RoutesRoad cycling routesFranceNew AquitaineChâtelleraultMorton
Thouars – Château de Montreuil-Bellay loop from Morton
RoutesRoad cycling routesFranceNew AquitaineChâtelleraultMorton
Thouars – Château de Montreuil-Bellay loop from Morton
Moderate
7
riders
Thouars – Château de Montreuil-Bellay loop from Morton
02:44
68.1km
340m
Road cycling
Moderate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: June 22, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through a protected area
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Waypoints
A
Start point
Bus stop
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1
29.4 km
Prtty view on the Thouars's castle
Highlight • Viewpoint
In 1635, Marie de la Tour d'Auvergne, Duchess of La Trémoïlle, demolished the castle that was on the site and built this more modern castle. His family then moved to Paris and abandoned him. Since then it has been used as barracks and prison. It is now public property and was restored in the 1990s.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2
29.8 km
Thouars
Highlight • Other
(taken from Trip Advisor although I would agree with everything in the following description) Thouars is one of those pretty French towns that few people have ever heard of... It has many beautiful old houses and streets, a wonderful chateau, a lovely river, the best market in the area (Friday mornings) - but only French tourists seem to visit.
Thouars is just off the tourist track - and that is part of its charm. Visitors do come into town during the summer months from more popular areas for the renowned Friday Market but otherwise the place is almost a tourist-free zone. However, it is a really good place to use as a base. Situated between the larger towns of Saumur and Poitiers, Thouars is a perfect setting-off point for visiting the Loire Valley, the Limousin, The Poitou Maritime region and the Vendee, the roads are comparatively quiet, parking is plentiful (and free) and you get a sense that you are seeing the real France. Very few people speak English but are very friendly and welcoming.
Thouars is just off the tourist track - and that is part of its charm. Visitors do come into town during the summer months from more popular areas for the renowned Friday Market but otherwise the place is almost a tourist-free zone. However, it is a really good place to use as a base. Situated between the larger towns of Saumur and Poitiers, Thouars is a perfect setting-off point for visiting the Loire Valley, the Limousin, The Poitou Maritime region and the Vendee, the roads are comparatively quiet, parking is plentiful (and free) and you get a sense that you are seeing the real France. Very few people speak English but are very friendly and welcoming.
Tip by
3
30.1 km
La Chapelle Jeanne d'Arc art center
Highlight • Other
The contemporary art center of national interest, La Chapelle Jeanne d’Arc de Thouars, is today a leading venue for contemporary art in the western region. Along with the Château d’Oiron and the Syndicat Mixte de la Vallée du Thouet, which runs a program of public commissions for contemporary works, the art center's work is carried out in partnership across the entire territory of the Pays Thouarsais community of communes and, more broadly, in the northern part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Within the region, the art center is a recognized player in the Astre plastic and visual arts network.
Developing an artistic project that takes into account its geographical location and its architectural envelope, a neo-Gothic chapel, the art center maintains a privileged relationship with the heritage of Thouars. Guest artists, hosted for residencies or exhibitions, appropriate the chapel space by creating an original work designed for the venue. They also bring their perspective to the city, urban planning, landscape, and rural areas of the Thouars region and the Thouet Valley. Since 1993, nearly a hundred artists have been invited for residencies or exhibition projects. In recent years, the art center has paid particular attention to emerging artists from art schools, particularly those from the regional Le Grand Huit network.
In addition to its programming, the art center also engages in outreach activities in the form of off-site exhibitions, workshops, and events (meetings, lectures, and workshops). A mobile device, La Mar(g)elle, was created in 2015 by the artist Marie-Ange Guilleminot to offer interventions in partner locations, particularly within schools and structures in the social and medical sectors. For its educational action, the art center benefits from the action of the municipal art school of Thouars, to which it is connected within the visual arts department of the City of Thouars.
Developing an artistic project that takes into account its geographical location and its architectural envelope, a neo-Gothic chapel, the art center maintains a privileged relationship with the heritage of Thouars. Guest artists, hosted for residencies or exhibitions, appropriate the chapel space by creating an original work designed for the venue. They also bring their perspective to the city, urban planning, landscape, and rural areas of the Thouars region and the Thouet Valley. Since 1993, nearly a hundred artists have been invited for residencies or exhibition projects. In recent years, the art center has paid particular attention to emerging artists from art schools, particularly those from the regional Le Grand Huit network.
In addition to its programming, the art center also engages in outreach activities in the form of off-site exhibitions, workshops, and events (meetings, lectures, and workshops). A mobile device, La Mar(g)elle, was created in 2015 by the artist Marie-Ange Guilleminot to offer interventions in partner locations, particularly within schools and structures in the social and medical sectors. For its educational action, the art center benefits from the action of the municipal art school of Thouars, to which it is connected within the visual arts department of the City of Thouars.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
4
54.8 km
View of the Château and the Thouet River
Highlight • Viewpoint
5
54.9 km
Château de Montreuil-Bellay and Historic Town
Highlight • Castle
Montreuil, or small monastery, and Bellay, named after Lord Berlay installed in 1025 by Foulque de Nerra, founder of the rich province of Anjou, has been a walled town since the 13th century. Located at the crossroads of Anjou, Touraine and Poitou, the city became a strategic and commercial issue from the Middle Ages. This interest is reflected in the construction of fortified enclosures. A first belt (11th century), direct protection of the castle, is completed by an impressive rampart (13th century) encompassing the upper and lower towns, while a third enclosure ensures control of the ford. Six monumental gates, four of which still exist, were opened by the lords of Harcourt. These great builders endowed Montreuil-Bellay with exceptional architecture, which characterizes the appearance of the town even today: tuffeau lacework on the facades of the houses, the bossage of the towers of the Porte Saint-Jean, the tangle of the roofs of the house of the castle, turreted manors, castle chapel turned collegiate church, castles, Saint-Jean hospital... The 15th century is undoubtedly the golden century of Montreuil-Bellay, which can now be discovered in this preserved setting.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
6
55.5 km
La Gente Dame – Former Baronnie Registry
Highlight • Historical Site
The Market Square is lined with houses whose construction dates from the 14th to the 19th century: the oldest house in the
town (probably 1399) at no. 3, the old town house at no. 15 and
the old Barony Registry (16th century) at no. 42.
town (probably 1399) at no. 3, the old town house at no. 15 and
the old Barony Registry (16th century) at no. 42.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
7
55.7 km
Château de Montreuil-Bellay
Highlight • Castle
A must-see among the castles of the Loire, that of Montreuil-Bellay is very impressive, although less known, with its 15 defense towers and its 600 meters of ramparts.
Fully furnished and inhabited by the same family since 1822, the castle located on a rocky promontory can be visited. Just like the gardens, suspended above the Thouet.
From the ramparts, you will have a breathtaking view of the vineyards of the château's wine estate.
Fully furnished and inhabited by the same family since 1822, the castle located on a rocky promontory can be visited. Just like the gardens, suspended above the Thouet.
From the ramparts, you will have a breathtaking view of the vineyards of the château's wine estate.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
B
68.1 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
61.6 km
3.09 km
2.41 km
861 m
106 m
< 100 m
Surfaces
67.5 km
587 m
138 m
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Elevation
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Highest point (110 m)
Lowest point (30 m)
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Weather
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Friday 26 June
37°C
22°C
66 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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