Western France offers a wealth of destinations and cultural attractions. From Brittany, renowned for its beautiful coastline, prehistoric sites and sea food, inland into the Loire valley with its rich rolling landscapes and cultural heritage, down the Atlantic coastline and rural Poitou-Charentes, and onto the wine rich Bordeaux region, the immense diversity of the region would be hard to exhaust.
Vendee Coast
Beautiful Vendee
La Rochelle in the Vendee region has a reputation as the most attractive and unspoilt seaside town in France. The city has beautifully maintained its past architecture, also making it one of the most historically rich cities on the Atlantic coast. Its attractions include the picturesque "Vieux Port" ("Old Harbour") at the heart of the city.
Château d'Angers
Fascinating History
Château d'Angers, on the western fringe of the Loire, is an enormous fortified château built by King Louis IX in the early part of the 13th Century. The château includes a stunning kilometre long curtain wall and 17 imposing circular towers. Château d'Angers also contains the Tapestry of the Apocalypse. Originally 140m long (100m survive today) and woven between 1373 and 1382, it is world renowned as a masterpiece of medieval art.
Local Wine
Fine Dining and Food Festivals
France enjoys the reputation of producing some of the best food in the world. Western France is renowned for its seafood, with regional specialities including lobster, crab, mussels and oysters. Delicious locally produced fruits and vegetables, regional wines and cheeses, make Western France a great food destination.
Sailing off the Brittany coast
Plenty to do
A comprehensive network of walking and riding trails and cycle paths covers the length of the coast of Vendée. The magnificent coastline also offers the opportunity for watersports such as windsurfing, catamaran sailing, kite surfing, scuba diving and land-yachting to name a few. Of course, Western France is also well known for its golf courses, across the regions of Normandy, Loire Valley, Loire and Cognac.