Holiday Home to Rent in Pays de la Loire

Region Information

• Major city: Angers, Nantes
• Chateaux and manor houses
• Atlantic coastline, with quaint bays and islands
• Loire river which flows through lush countryside

This region includes 300 kilometers of Atlantic coastline, long sandy beaches, enchanting bays and little islands like Yeu and Noirmoutier contrasting with the lush, green, countryside through which flows the magnificent Loire River.

This part of France has always been popular with kings and nobles, who built their elegant châteaux throughout the region. Many châteaux have been restored and are inhabited by their owners who open them to the public. Other châteaux open their homes and gardens to the production of "Sound and Light" shows. Exploring beyond the busy valley, tourists can drive deeper into a quiet hinterland where châteaux, abbeys and mansions reveal the testimony of a rich past.

At Le Mans, the annual 24-Hour Car Race attracts visitors from all over the world. Traditional cities such as Angers, Saumur and Nantes provide castles, museums and picturesque winding, narrow streets where vacationers can lose themselves amid provincial markets and busy shops. The Western Loire Valley is also a good place for cycling, hiring house-boats on the Loire tributaries or enjoying a typical candle-lit dinner on a comfortable modern excursion boat.

Places of Interest

Angers	Art town, medieval castle and its tapestries, cathedral, Pince Museum
Brissac	15th century castle
Cholet	Vendée War Museum
Le Croisic	Little fishing-port, Naval Museum
Fontevraud	11th century Royal Abbey
Goulaine	15th-16th century castle with beautiful furnished apartments
La Baule	Lovely beach on the Atlantic
La Roche-sur-Yon	Archeological Museum
Laval	Castle, "Douanier Rousseau" Art Gallery, boat trip on the Mayenne
Le Lude	Medieval fortress, Sound and Light show
Le Mans	Known for its 24-Hour Car Race, Car Museum, old town, cathedral, Tesse Museum
Le Puy du Fou	15th-16th century castle, sound and light representations involving over 700 participants
Les Sables d'Olonne	Fishing port and seaside resort
Nantes	Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, Jules Verne Museum, Naval Museum on the frigate "Maille Breze"
Noirmoutier	Linked to the mainland by a 3-mile bridge, Musée du Chateau
Sablé	Castle
Saint Joachim	Maison de la Mariée (Bride Museum), "chaumière Brieronne"
Saint Nazaire	Espadon Submarine Museum, port view from the panoramic terrace
Saumur	13th century castle, Cadre Noir National School of Horse riding, wine cellars, Mushroom Museum
Solesnes	Abbey
Yeu	(Island) - visit on foot or bike, old castle.

Tourism and Sports

Naval construction, gastronomy, wine cellars, the salt road.
Cycling, sailing, golf, thalassotherapy.

Cuisine

In the Western Loire region one can sample such specialties as rillettes, andouillettes, tripes, mushrooms and the regional cheeses of Trappiste d'Entrammes and Cremets d'Angers, Petit Sable & Ardoises d'Angers cookies.

The white and red wines of Anjou and Saumur are of infinite variety. The white wines may be dry or sweet. There are also fruity rosés, both dry and sweet, produced mainly from the Cabernet grape which has given its name to Cabernet d'Anjou and Cabernet de Saumur. Among the whites, Coteaux de Saumur are lighter and drier and preserve their quality well, Coteaux du Layon and Coteaux de l'Aubance, very fine and sweet, are richer and age very well. A large proportion of the production from the Saumur region is made by the Champagne method.