Pays de la Loire Off The Beaten Path

  King & Queen Tomb
by balhannah
 
  • King & Queen Tomb
      King & Queen Tomb
    by balhannah
  • River Oudon @ Segre
      River Oudon @ Segre
    by balhannah
  • Church of St. Madeleine
      Church of St. Madeleine
    by balhannah
  • Town Hall in Louis X111 style
      Town Hall in Louis X111 style
    by balhannah
  • TROGLODYTE  VILLAGE
      TROGLODYTE VILLAGE
    by balhannah
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Les Rosiers

by hquittner

Les Rosiers is a small town just off the North bank of thr Loire (2K pop.), that is considered an appendage of Gien (also 2K pop) on the South bank. They are joined by one of the few suspension bridges over the upper Loire which gave us access to Cunault and Fontevrault from our base above Angers. In the neat town center is a Renaissance church with a splendid Tower.

Tip Photo
The Mayenne Valley

by hquittner

The Mayenne river runs through the departments of Mayenne and Maine and Loire passing the small city of Mayenne (14K pop.) and ending in te Loire at Angers. The valley has steep side and with only a few river crossings. It is surrounded by pleasant French forest and can be seen from various vantage points as here near the Chateau de Plessis at which we stayed (See Hotel Tip) in La Jaille-Yvon near where this picture was taken.

Tip Photo
Troglodyte Dwellings

by Goner

At the end of one of our half-day van tours we stopped for wine in a limestone cave along the Loire River. The cave was one of many called Troglodytes in the region. The history of these Troglodytes peaked my interest and this is what I found to share with you:The soft limestone (tufa) of the banks of rivers in Central France is perfect for cave formation. In the middle ages a quarter of the population lived in these caves and were known as troglodytes. These caves served as a refuge in times of war over the centuries. Tufa miners produced the material to build the châteaux from this area. Today, beside the mushroom growers and the wine makers, troglodyte dwellings have turned into inns, art galleries, museums and zoos. A good place to view some troglodytes are above Amboise, between the chateau and the Clos Luce. Look carefully to the left as you climb the hill. The facades and gardens...

Tip Photo
Luynes

by tini58de

Luynes has a castle, but by the time we went there, we were already quite satisfied with the castles we had seen. But the aqueduct from Roman times was worthwhile seeing!

Tip Photo

Top 3 Hotels in Pays de la Loire

Hotel Pommeraye Nantes  Nantes

 2 Reviews and 122 Opinions  My room was spacious, bright, stylish, right in the heart of the shopping district & had a view.... 

 Hotels in Nantes

Hotel Continental  Angers

 2 Reviews and 28 Opinions  We stayed at the Hotel Continental in Angers for 3 nights in July 2011, as a home base for touring... 

 Hotels in Angers

Campanile Le Mans  Le Mans

 1 Review and 23 Opinions  295 - 315 Francs nice room, good food and lock up garage for bikes. 

 Hotels in Le Mans

The Place

 

Questions and Answers

tonyjones1985 profile photo

Q:  Hi all, me and my gf are going to be cycling the Euro Velo 6 in October, we have been doing mountains of research and was... 

puerto_lover profile photo

A: Plenty of châteaux to look up but some are better than others. Don't know where you plan to ride from and to as the Velo 6 is long but its all great cycling friendly... 

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