A. Lamoureux

Panorama du Mont Glonne à Saint-Florent le Vieil

A. Lamoureux

Piste cyclable le long de la Maine à Angers

J. Damase – Maine-et-Loire

Pique-nique à vélo sur les bords de Loire - Champtoceaux

J. Damase

9 randonnées à découvrir au départ de Nantes

The Loire by bike from Angers to Nantes

105 km as close as possible to the Loire

This EuroVelo 6 section, shared with the Loire à Vélo route, goes through western Anjou, with its many rivers and wetlands, then into the Pays Nantais and the great city of Nantes. After Ancenis, the Loire broadens, its valley widens and its fresh waters mix with salty Atlantic waters carried up on the tides. Around Nantes, market gardening and vines thrive. So too do major contemporary art installations in the landscape, thanks to the Estuaire project. The cycling is easy.

A. Lamoureux

Panoramic views of the Loire

Along the route, there are several viewing points from which to admire the ‘royal river’. Don’t miss the views from the Abbey Church of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, on the Champalud promenade in Champtoceaux, from the roof of the keep at Oudon, or in Nantes from the Hermitage viewpoint, a narrow, long footbridge overlooking the Loire that offers a framed view of the sky and the river.

A. Lamoureux

A boat trip on the Loire

If you fancy it, you can swap your bike for a trip on the Loire by boat or canoe. There are several options available between Saumur, Angers, Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, including combined kayaking and cycling holidays.

Franck Charel

Ile Béhuard, an island on the Loire

The only city island on the Loire, Béhuard is located in the UNESCO World Heritage area. The Loire contributes strongly to the identity of the landscape of the commune with the formation of several islets and frequent floods from December to May. These have conditioned life and organisation on the island as well as the landscape. Don’t miss: the church said to have been built by Louis XI.

J. Damase

‘Le Voyage à Nantes’ by bike: an artistic tour of the city

From the Château des Ducs de Bretagne to the Passage Pommeray, from the Art Museum to the Machines de l’Île, Nantes reveals its historical, architectural and artistic heritage as you ride through the streets, following a green line marked on the ground.

Le Voyage à Nantes invites you to let yourself be guided from a work of art that appears around a street corner to a remarkable heritage site, from a historic alleyway to contemporary architecture, from a stunning view of the city to an incredible sunset over the estuary.

Every summer, this route is revitalised and expanded, offering a fresh and ever-curious perspective on the city.

Map of the cycle route

29 Angers / Bouchemaine

9 km

38 min

I begin

In the heart of Anjou, this Loire à Vélo stage goes from opposite Angers’s central castle out via the green setting of the Lac de Maine. This urban stage is startling, avoiding motorized traffic, taking you through parkland and alongside the Maine River. Bouchemaine is great for a stop, for its typical quayside restaurants or a picnic beside the Loire.

30 Bouchemaine / Chalonnes-sur-Loire

20 km

1 h 18 min

I begin

Start at La Pointe, in a tremendous setting in the heart of Anjou, where the Maine River joins the Loire. A bit west, this magical Loire à Vélo stage allows you glimpses of the prestigious vine-covered slopes of Savennières. You follow the wild Loire closely here. Don’t miss Béhuard Island before going on to cross Chalonnes’s island.

31 Chalonnes-sur-Loire / St-Florent-le-Vieil

23 km

1 h 38 min

I cycle often

This Loire à Vélo stage in Anjou crosses the startling island of Chalonnes, one of the largest on the Loire. Nearby, along the south bank, are the celebrated Coteaux du Layon vineyards, then the pretty perched villages of Montjean-sur-Loire and St-Florent-le-Vieil. The route is along quiet roads, cyclists able to make the most of the raised Loire-side levées and views across the islands.

32 St-Florent-le-Vieil / Champtoceaux

26 km

1 h 35 min

From Mont Glonne, at the top of St-Florent-le-Vieil, with its great views of the Loire Valley, this Loire à Vélo stage goes on to Champtoceaux, an historic fortified site with further tremendous river views, standing on Anjou’s frontier with the Pays d’Ancenis on the north bank. It’s worth conquering the heights of St-Florent and Champtoceaux for the panoramas! The route is along quiet roads and greenways.

33 Champtoceaux / Mauves-sur-Loire

12 km

49 min

I begin

Welcome to the Basse-Loire, or Lower Loire and the county of Loire Atlantique. The importance of the Atlantic begins to be felt on this Loire à Vélo stage, as the ocean starts to exert more of an influence. The Loire islands, vine-covered slopes producing Muscadet wine and flat, very fertile market-gardening fields on the way to Nantes provide pleasingly varied landscapes. This Loire à Vélo stage proves interesting as well as easy.

34 Mauves-sur-Loire / Nantes

18 km

1 h 11 min

I begin

Designated European Green Capital in 2013, the city of Nantes comes into view, a shaded towpath offering a gentle way into town. The new Tabarly Bridge leads over to L’île de Nantes, home to extraordinary outsized machines you can ride on, and to the Malakoff Quarter, being completely renovated. This island makes for a great introduction to the joyous tumult of the largest city along the Loire à Vélo cycle route.