LOIRE HOLIDAYS   >   FRANCE


Departments in Pays de la Loire: Loire-Atlantique [ 44 ], Maine-et-Loire [ 49 ], Mayenne [ 53 ], Sarthe [ 72 ], Vendée [ 85 ]

Cities in the Land of the Loire : Angers, Le Mans, Saint-Nazaire

Capital City Pays de la Loire : Nantes


car hire, holiday homes, hotels, tour operators, travel guides, travel the land of the loire

links


Campsites & Caravanning

  Eurocampings   -   ACSI International Camping Guide  -  Land of the Loire

Car Hire Pays de la Loire

  Holiday Autos   -    
Holiday Autos offers the best fully inclusive car hire prices. Get cheap car hire quickly and securely online with holidayautos.co.uk, the experts in online car rental.

  Sixt   -   

Holiday Homes / Cottages / Apartments

   -   Land of the Loire
Cottages4you is the leading UK provider of self-catered holidays.

  Soleara   -   Cottages in France   
Loire Atlantique, Maine et Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe and Vendee.

  Bungalow.net   -   Holiday homes France  

Hotels Land of the Loire

  Hotels Pays de la Loire
Hotels in Le Mans, Saumur, Nantes, Angers, Les Sables-dʼOlonne, La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, Saint-Nazaire, Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire, Bouguenais, Fontevraud L'Abbaye, Saint-Saturnin, Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, and more.

  Hotels in Nantes

  Hotels Loire Atlantique
Hotels in Nantes, La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, Saint-Nazaire, Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire, Bouguenais, Saint-Sébastien -sur-Loire, Pornichet, Saint-Herblain, La Baule-Escoublac, Saint-Brévin-les-Pins, Carquefou, Bouaye, and more.
  Hotels Maine et Loire
Hotels in Saumur, Angers, Fontevraud L'Abbaye, Beaucouzé, Cholet, Avrillé, Les Ponts-de-Cé, Saint-Sylvain -dʼAnjou, Chènehutte-les-Tuffeaux, Chanzeaux, La Pommeraye, Doué-la-Fontaine, and more.
  Hotels in Mayenne   -   Hotels in Mayenne, Laval, Château-Gontier, Vaiges
  Hotels in Sarthe
Hotels in Le Mans, Saint-Saturnin, Arnage, Saint-Léonard-des-Bois, La Ferté-Bernard, Sablé-sur-Sarthe, La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, Fercé-sur-Sarthe, Conflans-sur-Anille, Le Lude.
  Hotels in Vendee
Hotels in Les Sables-dʼOlonne, Saint-Martin-de-Fraigneau, Saint-Jean-de-Monts, La Roche-sur-Yon, Chambretaud, Fontenay-le-Comte, Challans, La Mothe-Achard, Croix-de-Vie, Les Herbiers, La Tranche-sur-Mer, La Guérinière.

  Accor Hotels   -   Sea Water Therapy Centre in Les Sables-d'Olonne
Seawater therapy, fitness, beauty care, slimming, anti-stress, young mother, toned legs, toning care for men.

 
Hostelbookers.com is one of the worlds largest online booking services for hostels. All hostels you see here are offering realtime prices and availability.

National Parks / Regional Parks

The Loire is the first river to have been recognized by UNESCO as part of the world's natural heritage. This natural paradise will arouse your five senses. It is a pleasure to the eyes with masses of landscapes just waiting to be admired. It is a pleasure to touch its old stones and its plants. There are tastes and smells, which come from the local products and the restaurants. There are lots of animal species happy to be in Anjou, to listen to.
To appreciate the local plant and animal life, don't forget to stop over at the Valley of Anjou Observatory and the Loire-Anjou-Touraine nature reserve.

  Salt Marshes
Landscape of settling ponds and collecting pools, of channels and concentration pools, the Salt Marshes of the Guérande Peninsula stretch as far as the eye can see for some 1800 hectares. In this labyrinth of clay and water, fashioned by man, the art of salt panning has been practised for centuries. Born of the sea, the sun and the wind, the white gold, as it was once known, has retained its noble reputation by remaining a natural product, harvested for over 1,000 years.
  La Brière
Thousands of hectares of peat bog, water-meadows, canals… La Brière is a living heritage covering 40,000 hectares, protected since 1970 as a Regional Natural Park, with 20 parishes within it, including Saint-Nazaire. This immense expanse, covered by willows and reeds, is home to an exceptional variety of wildlife. Around the islands, punts are moored, waiting and ready with their poles for the fishermen to set off. Bundles of reed straw dry on the levees where flocks of ducks and geese splash about. In the little villages, thatched cottages are grouped around bread ovens.

Travel Agents / Tour Operator

   -   Create your perfect trip

   -   Land of the Loire
Cottages4you is the leading UK provider of self-catered holidays in France.



  Into France  -  Holiday in France
holiday in france l french holiday offers l disneyland® resort paris hotels events l hotels in france l ski holidays in france l group travel to france | French holiday destination l intoFrance shop l cottage holidays in france
  France Nord   -   Holidays in Northern France   -   selfdrive
Weekly : Self-Catering Cottages & Holiday Villages; Short Breaks : Hotels, Bed & Breakfast & Apartments

Travel Guides Loire / Related books

  The 7 suns   -   see  Tintin: Seven Crystal Balls  
With the exception, of course, of Brussels, Saint-Nazaire is one of the few towns in the world to be able to lay claim to a visit by Tintin and so to link its name to the world famous reporter's. An association in Saint -Nazaire, "Les 7 Soleils" [ The 7 Suns ], founded in 1986 by Jean-Claude Chemin and some friends, has set itself the objective of keeping alive the memory of the visit to Saint-Nazaire by Tintin and Captain Haddock.

Travel Guides Loire  [ amazon.co.uk ]



Transport / How do I travel to Loire

  Airport Nantes [ NTE ]  -  Aeroport Nantes Atlantique
  Airport Tours Val de Loire [ TUF ]
  Airport St Jacques [ RNS ] 

 
Book cheap flights to France at ebookers and benefit from discounted airfares. View their latest offers and book your flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance online

  Airline Tickets /  Bargain Flights  
Flight tickets Land of Loire / Price comparison possible

   -   Eurostar, TGV and high speed-rail travel across Europe
Rail Europe is the UK's leading supplier of European Rail tickets. Whether you want to take a short break or a fortnight, your train journey by Eurostar, and connection to Europe with the SNCF range of products, are available to book online.

  SNCF

   -   fantastic fares from all of the UK's major ports

   -   Dover - Calais / Portsmouth to Cherbourg / Portsmouth to Le Havre
P&O Ferries is one of the most well known and trusted brands. Wherever you are travelling to, on holiday or on business, P&O Ferries offers a wide range of routes.


Links 

  Pays de La Loire - Loire Atlantique
Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Blos, Chambord, Chenonceaux, Fontainebleau, Langeais, Orléans, Tours, Villandry.

  Nantes   -   Capital City Loire   -   Ville de Nantes   -   Tourism Nantes

  Loire-Atlantique [ 44 ]   -   Conseil Général Loire-Atalntique   -   with capital city Nantes
  Loire Atlantique   -   Tourist Board
At the seaside it's a little like Atlantic-les-Bains. The Loire-Atlantique is full of ocean activities all year round. Marine delights, abundant sea air and bathing, in the sun or in the sea, or even boots and oilskins in the bracing off-season.
The county provides natural grandeur for rambling, immersed in greenery, beside the watercourse, along the towpaths between two locks, and over hollowed-out paths. The hinterland has beautiful countryside, rare light and peaceful surroundings, away from the beaten track. So off you go; it's just a step away
  Maine-et-Loire [ 49 ]   -   Conseil Général de Maine-et-Loire 
The châteaux and abbeys which are the pride of Anjou were built in "tuffeau" (sandy chalk stone). But this stone from Saumur hides a rare treasure. More than 1,000 tunnels still remain. They are now converted into cellars, museums and art galleries. These are the Troglodyte caves and they are among the grand attractions of the county (département).
Anjou has kept from its past a considerable network of navigable rivers. In total, there are more than 400 km (248 miles) of rivers open to the public [ river tourism ].
  Mayenne [ 53 ]   -   CG Lamayenne
Cities in Mayenne : Laval, Château-Gontier,  Mayenne
  Sarthe [ 72 ]   -   Prefectuur van Sarthe   -   CG de la Sarthe   -   Capital City Le Mans
  Vendée [ 85 ]   -   Conseil Général Vendeé   -   Tourist Board Vendee
With more than 100 miles of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pine woods, and a very mild climate, Vendée is a popular tourist destination. There is an extensive nude beach just south of La Faute sur Mer on the Pointe d'Arçay. The county also boasts many churches and abbeys, museums, and - for nature lovers - there are thousands of marked footpaths, a  bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats [ signposted ], and marshes that attract unusual birds. Fishing is popular in the ocean or in the Vendée's rivers and lakes.

  Côte d'Amour [ Saint Nazaire ]
Stretch of coastline between Saint-Nazaire and Le Croisic. Noted for the variety of its landscapes, the Côte d'Amour has sandy coves on the coastline around Saint-Nazaire, dominated by cliffs.
Next comes the bay of La Baule and its 9 km of fine sand, considered the most beautiful beach in Europe, then the wild coast between Le Pouliguen and Le Croisic, swept by the west wind.

  Angers [ Maine-et-Loire ]   -   Ville d'Angers   -   Tourist Board Angers   -   city of art & history
Capital of Anjou and gateway to the Loire valley, Angers is distinguished as much for the richness of its heritage as for its cultural and economic dynamism.
Thus, if the towers of the imposing castle fortress watch peacefully over the heights of the town, in the streets, museums, gardens, shops, gastronomic restaurants, art festivals and student life give colour to the famous Angevin softness".
With more than 300 km of navigable waterways and 250km of footpaths for rambling, it provides a range of activities for its inhabitants and its guests.
  Bouguenais   -   Ville de Bouguenais 
  Carquefou   -   Ville de Carquefou 
  Challans   -   Ville de Challans 
  Couëron   -   Ville de Coueron   -   Nantes Metropole
  Fontenay-le-Comte   -   Ville de Fontena y le Comte   -   Tourism Pays de Fontena y Le Compte
At the heart of a region of 100,000 inhabitants, between the sea, the bocage and the marshes, at the gateway to Mervent forest, the former capital of Lower Poitou is the architectural pearl of the Vendée…
It was in this "town of art and history", baptized "Fountain Springing with Fine Minds" by François I, that Rabelais embraced Humanism. In the footsteps of the creator of Pantagruel, discover rich mansions, shaded gardens and elegant squares, witnesses to a prestigious past, preserved within this unique Vendée conservation area.
Take the walking tour " mille ans d'histoire" [ A Thousand Years of History ] and discover the beautiful Place Belliard with its fine houses and arcades, Notre Dame church with its panoramic view from the top of its bell tower, the Rue des Loges with its half-timbered houses, the Vendée Museum and also the Seneschal's Court opposite the Fountain of the 4 Tias, emblem of the city.
  La Baule-Escoublac   -   Ville de La Baule   -   Tourist Board La Baule 
The resort's history of Europe's most beautiful beach begins with the inauguration of the Nantes-Guérande rail link in 1879. La Baule welcomes you for an unforgettable stay. An exceptionally mild climate and golden fine sandy beach nearly 9 km long, at La Baule the Atlantic holds in store for you all the well-being of bracing sea air and great sensations.
From the medieval town of Guérande to the fishing harbours of Le Croisic and La Turballe, from old Piriac to the Salt Marshes of Guérande via the Côte Sauvage (wild coastline), the town on Batz island, and the Natural Park of Brière : here nature, memory and tradition are primordial, respecting the values interwoven by man over the centuries.
At La Baule, we have always cultivated the art of fine living. The welcome awaiting you is in keeping with the splendour of the bay, far from the stress and flurry of daily life.
  La Chapelle-sur-Erdre   -   La Chapelle sur Erdre
  La Roche-sur-Yon   -   Ville de La Roche-sur-Yon   -   Tourism Land of the River Yon
All around the city, there's a constellation of small, living villages, that offers a lot of services, accomodations, events and leisure-equipments, as well as it offers a big variety of natural goods and cultural heritages.
Go and do the roundtrip, either the whole or just a shortpassage, by car or by bicycle, and go off in a spirit of discovery across the country, over small paths, all in a environment that was able to keep its rural character alive, and discover old domiciles and their parcs. 20 minutes from the sea side resort Les Sables d'Olonne.
  Laval  - 
The town of Laval is "prefecture" of the Mayenne, where agriculture is the main activity. Horse-farming, especially for racing, is one of the particularities of the department. With more than 8.000 horses, 11 hippodromes, training-circuits and so on, the department has been, and still is a great provider of champions, all over the world.
  La Flèche   -   Ville La Fleche
Valley of the Dormouse in the Sarthe. 45 kilometers from Le Mans and Angers
  Le Mans [ Sarthe ]   -   Ville de Le Mans   -   Le Mans, d'art, d'histoire, de pierres et d'eau...
  Les Herbiers   -   Ville de Les Herbiers   -   Tourist Board Land of Les Herbiers 
From the Puy du Fou with its Great Park and the evening Festival of light spectacular, taking in the windmills of Mont des Alouettes as well as the discovery of the Haut Bocage on board a stream-train, Les herbiers promises you unforgettable days for both young and old.
Discover the authenticity of a noble and generous countryside, historical pride and unsuspected richness. Find yourselves seduced by the mystery of the Haut Bocage : country lanes winding between awe-inspiring hills : green woods and scented pathways scattered with wild flowers.
  Les Sables-d'Olonne [ seeside resort ]   -   Tourist Board Les Sables d'Olonne
Vis-a-vis with the embankment, that which one also describes as more beautiful beach of Europe discovers, with low tide, of the square fine sand kilometers. To north, the wild coast extends on 11 km, in a succession of vast beaches traversed by the rollers of sea. In the south, it draws up its ramparts of surmounted rocks of customs paths .
In this race with vitality, the children are not the been useful last. Young tournaments, beach-volleyballs, clubs, plays of beach: most difficult will be to choose!
  Mayenne   -   Ville de Mayenne   -   see also CG La Mayenne [ click Tourisme ]
  Orvault   -   Ville d'Orault
  Guérande   -   Tourist Board Guerande
  Rezé   -   Marie de Reze   -  Entre Sèvre et Loire
  Saint-Herblain   -   Ville de Saint Herblain [ Nates Metropole ]
  Saint-Nazaire   -   Ville de St Nazaire 
Saint-Nazaire is a port and an estuary town which, while becoming a major industrial centre, has kept the charm of the beaches and coves of the Loire river mouth.
Saint-Nazaire, town of the twenty beaches, The Sentier des Douaniers, The tumulus at Dissignac [ one of Brittany's most important megalithic sites ], The Jardin des Plantes by the sea, Parks and gardens: the Lake at Le Bois Joalland, Bois de Porcé, Parc Paysager…- The surrounding area: the Côte d'Amour, the Salt Marshes, La Brière…
  Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire   -   Ville de Saint Sebastien sur Loire 
  Saumur   -   Ville de Saumur  [ Loire Valley ]   -   Tourist Office Saumut and Surroundings 
  Vertou   -   Townhall Vertou

  Château de Tiffauges   -   medieval attraction in the Vendee   -   Chateau de Barbe Bleu
After the welcome accorded to you by the Master Alchemist, a guide will relate the story of Gilles de Rais, you will witness the spectacle of the castle's engines of war with the firing of real cannonballs and even have the chance of yourself firing a crossbow or longbow...
  Le Mans Circuit 
Away from the 24-hour race for cars, the Le Mans circuits provide the stage on which a wide variety of competitive events take place. They host the 24-hour motorcycle race, the French Motorcycle Grand Prix, events for classic cars, karts, trucks, touring cars, Formula 3 and all classes of motorcycle. Each year, more than 500,000 spectators visit the circuits, making a considerable contribution to the local and regional economy.
Driving yourself : the three closed circuits at Le Mans are internationally known, and can satisfy every requirement [ Circuit Bugatti,  Circuit de Maison Blanche and Circuit Alain Prost ]
Whether you wish to just visit the home of the "24 Heures du Mans" or to undertake a driving course, sample track driving or to have exclusive use of a race circuit, the Le Mans circuits present multiple possibilities.
  MAPICA   -    Musée Aéronautique Presqu'Ile Cote d'Amour
  University in Nantes   -   Université de Nantes

Cuisine   -   Foods

  Volailles de challans   -   volailles des champs [ Vendee ]

History of the Land of the Loire

Pays de la Loire has been created in 1972 and cosists of pieces of Brittany, Poitou, Maine, Anjou and Perche. Ther is not much unity an many inhabitants want to be reunited with Brittany.

  Tumulus at Dissignac
One of Brittany's most important megalithic sites The hilltop at Dissignac encloses one of the finest megalithic monuments in France: a tumulus composed of two burial chambers open to the rising sun of the winter solstice, which was built in about 4000 BC, even before the Egyptian pyramids.

  French history timeline

Music, Culture & Entertainment

  Musica Saint Nazaire   -   la vie musicale de Saint Nazaire  -  music scene


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