The best traffic-free bike rides around Langeais

A little hidden from the road, a beautiful little waterfall that is worth stopping to contemplate for a moment in peace.

The river Roumer, whose source is in the municipality of Ambillou, has a length of 27 km and flows into the municipality of Langeais. At this location you can take a beautiful photo with beautiful half-timbered houses and Roumer in the background.

This impressive suspension bridge spans the Loire between La Chapelle-aux-Naux and Langeais and was originally completed in 1849. The bridge has been repaired and rebuilt many times and has a two-lane road over the Loire. On the Langeais side, a walk along the banks of the Loire, on both sides of the bridge, is highly recommended. The Langeais bridge is a stubborn bridge. It has been rebuilt five times! The story begins in 1848, the year in which King Louis Philippe authorised the construction of a "wire bridge", as it was then called (bridge 1). But wires are excellent lightning conductors! And 10 years after its opening in 1859, the bridge collapsed into the Loire after a heavy storm, its deck and suspension elements. Two years later in 1861, the bridge was repaired and operational again as a toll bridge (bridge 2). But shortly afterwards, in 1870, war broke out and the advance of the Prussian enemy had to be slowed down. Boom! Bridge was blown up (bridge 3) The fourth was completed in 1914, but then came the... car! They were heavy, they came and went! The bridge therefore had to be extensively rebuilt to bear the weight of modernity. This happened in the 1930s, and the opportunity was taken to decorate the bridge with its very special Gothic pillars, which reflected the Gothic style of the castle; the two form a mirror image. Bridge 4 was built! All is well, all is well... but then it is June 1940. And this time it is the Germans who have to be stopped. To stop the invader, the bridge was blown up again. After first using a ferry and then a temporary footbridge, the inhabitants waited until 1949 for a bridge over the Loire (bridge 5). The bridge of Langeais is the only bridge between Tours and Port Boulet. It is now a rather imposing bridge with a turbulent history.

Very tasty food. Nice menu with a range of different flavours. Staff is very friendly. A great recommendation to come and eat here. A recommendation in the shadow of the castle.

The Château de Langeais , a former royal estate and property of the Institut de France, is one of the major sites in the Loire Valley . Near Tours , in the heart of the Loire Valley , it offers a guided tour of fifteen rooms, decorated with richly carved medieval furniture . You will discover a collection of tapestries and the reconstruction of the royal wedding of Anne of Brittany, told by Stéphane Bern . Langeais, a Renaissance Loire castle, will surprise you with its park planted with cedars and sequoias and its playful elements. More information on https://chateau-de-langeais.com/

Magnificent view of the Loire. Possible stopover (picnic, meal, bar)

The Saint-Michel church in Savigny-en-Véron was built in 1848 by architect Gustave Guérin, replacing an old chapel dedicated to the Holy Angels. Almost all the stained glass windows feature this angelic iconography. Be sure to pay attention to the mosaic above the entrance portal. The Lamb of God overlooks the church square.

Bréhémont, a former annex of the parish church of Rivarennes, only became a parish in 1789. The church was built in 1843 in the neo-Gothic style. Three years later, five stained glass windows for the choir and the side chapels (bays 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) were ordered by the Parisian Émile Laurent, who had ties with Auguste Galimard and who had designed the plans. Source: https://patrimoine.centre-valdeloire.fr/gertrude-diffusion/dossier/IM37003094