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Pays de la Loire

This region is a lush area that borders the Atlantic.

It is an interesting region to spend your vacations, spend a long weekend or rent a property if you are tempted to sample daily life in the Pays de la Loire. The resorts along the sea-front in the Loire-Atlantique and Vendee are popular. The interior of the area offers some interesting places such as Chateaubriant and Saumur which are busy old towns that have retained their character. In the north of the region lies the port of St. Nazaire, which is a shipbuilding town, and a place of interest to the visitor. In the same area you will find a beach that is nine kilometres long at La Baule.

In the northeast of the region you will find Sarthe which is popular with the residents of Paris and the town of Le Mans, the capital of the department and world famous location of motor sports.

In the south of the area is the department of Vendee which has a warm humid climate. Les Sables d'Olone is a resort popular with French and international visitors due to its great beaches, water sports, high quality shops and enticing food markets.

Nantes

The capital of the Pays de la Loire is Nantes. It is a very busy port town on the River Erdre and boasts a plethora of green spaces, chateaux, manor houses, quality shopping and restaurants.

Chateaubriant

This town that has preserved much of its historical buildings is 45 minutes from Nantes, Rennes, Angers and Laval. The Atlantic is one hour away by car. Explore the old town, castles and churches or unwind at the pleasant bars and restaurants.

The town of Chateaubriant has two castles; a Medieval and a Renaissance, which are located in the same area. The Medieval castle is the focal point of the town. The visitor may explore both edifices, both of which are steeped in history.

St Nazaire

This town is a shipbuilding town which has many facets and reminders of from various times in history.  Monuments of a stunning diversity serve to illustrate this point.

The American monument (Grand Traict beach) was inaugurated in 1926  This monument commemorates the landing of American troops in Saint-Nazaire.  Blown up by the German army in 1941, it has been rebuilt in the 1980's thanks to a Franco-American subscription.

The Campbeltown monument (Place du Commando) This monument pays tribute to the 611 British voluntary soldiers who took part in « Operation Chariot » : on March 27, 1942, the battle ship Campbeltown, full of explosives, was launched against the lock of the Normandie dock in order to render it unusable for the German army. Only 224 men made it back to Britain. The canon next to the monument comes from the Campbeltown.

The Tumulus (Dissignac). Considered to be one of the most beautiful burial mounds in France, the tumulus dates back to around 5500 B.C. Inside the mound there are two galleries leading to two burial chambers, one of which has engraved stones (guided visits in summer,enquire at the Tourist Information Office).

The Dolmen (Square du Dolmen). This megalithic monument, built around 4000 B.C., stands on what was then the bank of the Loire river… today practically in the city centre.

The bridge over the Loire estuary. Although it has not been designed as a work of art, many people consider the Saint-Nazaire bridge to be one: elegantly curved, the suspension bridge crosses the Loire at the lofty height of 65 meters.

The town was originally a village where fishermen and pilots lived. It then served as a transatlantic port for liners to and from Central America. During this period, shipbuilding started in the town and it became very prosperous.

The Second World War changed the fate of the town when the German occupiers built a concrete submarine base over the wharf. This base was also the reason why the town was bombed so heavily by the Allied forces.

Check out the web sites for this interesting town.

Saumur

The town is home to the National Riding School.

Saumur has 54 national monuments and is also famous for its sparkling wine. Mushroom caves hidden in the banks of the Loire make an interesting stop for lunch!

La Baule has 9km of wonderful, long sandy beaches, seafood restaurants - where mussels and oysters are a must.
The medieval town of Guerande close by is well worth a visit.

Le Mans  famous for its 24 hr motor race and museum. There are also numerous other car museums in the area for motoring enthusiasts.

Climate
The area has a maritime climate and can be cool, rainy and windy in winter. However, it does not usually rain all day. In the spring it is usually warm and the mercury often rises to over 30 degrees Celsius during the summer and autumn months.

Getting there
By road

- A11 : Paris - Le Mans - Angers - Nantes
- N 137 : St-Malo-Rennes-Nantes
- A 84 : Caen-Rennes-Nantes
- A81 : Le Mans - Laval
- A85 : Tours - Saumur - Angers
- A83 : Niort - Nantes
- A28 : Le Mans - Alencon

By rail

Numerous daily high-speed (TGV) train services from Paris, Lille and Lyon and the main cities in the Pays de la Loire.
(e.g. Paris - Nantes: 2hrs).

201 stations and stops served by trains and coaches in the TER Pays de la Loire network.

By air

Two airports serve the area:

Nantes Atlantiques

Angers Marce

Sports and activities
At the maritime resorts the main activities are sailing and swimming, wind-surfing and kite-surfing while inland, boating and fishing are popular. Canoeing and kayaking are available too. For the equestrian there is horse riding or buggy racing. The golfer is also well catered for in the Pays de la Loire. Hiking and cycling are very well catered for in the area where there are special places for cyclists called “Velotel-Vebocamp” which cater to the cyclist and allow him to explore large tracts of land dedicated to the bicycle. For the very adventurous, ballooning is also available.

Festivals, events and local markets

Nantes
Scopitone      This is an annual event which enables artists involved in all media. This high-tech festival is a place where artists can exchange ideas and views. http://www.scopitone.org/
Festival of three continents      This international, annual festival of film and photography represents the continents of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Each year it is held at the end of November, beginning of December. http://www.3continents.com/festival/eng_regulations.html

Thourace   Local market day is Tuesday.

Pornic     Market days are held on sunday, wednesday, thursday and saturday. They offer a wide range of goods.

St Herblain      Holiday Festival   Every September         Music and street entertainment festival in the Parc de la Begraisiere in Saint Herblain.

Foire Saint Maurice   Grand Fair of Geese and Garlic   Every September

Mayenne    Euromayenne Craft Fair   Euromayenne Craft Fair in the Salle in Mayenne. http://www.euromayenne.org/

Food and Wine events

Pornic    Brasserie de la Cote de Jade   Every day    Open every day except Sunday from 10:00 - 12:00 and 15:00 - 18:30   Beers to taste form the local areas. Shop available for any purchases.

St Fort   Chocolate and Biscuit Tasting    Every Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat    Confectionery, biscuit and chocolate making all displayed by the local artisans. Free admission. Open from Monday to Saturday from 09:30 - 12:30 and 14:00 - 19:00   Free parking and disabled access.

L'Homme   Musee de la Vigne   Every day   Find out everything there is to know about Jasnieres and Coteaux du Loir wines. Open all year for groups with prior reservation and on Saturday and Sunday from 15:00-18:30 from 30 June-16 September to the public.

Food in the region

Fish abounds in the Pays de la Loire. Fish from the ocean, estuary and the rivers is used.

Some fish dishes to be found in the area are Gravette which is a sweet tasting oyster, Lamporie, an eel like fish cooked in walnut oil, grilled Chard, Tench or Carp with Sorrel sauce and Friture de la Loire which is a small fish that is deep-fried and served with lemon.

Fish stews are also found in the area. Try Conger eel and white fish cooked with a white wine sauce, potatoes and various freshwater fish stews cooked with onions mushrooms and white wine sauces.

Inland try pork with plums and cream, stuffed cabbage with hare or partridge with wild mushrooms.

Vegetable are also available in a wide variety throughout the seasons.

On the sweet and dessert side, fruit tarts and pies are common. A batter cake stuffed with cherries called Clafoutis is a tempting treat. Cheesecakes are also found in the region.

Cheeses are made from goat, sheep and cow milk.

Bondaroy au Foin is a soft cow’s milk cheese with a tangy flavour that is cured in hay. Chabichou Fermier is a strong cone shaped goat’s cheese. Cremet is a mild creamy cows-milk cheese, often eaten as a dessert with jam or fruit. Olivet Bleu is a rich blue cheese which is wrapped in plane tree leaves.

Wine

There are five main groups of wine-producing areas.

Saint Pourcain  Mainly white and roses which are light and fruity and some light red.

Pouilly sur Loire and Sancerre  Wines from Pouilly sur Loire on the righthand bank of the river include the Pouilly Fume using the Sauvignon grape and the Pouilly with Chasselas. On the other side of the river is Sancerre with its famous Sancerre white using Sauvignon and some Pinot Noir. There is also a little Sancerre red.
Before arriving in the Touraine region there is also some more dry white Sauvignon wines from Reuilly, Quincy and Menetou-Salon.

Touraine  The Cabernet franc, Sauvignon, Gamay, Cot, Grolleau Pineau d'Aunis and Pineau de la Loire also known as Chenin Blanc are found in this region. High quality reds and whites are produced and also some excellent roses.

Vouvray and Montlouis produce good white wines of all varieties.

At Chinon & Bourgueil try the aromatic red wine produced from the Cabernet fanc grape for the Chinon and raspberry flavour for the Bourgueil which can be drunk young or aged.

Within the Touraine appellation there are two main wines; a dry white from Sauvignon and a fresh and fruity red Gamay.

Touraine - Amboise produces reds, roses and whites.

Touraine Azay le Rideau  produces white wine whilst introducing a young appellation for some rose.

Roses de Loire is a very dry rose.

Anjou Saumur

Red white and rose wines are produced here. The grapes used for the red and rose are the Cabernet franc, cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Pineau d'Aunis, le Cot and le Grolleau. For the whites, the Chenin blanc is used and in certain cases for some blends, Chardonnay and Sauvignon are added. The rose production is the most important for this region with the Rose d'Anjou generally using the Grolleau, it is a medium dry fruity wine and is drunk young and fresh. The Cabernet de Saumur is dry and light, Cabernet de Anjou medium dry.

Pays Nantai

A light and fruity wine made from the Muscadet grape is made from a grape which is picked young and has a slow fermentation. The wine is frequently bottled straight after the fermentation which makes the wine slightly "bubbly".
There are three main appellations Muscadet, Muscadet des Coteaux de la Loire and Le Muscadet de Sevre et Maine.