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Recommend an establishmentCentre-Val de Loire by Motorcycle
Between the Loire châteaux, the Sologne forest, the Cher and Indre valleys and the plains of the Beauce, Centre-Val de Loire is a region that riders often pass through without truly exploring on two wheels. Yet its territory offers a surprisingly diverse range of landscapes: roads hugging the Loire between châteaux and troglodyte villages, bocage lanes deep in the Berry countryside, pine forests and lake-dotted Sologne, and the steep-sided valleys in the southern Indre. Riders particularly love this region for its smooth-flowing roads and remarkable concentration of heritage sites. In just a few hours of riding, you can cruise along the Loire between Blois and Amboise, dive into the Sologne forests, sweep through the Berry plains or follow the banks of the Cher through vineyards and tuffeau landscapes. Roads are wide, well-maintained and blissfully quiet outside the summer tourist season. With six departments each offering its own distinct character, Centre-Val de Loire is perfectly suited to a multi-day grand tour, following the valleys and cutting through the forests. To plan your stopovers, Bivo makes it easy to find motorcycle-friendly accommodation with secure bike parking, so you can focus on getting the most out of the region's roads and scenery.
The departments of Centre-Val de Loire for your next motorcycle road trip
To help you choose your next motorcycle destination
This is where the authentic Berry begins, with quiet bocage roads winding through gentle hills, peaceful lakes and villages built from pale stone. Bourges and its impressive Gothic cathedral are well worth a stop before heading towards the Sancerre wine country, where vineyard roads rise above the Loire and offer beautiful views along the way. Further south, the roads following the banks of the Allier reveal another side of the department, full of rewarding surprises for riders willing to leave the main routes behind.
The most northerly department in the region, dominated by the vast cereal plains of the Beauce. Roads here are wide and fast with little in the way of elevation. Chartres and its cathedral are unmissable. The Perche, in the northeast of the department, offers a completely different feel with its bocage lanes, manor houses and forests. A transition department between the Île-de-France and the Val de Loire.
George Sand's Vallée Noire, the Brenne regional natural park with its thousands of lakes, and the Boischaut lanes make up a quietly captivating department. The roads of the Indre are peaceful and lightly trafficked, with countryside of meadows and forests that shifts with the seasons. Châteauroux is a practical base for riding out in all directions.
The heart of the Val de Loire and its heritage. The roads between Tours, Amboise, Chinon and Azay-le-Rideau follow the Loire and the Cher through a landscape of châteaux, troglodyte caves and tuffeau vineyards. The concentration of remarkable sites per square kilometre is exceptional. A department best savoured at a slow pace, sticking to the riverside roads rather than the main highways.
Caught between the Sologne to the north and the Val de Loire to the south, Loir-et-Cher delivers two radically different riding experiences. The forest roads and lakes of the Sologne invite slow, contemplative riding, while the Loire riverbanks between Blois and Chaumont-sur-Loire pack in châteaux and exceptional river scenery. Blois is a great base for exploring both sides of the department.
Loiret is home to the wild Loire and the vast royal forests that have shaped its landscapes for centuries. The Orléans Forest, the largest state forest in France, offers peaceful roads winding beneath towering trees with very little traffic. Along the Loire, the route between Orléans and Sully sur Loire follows one of the region's most beautiful stretches of the UNESCO World Heritage listed valley, combining riverside scenery with remarkable historical landmarks. Thanks to its central location and easy access to the rest of the region, Orléans is also an excellent base for starting or finishing a motorcycle tour of Centre Val de Loire.