. Overnight and dinner at hotel in Gemenos (B, D) 10 -12 km

Day 4
Transfer in the morning to La Ciotat, a lovely coastal village where you will start your walk toward Cassis. While walking along the coast you can enjoy gorgeous views of the sea, its cliffs, and its rocky inlets. Arriving in the charming village of Cassis, you can enjoy your free time to relax in the small port area. Overnight at hotel. (B) 10 -14 km. Option for longer walk.

Day 5
Today is a discovery of the famous Calanques de Cassis along a spectacular coastline between Cassis and Marseille passing Port Miou and Port Pin. For those looking for a challenge, En-Vau is waiting. Here you can have a picnic at the cliffs overlooking the sea 450 feet below! Return to Cassis for overnight at hotel. (B) 10 -12 km. Option for longer walk.

Day 6
Departure after breakfast.

INCLUDED

• Accommodation in a 2-star hotel
• Tourist tax
• Breakfast every day and 3 dinners
• Road book including all the info for the trip
• Transfers by taxi from and to all the departure points according to the itinerary
• Luggage transfers between hotels
  

Excluded

• Meals not mentioned in itinerary
• Drinks and personal expenses
• Transfers to and from the airports

RATES

Contact info@bikeandhike.co.za for rates and specials.

6 days:
Per person sharing
Single supplement

5 days:
Per person sharing
Single supplement

Ref: Fr/w/2.1/R3749/LoiV

Unguided walking tour
Easy to moderate
8 days / 7 nights

DEPARTURES

Daily, March to October

PROGRAM

1st Day: Arrival in Tours
You will have the opportunity to visit the heart of the city, especially the old quarters including the famous 'Place Plumereau' with its half-timbered house and the gothic cathedral.

2nd Day: Transfer by taxi to Villandry : Villandry - Azay le Rideau 17 km
Do not hesitate to visit in Villandry the famous Gardens 'à la française', matchless in Europe and composed of 3 superposed terraces ! This stage will bring you to the Indre Valley passing via Azay le Rideau and its Renaissance château : a jewel in a wonderful setting of water and green !

3rd Day: Transfer by taxi to Rigny Ussé : Rigny Ussé - Chinon 19 km
From Ussé and its château of 'Sleeping Beauty', which inspired Perrault to write hid famous novel, departure through Chinon Forest to the medieval city of Chinon built on the edge of the Vienne river and famous for its red wine well appreciated by François Rabelais.

4th Day: Excursion around Chinon 17 km
An excursion through the vineyards of Chinon where you will have the opportunity to enter and visit numerous cellars, without forgetting to taste this famous red wine of course !

5th Day: Chinon - Fontevraud 17 km
Leave Chinon following the Vienne river to reach Fontevraud, well-known for its amazing Abbey which is the largest monastic city remaining in Europe.

6th Day: Excursion to Montsoreau 14 km
Excursion towards Montsoreau, a charming village on the Loire river, where you will have the possibility to visit incomparable troglodyte sites become mushroom beds installed in an old carrier where before were extracted the "tuffeau" stone.

7th Day: Transfer by taxi to Turquant : Turquant - Saumur 11 km.
Departure from Turquant for a stage through the vineyards of 'Saumur' and 'Saumur-Champigny' towards Saumur, a nice historical town overlooked by its imposing château.

8th Day: Departure from Saumur.

ACCESS

• By road : RN 152, A10 motorway
• By train : Tours railway station Paris / Tours, TGV high speed train link (Paris Montparnasse)

INCLUDED

• Accommodation 7 nights in ** star hotel, double room with shower and toilets (4 nights on half board - 3 B & B).
• 3 transfers by taxi : on day 2 from the Tours hotel to Villandry / on day 3 from Azay le Rideau hotel to Rigny Ussé / on day 7 from Fontevraud hotel to Turquant
• Transfer of luggage from hotel to hotel.
• Maps and itineraries. Tourist information.

EXCLUDED

• Drinks, lunches, 3 dinners.
• Transfer back to Tours at the end of the trip.
• Entrance fees to the monuments.
• And personal expenses.

RATES

Contact info@bikeandhike.co.za for rates and specials.

Per person sharing
Single supplement

Extra night in Tours on HB basis
Per person sharing
Single supplement

Ref: Fr/w/2.2/R4137/LoiV

Unguided walking tour
Easy to moderate
8 days / 7 nights

DEPARTURES
Daily, March to October

PROGRAM

1st Day: Arrival in Blois
Do not forget to discover the town with its typical pedestrian streets and its château offering a brilliant illustration of the evolution of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the 17th century.

2nd Day: Blois - Bracieux 21 km
Departure for a walking stage through the forest to reach the pretty village Bracieux situated at the door of the Sologne area !

3rd Day: Excursion to Chambord 22 km
Walking excursion to the prestigious Château of Chambord, the widest Château of the Loire Valley mainly built under the king Francis the First, passing by the Forest Estate covering more than 5500ha.

4th Day: Bracieux - Chitenay 19 km
Walking stage in direction of Cheverny well known for its Château still inhabited by the owners and hunting traditions before proceeding to the typical and charming village of Chitenay.

5th Day: transfer by taxi to Oisly : Oisly - Montrichard 24 km
Leaving the Sologne area through the vineyards, you will reach the Cher Valley and the villages of Bourré and Montrichard. Overlooked by vineyards, these typical villages are sheltering incomparable underground sites : mushroom bed installed in an old carrier where before were extracted the Bourré's "tuffeau" and where you can now discover the astonishing mushrooms cultivation.

6th Day: Excursion to Chenonceaux 29 km or 24 km
Following the Cher river, this excursion will bring you to Chenonceaux, famous for its Renaissance chateau spanning the river and still steeped in memories of the famous ladies in French History : Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medicis.

7th Day : Montrichard - Amboise 20 km.
Leave the Cher river to join the Loire river. You will cross the forest of Amboise before reaching the charming town of Amboise where you will have the opportunity to visit the Royal Château (where lived the most important Kings of France) or the Parc Leonardo Da Vinci, last home of Leonardo da Vinci sheltering an astonishing collection of models representing the fabulous inventions of this Renaissance genius.

8th Day : Departure from Amboise

ACCESS
* By road : RN 152, A10 motorway
* By train : Blois railway station
(Paris Austerlitz

INCLUDED

• Accommodation 7 nights in 2** star hotel, double room with shower and toilets (5 nights on half board - 2 B & B).
• 1 transfer by taxi on Day 5 from the hotel to Oisly.
• Transfer of luggage from hotel to hotel.
• Maps and itineraries. Tourist information.

EXCLUDED

• Drinks, lunches and 2 dinners.
• Transfer back to Blois at the end of the trip.
• Entrance fees to the monuments.
• Personal expenses.

RATES

Contact info@bikeandhike.co.za for rates and specials.

Per person sharing
Single supplement

Extra night in Blois on half board basis
Per person sharing
Single supplement