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VENDEE :
- Haras national La
Roche sur Yon
- Logis de la
Chabotterie, St
Sulpice le Verdon
Important site which
marks the end of the
War of the Vendée
- La Maison de la
Rivière, St Georges
de Montaigu
- Cité des Oiseaux,
Les Landes Genusson
- Le Château de
Barbe Bleue,
Tiffauges
3ha packed with 400
years of history
- The castle of St
Mesmin
- Le Grand Parc du
Puy du Fou
Prepare yourselves
for a journey back
in time and enjoy
the Cinéscénie, the
world’s greatest
night-time
spectacular
- Le Château de
Terre Neuve,
Fontenay le Comte
(built in 1580 by
Nicolas Rapin, High
Provost of the
Constables of France
and companion of
henri IV)
- L’Abbaye Royale St
Vincent, Nieul sur
l’Autise (founded in
1068, the abbey’s
Romanesque cloister
is the only one in
western France to
have been preserved
intact)
- Abbey of
Maillezais (built in
1003)
- Centre Minier de
Faymoreau
- Historial de la
Vendée, Les Lucs sur
Boulogne
- La Maison des
libellules, Chaillé
sous les Ormeaux
- Le Moulin de
Rambourg, Nesmy
- Le Zoo des Sables
d’Olonne
more than 200
animals in natural
surroundings
- Les Salines (by
boat), Les Sables
d’Olonne
The saltwater
stream...board the
boat for a two hour
journey through the
Olonne marshes
- Castle Musueum
(12th C.),
Noirmoutier
- The Naval
Construction Museum,
Noirmoutier
- Sealand Aquarium,
Noirmoutier (tour
takes around 1hr
15min)
- Océanile, the
water park on the
Ile de Noirmoutier
- Marais Salants,
Noirmoutier
- Ile d’Yeu (by boat
from Fromentine or
Noirmoutier, by
plane or helicopter)
LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE
NANTES AREA :
- The Cathedral
(guided tours with
the tourist office –
0892 464 044)
- The Castle of the
Dukes of Brittany
(unique site located
in the heart of the
city)
- The Lieu Unique
(located alongside
the Canal St Félix
and close to the
train station and
the city centre, old
bicsuits factory LU)
- The LU Tower
- The Passage
Pommeraye (19th C.
Architectural
success, site which
combines a
neo-classical style
with sumptuous
decoration. This
passage has often
been used as a scene
in films)
- The Theatre
Graslin
- Trentemoult
(delightful little
fishing village on
the left bank of the
Loire..the favourite
walk of the “Nantais”)
- Feydeau Island
- Museums :
- Les bateaux
Nantais :
- Parks and gardens
of Nantes :
-
Jardin des Plantes
(7ha - opposite the
SNCF railway
station)
-
The parc du Grand-Blottereau
(3ha - opposite the
Castle)
-
The parc floral de
la Beaujoire (14ha
–near the Parc des
Expositions)
-
The island of
Versailles (1.7ha –
Japanese style with
rockeries and
waterfalls)
- Safari Adventure
with Planète sauvage
in Port St Père
(more than 2000
animals in
semi-freedom to
discover from your
car or in raid 4x4,
visit the marine
city for the
sea-lion show, bush
village, bridge of
the monkeys)
- Zoo de la
Boissière du Doré
(30 min from nantes)
- Nantes Vineyard
- Clisson (just 30
mins from Nantes)
Picturesque place to
stop in the
vineyard, on the
banks of the Sèvre.
Visit the historic
centre with its
famous castle,
market hall, Italian
estate, La Garenne
Lemot
Restaurants, cafés
with terraces,
boutiques. Muscadet
wine-tasting
MAINE-ET-LOIRE
- Angers City tours
-
For individuals :
information from the
Angers Loire Metropole tourist
office – tel :
33(0)2 41 23 50 00
-
For groups :
guided tours,
tailored toursit
packages...
information from
Groups Department,
Angers Loire
Metropole Tourist
Office : tel 33(0)2
41 23 50 21/22
-
Sites worth
visiting in Angers
-
Angers Castle and
the Apocalypse
Tapestry (discover
one of the
best-preserved
mediaeval fortresses
in France)
-
Jean Lurçat and
Contemporary
Tapestry Museum
-
Museum of Fine
Arts
-
David d’Angers
Gallery
-
Pincé Museum
-
Natural History
Museum
-
Collegiate Chruch
of St Martin
-
Cathedral of St
Maurice
-
Church of Saint
Serge
-
Church of the
Trinity –
Abbey-Church of Ronceray
-
Sites worth visiting
-
Cointreau Museaum
– St Barthelemy
d’Anjou
-
Slate Museum – Trélazé
-
Communication
Museum – St Barthelemy d’Anjou
-
Air Transport
Museum – Marcé
-
Headress Museum –
Les Ponts de Cé
-
Plessis-Macé
Castle
-
Château and
Gardens of Montriou
-
Haie Joulain
Castle
-
Museum-Castle of Villevêque
-
The Anjou and
Saumur vineyards
-
Other sites :
-
Tropical Aquarium
– Mûrs-Erigné
-
Golf at the
Château la Perrière
– Avrillé
-
Hippodrome of Eventard
-
Park Anjou Aventure : an
acrobatic route
through the treetops
– Ecouflant
-
Remarkable view
over the Loire – la
Pointe Bouchemaine
-
Cavier de la Croix
Cadeau Windmill –
Avrillé
-
Champ des Martyrs
chapel – Avrillé
-
Church and Sacntuary of Behuard
-
Saint-Pierre Roman
church of Savennières
Poitou-Charente…
(Charente –
Charente-Maritime –
Deux-Sèvres –
Vienne)
CHARENTE
ANGOULEME
- The National Strip
cartoon and Image
Centre
- Paper Mills Paper
Museum housed in an
old watermill :
Fleurac in Nersac
Paper Mill, Le
Verger in Puymoyen
- The
Bandiat-Tardoire
Watermills
AUBETERRE-SUR-DRONNE
- Guided tour of the
village
- Monolithic church
CHASSENON
- The Gallo-Roman
site
COGNAC
- guided tours
Cognac Camus :
personalised tour of
the cellars and free
tasting of cognac
and pineau
Cognac Hennessy :
75-minute tour of
the Quay Hennessy
including boat trop
across the River
Charente to visit
the cellars
Cognac Otard : tour
of the castle and
explanation of the
production of cognac
Cognac Martell :
tour of the oldest
of the leading
cognac houses.
Cognac Rémy-Martin :
guided tour by train
of the
thirty-hectare
estate, the largest
cooperage in Europe,
a Grande Champagne
vineyard
- The musueum of the
art of Cognac
LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
- the castle (12th
C.)
MASSIGNAC
- the lakes of upper
Charente (the two
vast lake, Lavaud
and Maschaban,
provides the ideal
setting for a wide
range of
recreational
activities...walks,
mountain
biking,..and also
sailing,
windsurfing,
canoeing, rowing,
pedalo hire at the
leisure complex)
- boat trips on the
Charente River from
Angoulême, Jarnac,
“la Dame jeanne” in
Cognac, Saintes,
Port d’Envaux
CHARENTE-MARITIME
LA ROCHELLE
- The Aquarium
- The Maritime
museum
ROYAN
- Gardens of the
World
-
BOAT TRIPS ON THE
OPEN SEA from :
- Royan,
- La Rochelle
(Island of Ré, Aix,
Oléron, Fort Boyard),
- Marennes,
- Fouras,
- Island of Oléron,
- Island of Ré
PONS
- The castle of
Riddles
ROCHEFORT
- Rebuilding the
Hermione (in 1780,
The Hermione, a
32-gun frigate, set
sail for Boston to
Rochefort and
Lafayette was on
board – Now a team
of shipwrights is
busy building a
replica of the ship
in a double dry dock
near the Ropewalk)
- Other sighseeing
in the town : the
home of Pierre Loti,
the Royal Ropewalk,
museums
FORT BOYARD
- The bastions of
the sea
- The lighthouses
NATURE RESERVES AND
BIRD SANCTUARIES :
- Island of Ré
- Island of Oléron
-
Le Marais aux Oiseaux in Dolus (widlife
park and centre for
the safeguarding of
wild and domestic
fauna)
-
Les Salines in
Grand-Village (a
reconstruction of a
small Oléron harbour
with its boats,
oyster farming huts,
salt marsh and fish
trap)
- Near Rochefort
- Near Saintes
LA PALMYRE
- La Palmyre zoo
SAINT-CLEMENT-DES-BALEINES
- Noah’s
Ark-Amazonia park (a
wildlife park and
flower garden
adjacent to the
lighthouse known as
Phare des Baleines)
DEUX-SEVRES
MONCOUTANT
- Pescalis fishing
centre (experienced
anglers and absolute
beginners can choose
between several
different types of
fishing. On site :
riding, walding,
mountain biking,
children’s play
areas, fishing
tackle store)
THE MARAIS POITEVIN
OR “GREEN VENICE”
This wetland is one
of the strangest
areas in France.
Between Niort and
the Atlantic Ocean,
the ancient Poitou
Gulf was reclaimed
from the sea from
the 11th centurey
onwards, creating a
maze of fields and
meadows (“green
venice”) between
creeks and channels
lined with poplars,
ash trees, elderss
and willows.
- Boat trips
(boats ready for
hire or waiting to
take visitors on
guided tours – 40
mins to 3 hours)
- From Coulon :
-
Le Pibalou tourist
train (from April to
September)
-
La maison des
Marais mouillés (The
“Wetlands visitor’s
centre”) illustrates
the customs and
traditional
lifestyle of the
marshes
-
Le baladin du
Marais (see local
beauty spots and
learn about
traditions)
- The Marais
poitevin by bike or
on foot
(the best way to
discover the true
nature of the
marshes)
- In Saint-Hilaire-La-Palud
:
VILLIERS EN BOIS
- Zoodyssée
OIRON
- Oiron Castle
MELLE
- the Silver Mines
of the Frankish
kings
BOUGON
- The Barrow museum
VIENNE
ROMAGNE
- La Vallée des
Singes (This “Valley
of Apes » is located
on small islands in
a 15 ha park dotted
with trees. 350
animals representing
almost thirty
species of small or
large
apes...Gorillas,
pygmy marmosets,
lion, monkeys,
cotton-top tamarins,
squirrel monkeys,
makaques, gibbons,
lemurs, capucin,
monkeys and titis
live in a recreated
natural environment)
POITIERS
- The “polychormies”
on Notre Dame
- The Futuroscope
(it takes more than
one long day to see
all the attractions)
VOUNEUIL-SUR-VIENNE
- A spectacular
nature reserve : Le
Pinail (created from
the remains of
millstone quarrying
which had left a
mosaic of thousands
of ponds in the
midst of heathland)
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