Advice

Take a short pause in your visit to discover a few more places of interest that couldn’t be included in the main itinerary but are well worth your attention. Just a few kilometers away, the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud invites you on a journey through time. Founded in the 12th century, it holds the recumbent effigies of the Plantagenets, including Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart, in a setting of timeless calm.

Nearby, the Château de Montsoreau stands proudly on the banks of the Loire, blending Renaissance architecture with contemporary art in a rare and captivating mix. Along the road to Turquant, the cliffs come alive with a troglodyte village carved into the rock, where artisans and winemakers continue age-old traditions. Not far from there, the Château de Brézé hides an extraordinary secret—a vast underground world beneath its deep moats, a true “castle beneath the castle.” Heading toward Montreuil-Bellay, you’ll find a beautifully preserved medieval town with ramparts, a fortress, and charming cobbled streets—a living jewel of history.

Back in Saumur, the Musée des Blindés impresses with one of the world’s largest collections of tanks and military vehicles, while the prestigious Cadre Noir fills the air with the sound of hooves during its world-famous equestrian galas. Following the Loire, the Château d’Ussé—with its towers and slate roofs—seems to have leapt straight from a fairy tale; it’s said to have inspired Charles Perrault’s *Sleeping Beauty*. A bit further on, in Candes-Saint-Martin, ranked among the most beautiful villages in France, the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne offers an unforgettable view.

Back in Saumur, the Combier Distillery welcomes visitors to explore the oldest distillery in Anjou, founded in 1834, where the aromas of orange and anise fill the air as Triple Sec and other liqueurs are still crafted with care. In Doué-en-Anjou, the Troglodytes and Sarcophagi site unveils fifteen centuries of underground history, while the nearby Bioparc, set in former quarries, takes you on a remarkable journey among animals from around the globe. Toward Angers, the Château de Brissac—nicknamed the “Giant of the Loire Valley”—rises with its seven floors and Belle Époque theater, an impressive sight of grandeur.

A little further on, the Abbey of Saint-Florent de Montglonne overlooks the river in serene majesty, a place of peace and reflection. And to finish your tour, the Ackerman cellars in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, founded in 1811, invite you to step into the world of Saumur’s sparkling wines. Inside the tuffeau galleries, art and wine meet in a magical atmosphere.

Around Saumur, every turn reveals a new face of the Loire—castles, troglodyte dwellings, abbeys, and vineyards weave together a thousand years of history, art, and life. With so much to see, you may find yourself wanting to stay just a little longer.