Scenic vineyard trail in Western Loire

Nantes

The Loire valley's scenic vineyard trail takes you from the Nantes region to Montsoreau. All along this route, you'll enjoy a profusion of scents, colours and landscapes. You're sure to find something to your taste among our prestigious appellations: Saumur Brut, Savennières, Coteaux du Layon, Saumur-Champigny, Anjou villages, Bonnezeaux, Muscadet, Jasnières and "vins de Mareuil"
Total distance: 250 km
Additional technical information: route for motorists

1st Stopover: Nantes

The wine-growing part of your trail begins in the Nantes area. Ever since the 16th century, the undisputed star of the area has been Muscadet wine, derived from a single type of vine, the "Melon de Bourgogne". Nantes is a "must-see".

Where to stay in Nantes: see the Guide
Where to eat in Nantes: see the Guide
What to see in Nantes: see the Guide
What to do in Nantes: see the Guide

2nd Stopover: Grand-Lieu area

The Grand-Lieu lake, covering 6 300 ha in winter and 4 000 in summer, is home to one of the richest collections of fauna and flora in Europe. This unique site dates back 3 million years. Certain parcels of land to the south have been granted the appellation "Côtes de Grandlieu".

Where to stay:
     - "Hôtel la bosselle" in St Philbert de Grand Lieu
     - Bed-and-breakfast in La Chevrolière
     - Bed-and-breakfasts in Richebonne and "La Mozardière" near Legé
     - "La Plauderie" bed-and-breakfast in Ste Pazanne
     - "Le Plessis-Atlantique" bed-and-breakfast in Pont Saint Martin
     - "L’abbaye de Villeneuve" hotel in Les Sorinières
Where to eat: see the Guide
What to see:
     - Carolingian abbey-church
     - "La Maison du lac" (avifaunal museum) and the medicinal plant garden in Saint Philbert
     - "La Maison du pêcheur" (devoted to fishing and wildlife) in La Chevrolière
What to do: see the Guide

3rd Stopover: Vertou area

It was the monks from the abbey in Vertou who initially introduced the area's distinctive type of vine. It was also the monks who erected the dam known as the "chaussée des moines" so that river barges could navigate on the Sèvre. An ideal spot for a walk or ride.

Where to stay in Vertou:
     - "Hôtel La haute forêt"
                            in Château-Thebaud:
     - Bed-and-breakfast "La Penissière"
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Valentine Barjolle
     - Bed-and-breakfast "Le Petit Douet"
                            in St Fiacre sur Maine:
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Christiane Gaudin
Where to eat: see the Guide
What to do:
     - Maison du vin (wine information centre) in La Haye Fouassière
     - See the Guide
What to do: see the Guide

4th Stopover: Clisson area

Come and experience the spirit of Italy that lives on in Clisson. Stroll along the steep alleys, in the magnificent covered market place or along the shady banks of the Sèvre.

Where to stay in Clisson:
     - Bed-and-breakfast "La Dourie"
                     in Le Pallet:
     - Bed-and-breakfast in the château de la Sebinière
                     in Monnières:
     - Bed-and-breakfast in the château du Plessis-Brezot
Where to eat: see the Guide
What to see:
     - Medieval chateau in Clisson
     - La Garenne-Lemot, Italian-style architecture in Clisson
     - Musée du vignoble Nantais (museum of the Nantes wine-growing area) in Le Pallet
     - Wine cellars

5th Stopover: Vallet area

One of the native Muscadet-growing areas. Many villages claim to be historical strongholds of the Nantes wines. Vallet is the birthplace of the "canard au Muscadet" (Muscadet duck), a recipe invented by two chefs from Nantes for a cooking contest in 1958.

Where to stay in Vallet:
     - Hôtel de la gare
     - Hôtel Don Quichotte
Where to eat: see the Guide
What to see:
     - Zoo de la Boissière du Doré
     - See the Guide
What to do: see the Guide

6th STOPOVER: Le Loroux-Bottereau area

The chateau in Haute-Goulaine is the last of the Loire chateaux before the estuary. Not far from there, the church steeple in Le Loroux-Bottereau offers a beautiful view over the vineyards, the market gardens and the lily of the valley.

Where to stay in Le Loroux Bottereau:
     - Hôtel du cheval blanc
     - Bed-and-breakfast La Roche
Where to eat: see the Guide
What to see:
     - Château de Goulaine and its butterfly aviary
What to do: see the Guide

7th Stopover: Ancenis area

Ancenis embraces the only part of the Nantes wine-growing area that ventures onto the right bank of the Loire. You'll find full-bodied dry wines there, with the exception of "Malvoisie", a sweet white wine. You'll find Muscadet, red and rosé wines, together with "Malvoisie", a sweet white wine produced from the "pinot gris" vine, the only exception of this type in an area that otherwise grows only dry wines.

Where to stay in Ancenis:
     - Hôtel Akwaba
     - Hôtel val de Loire
                    in Couffé
     - Auberge le tire-bouchon
Where to eat: see the Guide
What to do:
     - Maison du vin (wine information centre) in Ancenis
     - See the guide
What to do: see the Guide

8th Stopover: Angers

Stroll through the medieval lanes of the old town, between the cathedral and the chateau that houses the 103-metre-long "Apocalypse" tapestry. Stop off at the Maison du vin de l'Anjou (Anjou wine information centre) where all of the Anjou and Saumur AOC wines are represented, then continue on to explore the vineyards.

Where to stay in Angers: see the Guide
Where to eat in Angers: see the Guide
What to see in Angers: see the Guide
What to do in Angers: see the Guide

9th Stopover: Savennières and Les Coteaux de la Loire

Savennières is a uniquely attractive village with one of the oldest churches (pre-Romanesque) in Anjou. The prestigious Coulée de Serrant vineyard is situated on the heights close by. The route continues on to St Florent-le-Vieil and its lofty Mont Glonne.

Where to stay:
     - Hôtel le Rabelais in Bouchemaine
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Evelyne Marchesi and Joëlle Perrault-Meskens in Savennières
     - Auberge de la Loire and bed-and-breakfast offered by Danielle Wittevert in Montjean-sur-Loire
     - Hostellerie de la Gabelle in St Florent-le-Vieil
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Danielle Gabory in Le Marillais
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Françoise Gaudin in Bouzillé
     - Hôtel le Champalud and Les jardins de la forge in Champtoceaux
What to see:
     - Musée Joachim du Bellay in Liré
     - Moulin de l’Epinay (windmill) in La Chapelle-St-Florent
     - Boat trip on the Loire on board La Ligériade
     - Boat trip on the Loire on board La Montjeannaise in Montjean-sur-Loire
     - Observatoire de la Loire (Loire river research institute) in Saint Florent-le-Vieil
     - Château de Serrant in St Georges sur Loire
     - Gardens of the Château du Pin in Champtocé-sur-Loire

10th Stopover: The Layon area

In this "little Switzerland", the vineyards are everywhere, clinging to the gently rolling hills. Cellar-windmills evoke the dual status of former wine-growers, who also produced wheat. Don't miss the village of Chaume and its prestigious Quarts de Chaume vineyard.

Where to stay:
     - Bed-and-breakfast Le moulin du chapitre in Chanzeaux
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by June Friess in Beaulieu sur Layon
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by François Billerot or Andrée Oriot in Faye d’Anjou
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Georges Blanvillain or Elke Buhse in Rochefort sur Loire
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Philippe Catrouillet in Mozé-sur-Louet
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Olivier and Catherine de Cenival in Denée
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Eliette Phenix in Rablay sur Layon
What to see:
     - Musée de la vigne et du vin (museum of vineyards and wine) in St Lambert du Lattay

11th Stopover: The Aubance

The Aubance has its source near the old washing-place in Louerre, a limestone village in the Saumur area. It carves out its route through the schist of the Massif Armoricain and flows into a branch of the Loire, the Louet, in Denée.

Where to stay:
     - Bed-and-breakfast in the Manoir Plessis Blutiere in Charcé-St-Ellier-sur-Aubance
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Jean Matignon or Gilles and Danielle Tenaillon in Martigné-Briande
What to see:
     - Musée des coiffes (headdress museum) in Les Ponts-de-Cé
     - Château de Brissac
     - Manoir de la Caillère studio-gallery in Mûrs-Erigné
     - Château de Montsabert in Coutures

12th Stopover: The Haut-Layon area

Your route takes you to Martigné-Briand where every year, on the first weekend in October, the town hosts a Belle Epoque grape harvest. The route then continues on through the attractive village of Aubigné-sur-Layon, Tigné with its feudal castle, and Les Verchers sur Layon.

Where to stay:
     - Bed-and-breakfast at Le Château des Noyers, or offered by Jean Matignon or Gilles and Danielle Tenaillon in Martigné-Briand
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Isabelle and Philippe Juin in Louresse Rochemenier
     - Hôtellerie du Bien Etre Le Chai de la Paleine hotel, or bed-and-breakfast offered by Severine Bruneau or Françoise Gourdon in Le Puy Notre Dame
Where to eat:
     - Les caves de Marson in Marson
What to do:
     - Fête du patrimoine, vin, art en musique (heritage, wine and art festival) in Aubigné-sur-Layon
     - Belle Epoque grape harvest in Martigné-Briand

13th Stopover: Saumur area

Saumur and Bordeaux share the historical privilege of giving the name of a town to the wine of an entire region. All around Saumur, cave dwellings have been carved into the chalk cliffs to provide housing and to let the wine stand. A tour of the area is an absolute must to discover these unusual sites, the numerous chateaux and the magnificent Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, the largest monastery complex in Europe.

Where to stay in Saumur:
     - Hôtel le clos des bénédictins
     - Le Cristal hôtel
     - L’hôtel du parc
     - Loire hôtel
     - La Croix de la Voulte bed-and-breakfast
     - Château de Verrières
     - Kempczinski bed-and-breakfast
     - Bed-and-breakfast offered by Mrs Hélène Pradere-Niquet
Where to eat in Saumur: see the Guide
What to see in Saumur: see the Guide
What to do in Saumur: see the Guide