Saumur

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Saumur - an absolute must among the Châteaux de la Loire

On the Châteaux de la Loire tourist route, stop off at Saumur, an attractive town with plenty of attractions including a magnificent château overlooking the town, a historic town centre, local shops and an incredible cultural, wine-growing and gastronomic heritage !
First stop is Place Saint-Pierre, the square where a wonderful market is held every Saturday morning with fruit, vegetables, spices, pastries… worth getting up early for ! Also in the square is the large church of Saint Pierre, whose 17th century façade has recently been restored. Its interior is a blend of Romanesque and Gothic-Plantagenet styles. The square also houses some of Saumur’s restaurants, but we’ll talk more about them later…

Cadre Noir de Saumur

The Cadre Noir was the first ever equestrian academy, set up at the end of the 16th century. Today the famous school continues to train top-level international horse-riders and gives guided tours and gala performances for the public. During the (French) school holidays children can spend 2 hours playing detective to find out more about the life of Cadre Noir horses.

Château de Saumur

The Château de Saumur, once the home of Roi René, stands on a hill above Saumur. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 and now houses the Musée de France. Marvel at the magnificent views of the peaceful River Loire, which you can sail along aboard a traditional ‘toue’ or on a river cruise with Croisières de la Loire. Another way to explore the cultural heritage of Saumur beside its vineyards and the river is a tour in a vintage VW combi with Loire Vintage Discovery.

Wines and gastronomy in Saumur

©Sébastien GAUDARD - Château de Saumur — Let’s not forget the fabulous food and wine of the region. A walk along the Rue Léopold Palustre offers a good insight into the major producers of Saumur sparkling wine : Bouvet Ladubay, Ackerman, Veuve Amiot, Langlois Château. All of them offer guided tours and tasting sessions of their Crémants de Loire. To find out more about wine, visit the Maison des Vins next to the Office de Tourisme, where you will find plenty of ideas on where to go.

The shop in the Maison des Vins stocks a wide range of all wines from the Val de Loire. Saumur has two other sparkling wine producers, Louis de Grenelle and Gratien & Meyer. Louis de Grenelle has tuffeau cellars 12m deep beneath the streets of the town. In 2017 it opened a shop-gallery in the town centre featuring both sparkling wine and art works. Gratien & Meyer, on the road to Turquant overlooking the Loire, has a programme of festive events for the general public in summer. Carry on a little further along the road to Dampierre-sur-Loire to visit the local Tina microbrewery. Back in Saumur, discover the trade secrets of famous Combier liqueurs and savour the delicious aroma of oranges given off by the distillery.

Food-wise, Saumur has a great choice of restaurants, ranging from traditional restaurants to gastronomic ones so foodies are well catered for. Most restaurants are around the Place St Pierre, Rue Saint-Nicolas and Rue Molière but there are others in Rue d’Orléans, Place de la Billange and Rue Gambetta for the Michelin-starred Gambetta.

What to see and do in Saumur

You mustn’t leave Saumur without having a game of Boule de Fort, a very friendly game played with bowls made of sorbwood or resin, slightly flattened at both ends and with a metal strip around the middle. As the centre of gravity is slightly off-centre the bowl has a weak side and a strong side (‘fort’ in French, hence its name). Classed as a Loire Heritage Game by the Ministry of Culture, it is the only game in the world that is played in carpet slippers ! If you’d like to have a try, then go to the Cercle de la Ville de Saumur !

There is no shortage of festive events in Saumur, most of them centred around wine. At the beginning of summer Anjou Vélo Vintage is a vintage cycling event with different circuits along the banks of the Loire and through the vineyards. Les Grandes Tablées takes place during a week in August when a gigantic restaurant is set up in the centre of Saumur with a unique batch of wine served by Saumur-Champigny wine-growers. September starts with Festivini, a festival of wine and culture. During the summer, Saumur Anim’ offers a full programme of concerts and all types of events : grape-picking, an open-air cinema, etc.
Lucie, who works at Gîtes de France Anjou, has a secret passion for hand-made chocolates from the Barre de Chocolat just near the Place St Pierre. They also sell delicious cookies and hot chocolate !

How to get to Saumur
By rail : to Saumur by TER or Interloire trains. 2½ hours from Paris.
By road : via A85 Autoroute and D roads. 3 hours from Paris via A11.
Here are a few ideas for outings around Saumur. Follow the « Vignobles et troglodytes du Saumurois », a 90km wine trail, to discover some of the many AOC (PDO) wines of the area. Meet the animals at Bioparc in Doué-la-Fontaine. Immerse yourself in the history of Fontevraud Abbey. You can see all our recommendations on our website !
Discover Maine-et-Loire with Gîtes de France Anjou : Terra Botanica Angers , Louresse-Rochemenier troglodyte village, Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine, Angers, La Mine Bleue