THE MILDNESS OF ANJOU : THE LEGEND HAD BECAME REALITY AND WILL REVEAL YOU PLENTY OF SURPRISES
The legend of the ‘Douceur’ (meaning mildness or softness) of Anjou is a reality but you can still uncover plenty of surprises!

Some examples of places to discover:

THE CHATEAUX

Anjou offers an enormous variety of castles, manor houses and seigniorial residences (1200 edifices)
Anjou has around 1200 chateaux, fortified castles and historic manor houses

The chateaux of Anjou were originally houses for the aristocracy to live in. Some of these residences are still occupied and the most beautiful of them are open to the public.

Castle of Angers :

This fortified castle with its formidable walls hides a unique treasure – the Apocalypse Tapestry, a woven masterpiece.

Château royal d’Amboise .

Château de Villandry

Château de Chenonceau

Château de Saumur

Other famous castles can be visited such as SAUMUR, MONTREUIL BELLAY, BAUGE, BRISSAC, MONTGEOFFROY, MONTSOREAU, LE PLESSIS MACÉ...etc


ARTS AND RELIGIOUS EDIFICES

• Royal Abbey of Fontevraud (french site)
• "Prieurale" of Cunault
• Church "Notre-dame des Ardilliers" of Saumur
• There are plenty of very nice typically French churches that you can visit in Anjou such as the one in the village of Brion.
• Manoir de Clairefontaine Baugé

MUSEUM

• Slate museum.
• Armoured tanks museum of Saumur (french site)
• Mask museum
• Art and History museum in Baugé and Beaufort en Vallée.

TROGLODYTES

• Troglodyte village in Rochemenier
• The incredible underground world of Brézé
• Stone and Light of Loire in Saint-Hilaire and Saint-Florent
• The Monks cave ("la cave aux moines") in Chenehutte
• The sand pit ("la sablière") in Doué la Fontaine

VINEYARD TASTING

Anjou, the land of sweet nectar...

Wines of Anjou and Saumur :

• Savenières
• Anjou coteaux de la Loire
• Anjou
• Cabernet d’Anjou
• Anjou villages
• Coteaux du Layon
• Quarts-de-Chaume-Bonnezeaux
• Coteaux de l’Aubance
• Saumur Brut (english site)
• Saumur Champigny
• Coteaux de Saumur (english site)

NATURE

The Anjou area has a navigable network that is one of the prettiest in France. You can visit the Sailing Club of Saumur (french site) for more details.

• Welcome on board: Tour by "toue" and "gabares" (local family boats) on the Loire river.
• Zoological gardens
• The Rose Paths ("Les Chemins de la Rose") in Doué la Fontaine. Splendid raised park of 6 hectares, planted with more than 6000 rose trees.

SAUMUR: CAPITAL OF THE HORSE

You can find any further information about a stay in Pays de la Loire on Belvilla website.