Loire Valley Cottages - Detailed Visit Notes

You are here: Home->Detailed Visit Notes

DETAILED VISIT NOTES

The following notes may be of help when considering visits. There are many brochures and leaflets to look through when you arrive, if you would like any advice on things not mentioned here please ask. The following are all personal observations. A combination of any of the visits below in a day is easily covered.

TROGLODYTES-ROCHEMENIER

Excellent visit for children and adults alike. Very good lay out and documentation. 10 mins south of Saumur.

Website:http://perso.club-internet.fr/troglody

GRATIEN-MEYER

Champagne caves. A film, visit and then tasting. The best of the champagne caves. Over the second bridge across the river in Saumur, turn immediately left for Chinon, caves 1k on the right (signposted).

Website: http://www.gratienmeyer.com

ZOO-DOUE LA FONTAINE

Spectacular visit even for non-zoo lovers. Enclosures for animals carved out of stone of ancient troglodyte village. Mist sprayed to grow bamboo to feed animals. Walk through the vulture enclosure at feeding time.

Website:http://www.zoodoue.fr

WINE TOUR

Starting from South-west of Angers at St Lambert du Lattay, travel down the Layon Valley to sample the sweet pudding wines. Up through Saumur to try the Champigny reds and on towards St Nicholas for the Bourgeuil reds. This can be extended to Chinon for more red wine. If anyone travels to the Chateau of the eastern region of the Loire you can sample two of the nicest whites you will ever taste- Sancerre and Vouvray.

Website:http://www.loire-france.com/vins/index.html

RESTAURANTS

Tradition has it that restaurants close to the station are good. Angers is no exception-Brasserie de la Gare excellent sea food, Brasserie du Theatre very good reasonably priced food, Caffe Provence: Cuisine Provencale fish restaurant. In Jarze 'Le Moulinet' is a family run traditional and simple place to eat. 'Le Petit Verger' is 500m from Vary in an Auberge (country farm) the food is prepared with farm produce. Place Embach and Lucullus are two other good ones in Angers. Menu for all three 150f. A little more expensive but worth every centime is La Salamandre in the Hotel D'Anjou, 1 boulevard du marechal Foche, Angers. Cheap and cheerful-La Paillotte on the roundabout before joining the motorway (direction Angers) just after Seiches sur Loir. Menu 90f. This is a good one to take the whole family.

GOLF

Wonderful 18 hole + 3 school holes golf course, 10 minutes away in Bauge. There is an excellent golf card to include 3 other golf courses for 85 euros. This is great value for golf lovers.

LOCAL CHATEAUX

La Plessis Bourre and Montgeofrey are excellent visits, the second just ten minutes from here. They are both originally furnished which is unusual.

PUY DU FOU

This is just an hour away from Chateau Vary, using the recently finished autoroute to Cholet. It has an interesting medieval village with fantastic attractions such as a massive ampitheatre featuring chariot racing and Christians and the lions, and birds of prey watching over. It is less well known than Futoroscope but much better. This is where the first son et lumieres started, and is now the biggest in France, with over 3000 people participating in the evening event. An excellent website to visit below.

Website:http://www.puydufou.com/FR

LES GRANDES CHATEAUX

Chenonceaux-stunning, now has a restaurant. Villandry - superb gardens. Fontevraud much renovated and improved since we visited ten years ago-Richard the Lionheart buried here. Azay another famous landmark. Montreuil Bellay one of the nicest looking but we have yet to visit. Another visit still to do-Solesmes to the north. This is the abbey where plain chant originated and can still be heard.

Website:http://www.abbaye-fontevraud.com/index2.html

FUTUROSCOPE

Can be busy during French holiday time. Summer much better than Easter for queues. Travel time 1hr 30mins.

Website:http://www.futuroscope.com

DISNEYLAND

Excellent day for the family, although tiring as we found, to do it in a day and return here. Next time we will book into one of the cheap hotels-Mr Bed, Formule 1, Ibis, Camponile etc the night before, or the night after. There are plenty just off the motorway all within 30 mins of Disney. Gates open from 9.00 until 7.30 in the summer. Travel time from here 2hrs 45mins.