Tapestries & Tapas

Tapestries & Tapas - 2 weeks
France (Loire Valley, the Basque Country) & the Spanish Basque Country

On this page, you will find...
Our Trips
Overview Map
of all of our routes

Departure Calendar
of our regular trips
What's Included
in the Trip Cost
Additional Services
you can add to the bike trip.

This trip is a study in contrast. French civilization’s heart: ghosts of nobility, the grandeur of royal castles, great art work, refined cuisine, delicately tended wines which you nurse in your glass....

Added to the ultimate popular culture: noisy fishing ports, town squares thronged with families, bars hopping until the wee hours, and wines characterized by abundance & affordability rather than barrel age.

A scenic smorgasbord matches the cultural one: pastoral farmlands, national forests and the sweep of majestic rivers in the Loire; the sharp green hills and dramatic proximity of mountains and ocean in the Basque Country. And the biking changes as much as the views: the rolling countryside of the Loire builds your strength for Basque climbs leading to dramatic views.
Tapestries & Tapas
2008 Dates
Baggage Services Offered**
(optional)
Trip Prices*
June 7 - June 21

Daily
Half
Lite
$3,795 US or C

2,425€
Aug. 30 - Sept. 13

Daily
Half
Lite

* Prices in $ and € do not include precisely the same things. Click here for details, and for prices of optional extras: private single rooms, baggage services, and (in the case of the € price only) bike rental and shipping.

** At least 4 riders must subscribe to a given baggage service for it to operate. The services listed are those currently offered on the departure in question. Services which appear in bold already have at least 3 subscribers (so, one more would ensure their operation). See here for a discussion of our baggage services.


Thumbnail view of the trip’s itinerary
For details within each region, click on the name under “Region Visited”...
Days
Days of the Week
Region Visited
 Details
1
Sa
 Meet in Blois
1 - 7
Sa, Su
 Blois, Chambord
Mo & Tu
 Châteaux, Trogs
We - Fr
 Tours, Chinon, the Villandry Gardens
Sa
Morning train to Hendaye
8 - 15
Sa - Mo
 French Basque Country, Biarritz
Mo - We
 The Pyrenees, San Sebastian
Th - Sa
 Costa Vasca, Gernika
Sa
 Bilbao
Trip disbands Saturday, upon arrival in Bilbao.
Sa night is included in the post-trip Bilbao Access Package to get you in place for ongoing travel on Sunday.
16
Su
Access Package travel date