Tourism - Pays de la Loire

Pays de Loire is a region of France located in the west of the country and including the departments of Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe and Vendée. The main cities are Nantes, Angers, Laval, Le Mans et La roche-sur-Yon.

Pays de la Loire has many tourist attractions. The castles in the Loire are the gems of the cultural heritage of this region and most of the castles have medieval origins that can still be seen in their important architectural traits. The concentration of remarkable monuments in this region justifies the rank of the ‘Val de Loire’ on the list of world heritage by UNESCO.

The natural heritage is also important with a great diversity and beauty of the landscapes. Its location right beside the Atlantic Ocean makes it to be a great popular destination for its seaside resorts and towns and its spa centre of la Baule or Sable-d’Olonne. Also, the region has numerous museums showing various historical and contemporary exhibitions.

Finally, there are major cultural manifestations happening each year mainly in summertime such as the ‘Festival d’Anjou’, the ‘Festival de Noirmoutier-en-l’Ile’ and the ‘Festival des 3 continents’.

Top tourist cities in Pays de la Loire

Tourism La Roche-sur-Yon

La Roche-sur-Yon is the prefecture of the department of Vendee in Western Loire region. It was built in 1804 by Napoleon. The city center is marked by its history, with the presence of the equestrian statue of the Emperor. This dynamic city is full of projects. Its ...

Must : Musée de La Roche-sur-Yon, Eglise Saint-Louis

Tourism Angers : Capital of historic Anjou

Angers is a city in the Maine-et-Loire department in the north west of France located about 300 km of Paris. Angers is situated in the Pays de la Loire region and its inhabitants are called Angevins. Angers, the capital of the historic province of Anjou, is considered ...

Must : Château d'Angers, Cathédrale Saint-Maurice, Musée des beaux-arts

Tourism Le Mans: More than a racing town

Le Mans is located in the north west of France on the Sarthe River. Le Mans is very famous for the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race since 1923. The old town, beautifully restored, is still a beautiful memory of the medieval era with the Cathedral of Saint Julien ...

Must : Cathédrale Saint-Julien au Mans, Enceinte et thermes romains du Mans, Musée Vert

Tourism Laval, a city in the countryside

The concept of city in the countryside remains, for the majority, an inaccessible dream. Here, each one touches it finger. Founded with the turning of the year millet, Laval was a long time city-carries, with cross of the provinces of Normandie, of Bretagne, of Anjou ...

Must : Le château de Laval, Cathédrale de la Sainte-Trinité de Laval, Lactopole

Tourisme Nantes : A city of history

Nantes is the capital of the Pays de la Loire, located at 50km away from the atlantic ocean. The city was built on many water flows of the Loire, created a few islands, but the most important of these waters flows where dried up at the beginning of the 20th century to ...

Must : Château des Ducs de Bretagne