Lived in by the family of the dukes of Brissac, the Château de Brissac-Quincé is the highest castle in France with its seven floors and its 204 rooms! Inside, antique furniture, family souvenirs, Flemish tapestries and theatre of the Belle Époque period succeed one other during the visit. Crossed by a river, the magnificent 70-hectare park with hundred-years-old trees is the perfect place for a stroll.

Place Saint-Eloi, in Angers city centre, is where you will find the Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1801 and based in a very beautiful mansion from the end of the 15th century, the Barrault lodge, a listed Historic Monument. The museum is attached to the Toussaint Complex, a group including the David d'Angers Gallery, the Municipal Library and the Fine Arts Garden. Reopened in 2004 after several years of renovation and extension work, the museum now offers 3,000 m² of exhibition space.

In this flagship of Renaissance civil architecture, you can find an exhibition area in the vaulted ground floor room known as the current exhibits gallery (galerie d'actualités), designed to house the permanent collections. Two themed tours have been set up to help visitors discover the treasures of the museum: the "Fine Arts" tour, which includes 350 paintings and sculptures from the 14th century to the present day, and the "History of Angers" tour, which offers 550 archaeology and art objects from the Neolithic to the present day.

A temporary exhibition hall as well as a graphic arts room regularly showcase contemporary artists and heritage exhibitions.

City of Art and History located on the edge of the River Maine, the capital of Anjou has a rich architectural heritage. Key monument of the city, the castle of Angers built in the 13th century by Saint Louis was the place of residence of the dukes of Anjou in the 14th and 15th centuries. Flanked by seventeen towers, this impressive medieval fortress is home to a masterpiece: the famous Apocalypse tapestry. Produced in the 14th century for duke Louis I of Anjou, this remarkable wall-hanging is the biggest medieval tapestry in the world today! Besides the Tapestries museum, the castle of king René also invites its visitors to discover its charming terraced gardens and its panoramic view of the city and of the River Maine.

The visit of Angers continues with the Saint-Maurice cathedral, a building of Anjou Gothic style which contains magnificent stained glass windows of the 12th and 13th centuries.

Behind the cathedral on the Saint-Croix square can be found Adam's house, a magnificent timber-framed residence dating from the 16th century, whose facade is decorated with wooden carved characters.

Not to be missed, the Fine art museum housed in the Logis Barrault mansion, has objets d'art related to the history of Angers on display, as well as paintings and sculptures from the 14th century to our days. This cultural venue also puts on temporary exhibitions around historical and contemporary works.

The David of Angers gallery, a museum situated in the former Toussaint abbey church, brings together numerous works of the famous sculptor from Anjou.

On the opposite bank, the Jean Lurçat and Contemporary Tapestry museum, housed in the ancient Saint-Jean hospital, exhibits tapestries of the 20th century, and in particular "le Chant du Monde" ("the World Song") of Jean Lurçat.

Here is a place not to be missed when visiting Angers: the Museum of Jean-Lurçat and Contemporary Tapestry, located on a medieval historic site, the former St. John's Hospital, a remarkable example of 12th-century architecture where you can see an impressive hall for the sick, a cloister and even an apothecary from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Great Hall for the Sick, a very fine example of the Angers Gothic style, is where the famous tapestry The Song of the World (Le Chant du Monde), the masterpiece of the famous painter, ceramicist and tapestry creator Jean Lurçat, has hung since 1968. A modern tribute to the famous medieval Apocalypse Tapestry, The Song of the World was woven in Aubusson between 1957 and 1966, and comprises ten tapestry panels with a total area of 500 m²! This monumental and spectacular work, which was interrupted by the death of Jean Lurçat, is the biggest contemporary group of tapestries. Evoking the future of humanity, this veritable textile symphony offers a symbolic and humanistic vision of the 20th century.

In the old orphanage building dating from the 17th century, there are sixty or so works displayed in chronological order, forming the core of the permanent collections. Thanks to donations by Lurçat, Gleb and Grau-Garriga, they tell the story of textile art from the 1950s to the present day all by themselves.

Benefiting from a particularly unusual troglodyte setting and dense vegetation, the zoo of Doué-la-Fontaine is home to more than 70 animal species.

The Chemins de la Rose ("The Paths of Roses") park situated in Doué-la-Fontaine is a stunning 4-hectare landscaped garden where the rose reigns. With over 13,000 rosebushes growing there, this enchanting place is a daydreamer's paradise.

Well-known for its rosebush production, Doué-la-Fontaine hosts the Journées de la Rose ("Rose Days") exhibition every year in July. This colourful event takes place in the cellars of the town's amphitheatre.

Located in Écuillé, the Château du Plessis-Bourré is a magnificent 15th-century building surrounded by filled moats. Several movies have been shot in this place, such as Peau d'Âne (a famous French fairytale), Le Bossu, and Fanfan la Tulipe. Its keep, its towers, its drawbridges, its rampart walk (chemin de ronde), its fortified gates and its wide moats make it a real fortress. But with its architectural details announcing the Renaissance period and its richly decorated rooms, the Château du Plessis-Bourré is also a country estate. Inside, the magnificent wooden ceiling of the Guards' Room, painted with characters and animals, is stunning.

Nestling in the heart of the Anjou vineyards, the medieval town of Saumur, nicknamed the pearl of Anjou, is a very scenic place with its magnificent turreted château overlooking the Loire Valley and old town stretching along the wild river. Surrounded by fortifications, the castle of the Dukes of Anjou is houses a decorative arts museum and a horse museum. It also offers a stunning panoramic view over the roofs of the town and the Loire River.

Below, the historic centre of Saumur is the perfect place for a stroll – along the narrow streets edged by old houses and around Saint-Pierre square where there are old timber-framed houses and a church containing stalls and tapestries.

Worth seeing as well: the Notre-Dame-de-Nantilly Romanesque church, which contains a magnificent 16th- and 17th-century tapestry collection.

The Château de Serrant in Saint-Georges-sur-Loire is renowned for the beauty of its apartments. Indeed, the inside of this Renaissance château is luxuriously decorated with a large collection of antique furniture, objets d'art, tapestries and paintings. The magnificent library and its 12,000 volumes, the main lounge, the Empire room, the dining room and the kitchens will delight fans of period interiors. Outside, a landscape garden completes the visit.

Overhanging the Thouet valley, the Montreuil-Bellay castle combines the medieval style (barbican, moats, ramparts, towers and rampart walk) with the Renaissance (canons' lodge and new castle). Inside the fortress, visitors can explore the furnished rooms and medieval kitchen with central hearth, while outside the gardens are a lovely place for a wander.

Boasting a surrounding wall flanked by towers, the Château du Plessis-Macé was built in the 12th century and then partly rebuilt in the 15th century, but still has preserved its fortified castle appearance. Medieval fortress, the Château du Plessis-Macé is also an elegant country estate. Inside the surrounding wall, the defensive architecture is replaced by a refined Renaissance stately home with magnificent sculpted balcony. The furnished rooms – library, main salon, dining room – and chapel, which contains Gothic wooden panelling, are open to the public.

In June and July, the Château du Plessis-Macé hosts the Anjou festival, an event giving theatre performances.

The Renaissance Château de Brézé possesses the deepest dry moats in Europe. These very impressive moats are 18 metres deep and 13 metres wide!

Particularly unusual, the galleries extending under the castle form a real underground fortress which can be visited. This troglodyte set is home to notably wine cellars, wine presses, a bakery, a silk worm farm (magnanerie) and a rampart walk (chemin de ronde).

Straddling two departments, Indre-et-Loire and Maine-et-Loire, the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Nature Park is a real patchwork of different landscapes. Indeed, forests, hedged farmland, vineyards, hillsides, valleys and horticultural plains succeed one another to form an exceptional natural heritage. Not forgetting the furrows of the Loire and its tributaries which run through the park. These landscapes are the habitat of many animals including the European beaver, salmon, shad and more than 200 species of birds such as small waders. This natural and unspoilt terrain is ideal for hiking and mountain biking. Interpretation and themed trails are also available throughout the park for a better understanding of the animal and plant kingdoms. The park has many vantage points providing beautiful views of the various landscapes. If you want to learn more about the fauna and flora, guided nature outings are organised day and night. The mysterious and fascinating nocturnal life will surprise you... give the experience a try!

Loire-Anjou-Touraine Nature Park doesn't just possess an exceptional natural heritage. It also has an important built heritage represented by the prestigious Loire castles as well as the old medieval towns. On your travels in Indre-et-Loire, you will come across the castles of Azay-le-Rideau, Langeais and Saumur in particular, and will pass through Chinon. In Maine-et-Loire, be sure to stop in Montsoreau. As well as being the central point for exploring the site, this is where you will find the Park House (Maison du Parc), a centre providing information about the various places to visit and hiking paths available.

The charming village of Montsoreau, listed as one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, and its stunning white tufa stone château, magnificently dominate the Loire River. The Renaissance Château de Montsoreau, made famous by the novel "La Dame de Montsoreau" ("The Lady of Montsoreau") by Alexandre Dumas, contains an exhibition circuit about the Loire River called "Imaginaires de la Loire" ("Imaginations of the Loire").

After visiting the castle, do not miss a walk along the beautiful flower-filled narrow streets of the village.

At the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers, with its waterside houses, Candes-Saint-Martin is unquestionably a pleasant place to stop in Indre-et-Loire. You will be charmed by its narrow, flowery streets and its large country residences made of tuffeau stone with slate roofs. On a wander around the town you will surely end up at the imposing fortified collegiate church, built in the 12th and 13th centuries and dedicated to St. Martin. What's more, it offers a beautiful view of the confluence where the Loire and Vienne rivers meet. Another interesting viewpoint is at the top of the village's hill: from there, you will have an unobstructed view over the surrounding landscapes. At the heart of the Loire Valley, Candes-Saint-Martin can pride itself on being listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France.

Perched on a promontory overlooking the confluent of the Argenton and Ouère rivers, the small town of Argenton-les-Vallées is a lovely place to stop, ideal for both relaxation and heritage sightseeing. Hautibus Lake, a peaceful expanse of water covering 6 hectares, has a beach (no swimming allowed), picnic area and leisure centre with pedaloes, canoe-kayaks and fishing, all in a restful green setting.

Argenton-les-Vallées is also worth a visit for its architectural attractions: the Romanesque door of the Church of St. Giles, remains of the fortified castle of Philippe de Commynes, Castral Chapel of St. George containing an old fresco of Christ in His Majesty...

Founded in the 12th century and run by abbesses until the 18th century, Fontevraud Abbey, the burial place of the Plantagenets, used to be the most powerful monastic complex in France. Today, the royal abbey is a cultural centre where you can visit a 12th-century Romanesque abbey church containing recumbent effigies of the Plantagenets, the Grand-Moûtier cloister, a chapter house, refectory and remarkable Romanesque kitchens.

Fontevraud regularly hosts concerts, conferences and exhibitions.

World-famous for its luxurious buildings, the Loire Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From Chalonnes-sur-Loire in Anjou to Sully-sur-Loire in the Loiret, it boasts a huge amount of historic, architectural, cultural and natural treasures.

Not to be missed in the Maine-et-Loire are the châteaux of Saumur, Angers, Serrant, Montsoreau, Brissac-Quincé and Brézé, as well as Fontevraud abbey. Charming villages also lie along the Loire Valley, such as Champtoceaux, Béhuard, Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, Montjean-sur-Loire, Ingrandes and Montsoreau. The scenic cliff-top Anjou road, which stretches from Chalonnes-sur-Loire to Rochefort-sur-Loire, offers a magnificent view of the green landscapes of the Loire Valley.

In the Loir-et-Cher, the Château de Chambord, the Château Royal de Blois, the Château de Cheverny and the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire are some of the area's must-see sights.

The must-see castles in the Indre-et-Loire are the Château de Chenonceau, nicknamed the Ladies Castle, the Château d'Amboise, the first royal castle of the Renaissance, the Château de Villandry and its remarkable gardens, and the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau standing like a jewel on the Indre River. Prestigious, majestic and steeped in history, they are all awe-inspiring and enchanting.

Sights not to be missed in the Loiret include the Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Briare aqueduct, Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire abbey and the towns of Beaugency, Meung-sur-Loire and Orléans.

In a lush setting deep in the forest, at the heart of the Sarthe Valley, La Flèche Zoo is one of the five biggest zoological parks in France. Its 14 hectares are home to over 120 animal species from all five continents – that's over 1,200 animals! – including some rare breeds. Mammals (elephants, white tigers, polar bears, Arctic wolves, red pandas from China, monkeys...), reptiles and birds live in areas that replicate their natural environment, such as the Argentinian pampas, the taiga and the Australian bush. Children and adults can enjoy a wide range of activities, including amazing displays with sea lions, birds of prey and parrots.