DeborahAnn

We will be in the Loire region for two weeks this September, it's our second trip to the area so we've already visited Chambord, Chenonceau and Villandry.

There are still too many cities, towns, chateaux and wineries on our "want to see" list so I'm trying to come up with a realistic schedule. Do you think Sundays are a good day to see the sights in a large city rather than visiting the smaller towns. We will be staying in two different gites and plan to do day trips from them. One gite is near Angers and the other near Montrichard.

While we are in the western part of the Loire, I'd like to visit Angers, Saumur and Chinon. I was wondering if Angers would be a good choice for a Sunday rather than during the week. I have several of the Plus Beaux Villages of France on my list but they are probably too quiet on Sundays. I didn't plan on a full day in either Saumur or Chinon but will combine those towns with winery visits and a chateau or two.

I would appreciate any comments or suggestions regarding our time in the Loire. Thanks, Deborah

StuDudley

Non-food shops in cities like Angers will be closed up tight on Sunday - like every other large city in France. Same with Saumur - but it is not a large city. Both cities may seem like ghost towns. Many shops stay closed Monday morning also. We never visit cities on Sundays. Stick with chateau visits.

Stu Dudley

travfirst

Deborah, we toured Loire Valley for six day at the end of June. I am slowly working on my trip report now.
We all loved Chateau Serrant http://www.chateau-serrant.net/spip.php?rubrique8 short drive from Angers. It’s a nicely furnished chateau with very impressive library and fine collection of tapestries. I found it at Michelin Green Guides for Châteaux of the Loire; it has 3* Michelin rating. The chateau can be visited with guided tour only so please check website for the timetable. They offer one English tour daily until Sep 18th. We took tour in French (since I didn’t have all the info), both DH and DS could understand most of it, and I followed the folder with detailed information about each room and family history.

We had a dinner at the mushroom farm between Angers and Saumur. We all think of it as interesting experience and would recommend it if you love mushrooms. I can post you more information if it’s something you like.

StCirq

I think you'll find next to nothing going on in big or small cities on a Sunday. Use the day to sightsee in the countryside.

PalenQ

Yes Angers like most cities that size in France will be dead as a door nail on Sundays. smaller towns like Montrichard will be hopping on Sunday mornings - I spent a few hours there one Sunday and the cafes were full but after noon things became church-mouse quiet - stores in towns like this are often open sundays till noon or 1pm - food stores like supermarkets, charcuteries, boulangeries I mean other shops may be closed.

But the Sunday morning tradition in smaller towns of lots of men going to the cafes to drink not coffee but wine or booze whilst the women go to Mass (IME of seeing many smaller towns on a Sunday morning) is strong and there is a festive atmosphere - things clear out quickly after 12 noon as folks go to their traditional Sunday noon meal.

Chinon may have this Sunday morning aspect, especially during the tourist season but Angers it would only be localized if at all - basing this on Orleans a similar size city where I spend lots of time and that city is really dead on Sundays.

DeborahAnn

Thanks for the comments about avoiding cities on a Sunday. My thoughts were that most of the major sights would be open with less of the work week bustle. Angers has a population of over 200,000. Wouldn't a Sunday be a good time to walk around the Old Town, which the Michelin Loire book suggests allowing a half day. I don't think I'd enjoy Angers if it resembled a ghost town, however.

Travfirst, I'm glad you enjoyed Serrant, it's my plan to stop there and Chateau le Plessis-Bourre on the way to the gite from Le Mans. I'm using Michelin Chateaux of the Loire also for my trip planning.

We will be visiting some of the troglodyte sights and plan to visit a mushroom cave and try the bread that is made in the ovens, fouees.

I'll look forward to reading your trip report. Deborah

StuDudley

>>Wouldn't a Sunday be a good time to walk around the Old Town, which the Michelin Loire book suggests allowing a half day.<<

Nope. We stayed in a gite just 15 mins from Angers in '09. We visited Angers twice - once to sightsee & another time for dinner. I would never visit Angers on a Sunday if other days were available. You want to see a "little" life in these cities - not darkened storefronts - often with bars or louvered shades pulled over the windows (with graffiti).

>>I don't think I'd enjoy Angers if it resembled a ghost town, however.<<

That is what it will be like.

We were in le Mans for a day this past June - really liked the "old" section.

We didn't like the village of Saumur very much - nothing "special" about it. Great view of the Chateau, but it was being restored & was closed. Check their web site to see if it is open "completly".

Serrant was great, as was Brissac, Plessis-Bourre, Brissac, Montreuil-Bellay, Breze, and Le Lude. We didn't travel as far east as Chinon because we have visited that region & farther east for many weeks in the past. IMO, the countryside in the Loire is probaably my least favorite in France - but the chateaux are fantastic.

Our best meal was in Angers at Le Favre d'Anne.

Stu Dudley

DeborahAnn

Thank you for your helpful comments. I now think a visit to Chinon on Sunday morning, (it's market day I believe) and an afternoon visit to either Chateau Breze or Montreuil-Bellay will be our plan for our first Sunday in the Loire.

Stu, It's not so much Saumur that will be our focus but a tour of the Cadre Noir. If my husband were interested in horses even a little I'd schedule our visit to include the Presentation that is on Sept 15th but I'll have to be content to take one of the Cadre Noir standard tours.

Thanks for listing the chateaux you liked, I'm planning the visit to Le Lude as a day trip from our B&B near LeMans. I had eliminated the Chateau Brissac in favor of Breze and Montreuil-Bellay---for no reason except I don't want to suffer from chateau overdose

I appreciate all the comments about Sundays in the Loire. Deborah

annhig

we like Saumur a lot - and have now stayed there twice. for us it has an ideal "small town" feel - enough life in the way of restaurants, cafes, bars and shops to give some real choice, but not so big that it takes forever to get out of the place or to get to know it well.

but it's not much cop on a sunday, especially in the afternoon. my plan for a sunday might be to go for a drive/chateau visit in the morning, then have a long leisurely lunch, followed by a chateau visit in the afternoon.

Christina

I think I was in Angers on a Sunday, I really don't agree that all cities in France are dead as a doornail on Sunday or ghost towns. Paris certainly isn't, and Angers is a large city. All the museums are open, and the cathedral is worth a look. Of course there are cafes and places to eat, I don't know what else would make it so dead. I guess you can't do major shopping in dept stores, sure. I enjoyed the Beaux Arts museum and the hopital St Jean. Why would Angers be a ghost town on Sunday, people live there and walk around and do things, and the museums are all open. now vilages and small towns are dead, I agree with that.

PalenQ

Why would Angers be a ghost town on Sunday, people live there and walk around and do things, and the museums are all open>

see stu's report above - and I judge Angers by a very similar city - Orleans and it is really dead on Sundays - very few people there except a handful at mass in the cathedral and a few tourists with Michelin green guides in hand. during the week it is alive and buslting so it depends what you are looking for - but most French large cities I've been in on Sundy are eerily quiet - relatively few people live in the town centers anymore I think.

DeborahAnn

PalenQ, your comment about tourists with the Michelin green guides in hand reminded me of the self guided walking tour we did in Troyes as a daytrip out of Paris. We saw so many tourists on the same narrow streets and most were carrying their green guide. My husband and I made a game of guessing the language of the guide based on their "tourist attire"

I tend to agree with Christina about the merits of Sunday in most large cities in France but I will be prudent and choose to visit Angers on a week day of our stay. Deborah

StCirq

I have been in Angers on a Sunday and, yes, it's quiet, especially in the afternoon. People are either at home with their families or inside restaurants and museums and such. Stores are closed. Windows are shuttered. It's like that in a lot of places in France apart from the really big cities. I attribute it to the fact that there still is a good part of the population that reserves Sundays for leisurely lunches and activities with family - a tradition that is no doubt dying out but still noticeable.

PalenQ

And also due to the fact that by law I believe most stores have to close on Sundays - unions do not want to have their people have to work on Sunday they tell me. so it is not that stores may not want to open but in most locales, except some tourist-designated areas they simply cannot. Thus towns like Angers are veritable ghost towns on Sundays.

StuDudley

>>. Of course there are cafes and places to eat, <<

There are 8 restaurants listed in my Michelin Red Guide in Angers. 0 are open on Sunday, and only 1 is open on Monday.

I would guess that 95% of the non-food shops in Paris (outside of the Marais because the Jewish sabbath is Sat, the super-touristy shops in the Latin Quarter, super-touristy shops on Montmartre, and shops on Isle St Louis) are closed on Sundays. We end up in Paris quite a bit on Sundays. We love lazy Sundays in Paris, but outside of the Marais & Isle St Louis - the few shops that seem to be open are souvenir shops or chain stores - especially discount shoes.

Stu Dudley