PAYS DE LA LOIRE
With a wealth of chateaux, gardens, and museums, an award-winning theme park, sensational restaurants and wines, and a stunning coastline, there are plenty of reasons to visit the Pays de la Loire in 2017.
TOP 5 FOR 2017
40th anniversary of Puy du Fou
Four new attractions will be unveiled to mark the Puy du Fou 40th anniversary, plus a new themed hotel called La Citadelle and a spectacular show, Le Grand Carillon.
The Bridge: boat race from Saint-Nazaire to New York, 25 June 2017
The passenger ship Queen Mary 2 (built in Saint-Nazaire) will race four Ultime trimaran maxi-multihulls, departing from the Bridge of Saint-Nazaire and sailing across to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York. SaintNazaire is also organising several weeks of cultural events to celebrate 100 years of Franco-American friendship since WWI, particularly honouring the town’s introduction to jazz by US soldiers.
Reopening of Musée d’arts de Nantes, 23 June 2017
The arty-party city of Nantes will celebrate the reopening of its art museum after a six-year closure for renovation. 10,000 exhibits plus a fabulous restaurant, shop, and auditorium are set to wow visitors.
The Gardens of the Loire Valley
Stretching between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire, the UNESCO-listed Loire Valley is famous for its exquisite landscapes and gardens as well as its châteaux. Around 70 sites will join together for a season of horticultural celebration from March to November 2017.
Brissac and The Palms of Heaven, 21-27 August 2017 Up, up, and away!
The European Balloon Championships will take off from the grounds of the Château de Brissac, the tallest château in France. 23 countries will participate, and the sky will shimmer with jewel-like colours as 1,200 flights take place.
NEED TO KNOW
Pays de la Loire boasts 450km of coastline, 375km of navigable waterways, 2,500km of cycle routes, and 125 châteaux and remarkable sites. British Airways will introduce two weekly return flights from London Heathrow to Nantes in March 2017.
FOR THE DIARY
- Throughout summer Richard the Lionheart: Myth and Reality, Fontevraud Abbey
- 24 – 25 June Anjou Vélo Vintage, Saumur
- 17 – 18 June 24 Hours of Le Mans, Le Mans
- 01 July – 27 August Le Voyage à Nantes, Nantes
- Summer 2017 Boutique hotel opening at two-Michelin-starred La Marine Restaurant, L’Herbaudière, Noirmoutier-en-l’Île
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