Guide to the Best Things to Do in Angers, France

Paris may be the ideal city to live in for foreigners dreaming of living in France someday, but where do French people dream of living? Besides along the sunny shores of the south, the city of Angers, nestled in the lush Loire Valley, is considered to be one of the best places to live in France. It’s also a perfect destination for Parisians to escape to on a long weekend holiday as it’s only an hour and a half away from Paris by high speed train. From its impressive medieval castle walls to its inviting green spaces along the river Maine, Angers has so much to offer.

The month of May is full of bank holidays in France, so many seize the opportunity to take an extra day off to secure a long weekend. On one of these extended weekends, I was able to discover this lesser-known destination for myself and even visit some vineyards in the surrounding area and create my guide to the best things to do in Angers, France.

Château d’Angers

One unmissable site in Angers is the city’s emblematic château, built in the 9th century for the Counts of Anjou. The castle boasts an impressive 17 towers and a massive wall that enclose beautiful gardens with roses and unique hedges.

The castle is also home to the Apocalypse Tapestry, the largest surviving set of medieval tapestries. With your ticket, you can also opt in for a complementary tour of the Tapestry (in French) which lasts an hour. If you prefer a self-guided tour, you can always opt to rent an audio guide for €3 and listen to commentary at your own pace in French, English, German, Italian or Spanish.

After exploring the gardens and the Apocaplyse Tapestry, be sure to check out the castle’s ramparts to enjoy views of Angers from above. 2 hours is sufficient to visit the château, but you could easily take more time to enjoy and explore.

Where to Eat

Along with good wine, there is an apt culinary scene in Angers. These were the gastronomic highlights of my trip:

Crêpes

Angers is in the Loire region, but it is not far from Bretagne, so there are a few crêpe restaurants in town where you can have lunch or dinner. The Crêperie Marie mil’goules is a great, no frills crêpe restaurant with classic options and some funky decor. While you’re there you can also try a cocktail like a Chéri Cherry made with a local specialty: Guinolet, a liqueur made from cherries.

Bagels

If you’re looking for a quick lunch or brunch spot with a terrace, Green Bagel Café is a delight. Bagels are one of the American foods that aren’t so common here, but there is so much good bread it’s hard to complain. However, whenever I notice a bagel shop in France I love to try it out and this café had a variety of bagel flavors and different combinations.

Tapas and Wine on a Boat

While admiring the rooftops of Angers from the castle’s ramparts, I noticed a péniche (barge) that had a sign that said “Bar à Vin.” The weather was fair so I knew I wanted to check it out later and have dinner and drinks on a terrace with a view. If there are no spots on the terrace, the inside of the boat is quite unique and worth discovering, but since it is more of a small plates and drinks bar, you might not have to wait that long for a table on the deck. However, I imagine it’s more popular in the summer.

In our case, we only waited about 10 minutes downstairs before a table upstairs became free. We ordered a selection of tapas to share along with some glasses of local wine. Since it’s on the water, it can be a little chillier outside, but the views and atmosphere were wonderful.

Maison des Vins

Across from the château and next to the Tourist Office, you can find Anger’s Maison des Vins, which is a wine store where you can do tastings and get recommendations from oenological professionals. I first learned about la Maison des Vins while discovering the Salon d’Agriculture in Paris. At their stand representative told us about the wine region, let us taste samples and explained that they links wineries, especially vignerons indépendants to tourists. Thanks to the brochures they provided, it was easier to plan getaway based on the cities and wineries I wanted to visit.

At la Maison des Vins in Angers, you can do a quick tasting for free in the boutique of a selection of wines, or you can book a more intensive tastings on their terrace or in groups ranging from 5 – 25 € per person. Bottles are also available for purchase at their shop. During a dégustation here, I discovered a delicious peachy rosé from Château de Fesles and bought a couple of bottles to bring home.

Park Balzac

Overlooking the river Maine is the scenic Parc Balzac which has walking trails, bike paths, and a guinguette, which is like an open air food hall and bar that often has music and dancing. After a dinner on the péniche, this was the perfect spot to walk around to discover the local vibe of the city and to see views of the castle from a different angle.

Day trip to Savenniers

Whenever I visit a bigger city in France, I always make sure to take a day trip to see a smaller town or village in the area. When in scenic the Loire Valley, you aren’t a loss for options.

At the Maison de Vin, a sommelière suggested we visit the Domaine du Closel an organic and biodynamic winery in Savennières because the viticultural town is easy to get to from Angers in just 15 minutes by TER (regional train). However, if you prefer a sportier and more scenic route, there are bike paths in the region.

The winery has a few different options when it comes to tours and tastings. We opted for the Fugue Tour, a self-guided tour of the estate, followed by a tasting of three wines of our choice. The tour took us through a wooden path, up a hill to the vines and back down to the idyllic grounds. Along the way, there were cards you could read with information about the history of the property and the local grapes.

Since it was a beautiful day, we were able to sit outside during the tasting and enjoy the scenery. The wine that stood out the most to us was called l’Infinie, a sparkling white with notes of crisp green apple. I took home a few bottles to offer as a unique gift to family.

The town of Savennères is also quite charming, and I enjoyed walking through its calm streets. There was a café/épicerie by the winery that looked interesting, but since it was a holiday, most of the other restaurants and shops in town were closed.

On the List

As I only stayed for a long weekend, I did not have the chance to do everything on my Angers bucket list. Some other acticities that caught my eye while researching the region were:

• A boat ride on the river Maine
• Terra Botanica : a plant theme park
• Cointreau Distillery
• Wine museum

Practical Information

If you are able-bodied, I would say that getting around in Angers is easy to do on foot or by bicycle. There are buses if you prefer using public transport.

While I don’t always love staying in neighborhoods near train stations in French cities, this hotel, located by the train station, felt safe and was very practical for taking day trips.

Merci !

Thank you so much for reading! And be sure to subscribe if you want to keep updated on my latest adventures in France. I admit I haven’t been writing very much recently because my full-time teaching job keeps me busy, but I will hopefully have some exciting updates for you, so stay tuned.

À la prochaine,

Camden