EXPLORING THE
PAYS DE LA LOIRE
7 days
Day 1 : YOUR REGION – ANGERS
Arrival at NANTES or ANGERS airport or train station and pick-up by our driver. Coach transfer to the hotel in ANGERS, dinner and overnight accommodation.
Day 2 : ANGERS
Breakfast. Guided tour of the city of ANGERS and the château. Built by Saint Louis around 1230, this imposing fortress (2000 m2) flanked by 17 towers offers an astonishing panoramic view of the Maine and the town. Inside the ramparts, you will find the 106-metre long Apocalypse tapestry, displayed in a specially designed museographic area. Lunch. Departure for TRÉLAZÉ, guided tour of the Slate museum. Demonstration of slate splitting techniques passed down through the generations employed to obtain tons of thin roofing slates from a single block of schist. Visit of the museum situated in an old match factory with displays on geology and developments of slate techniques and manufacture as well as its many different uses. Continuation to SAINT-BARTHÉLÉMY-D’ANJOU for a guided tour of Cointreau museum, followed by a tasting session. Cointreau is a liqueur made by the distillation of sweet and bitter oranges. Learn about how Cointreau has become a world success brand over the last 150 years through the educational and cultural tour. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight accommodation.
Day 3 : SAUMUR
Breakfast. Departure for SAUMUR and guided tour of the National Riding School. Learn about the day-to-day running of this school, the only one of its kind in France, whose teachers are none other than the famous écuyers of the Cadre Noir of SAUMUR. More than 400 horses, one of the largest stables in Europe, the saddle room… all situated in a place where the relationship between human and horse is magical and where tradition meets modernity. Watch the training of the écuyers. Lunch in the famous troglodyte dwellings, close to SAUMUR, to taste fouaces (local speciality). Guided tour of a sparkling wine cellar and tasting session, free time in the town at the end of the afternoon. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight accommodation.
Day 4 : NANTES
Breakfast. Departure for NANTES, capital of history and culture. Guided tour of the city, cathedral and château. After 15 years of renovation and 3 years of complete closure, the château of Nantes reopened its doors at the beginning of 2007. You will find this completely transformed site right in the heart of the town. Guided tour of the museum dedicated to the history of the château, NANTES and the surroundings. With a highly contemporary museography, the tour passes through 32 rooms displaying a collection of more than 800 works. Lunch. In the afternoon, embarkment for a cruise to SUCÉ-SUR-ERDRE down the Erdre, the most beautiful river in France with its many châteaux, manors and country houses. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight accommodation.
Alternative : Lunch cruise on the Erdre.
Day 5 : PUY DU FOU
Breakfast. Departure for the PUY DE FOU. Whole day at the Puy du Fou Park (open from May to September). This unique theme park takes you on a journey through history: explore the villages of times gone by and see astonishing shows and displays. Lunch in the middle of the park, then carry on with the visit. Dinner in a farm-inn close to the park followed by ‘La Cinéscénie’ (from June to September, Fridays and Saturdays only): an open-air show with the largest stage in the world and extraordinary special effects. Experience history alongside 1100 actors through a revolutionary ‘cinema’ and relive the glory days of the Puy du Fou from the Middle Ages to the Second World War as if you were really there. Return to the hotel and overnight accommodation.
Day 6 : RETRO-TOURISM IN ANJOU
Breakfast. Departure for YZERNAY, a village close to CHOLET, for an extraordinary excursion. Climb into old cars dating from 1920-1935 and a coach from 1952 with bodywork from before the war, used in a number of famous films such as Peau d’Âne, Graine d’Ortie, Commissaire Maigret... Then set off on a magnificent tour: the Forêt de Vezins, the Château de Villefort, the Cimetière des Martyrs, Péronne lake... Reception afterwards at the Château du Bois de Saint-Louis and a welcome drink with the castellans. Tour through the rooms of the château. Continuation by coach to SAINT-PIERRE-DES-ÉCHAUBROGNES, lunch. Departure to MAULÉVRIER, guided tour of the Oriental Park, the largest Japanese garden in Europe, laid out by Alexandre Marcel between 1899 and 1910. The only one of its kind in the extraordinary richness of its vegetation, Oriental architectural setting (Khmer and Japanese), its design and symbolism, the exhibitions of bonsais and ceramics, the joys of the garden area (music, smells, etc.). Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight accommodation.
Alternative : Gourmet lunch at the ‘Château Colbert’ in Maulévrier.
Day 7 : ANGERS – YOUR REGION
Breakfast then coach transfer to NANTES or ANGERS airport or train station.
End of our services.
INCLUDES :
- Tour in a luxury long-distance coach (package with transport).
- 2/3* hotel accommodation in a double room.
- Full board from dinner day 1 to breakfast day 7.
- Tours and visits mentioned in the programme.
- Tours of Angers and Nantes with local guides.
- One free booking for every 40 participants.
- Drinks with meals.
NOT INCLUDED :
- Single room supplement.
- Cancellation and assistance insurance.
(1) Hotels of charm or superior category available on request. Ask us for details.
