There’s such a diversity of experiences offered by the Atlantic Loire Valley (Pays de la Loire) that its account manager here at Atout France, Rachel, is still learning new things after almost nine years! It boasts half of the Loire Valley itself – from the sea up to Saumur, home to many ‘secret’ chateaux such as Brissac, Montsoreau and Montreuil-Bellay – dynamic green cities and a vast stretch of the Atlantic coast with sardine and sailing capitals, two islands and swathes of salt marshes. In the north are Mayenne and Sarthe, still largely unexplored by Brits. It’s a region for all seasons, all budgets and all audiences – accessible by direct flight, high-speed train or ferry and a few hours’ drive.
If you haven’t yet visited, make it a resolution for 2026.
24 hours in Le Mans
The city of Le Mans resonates with car enthusiasts and petrolheads as the home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Le Mans Classic, the latter of which is to become an annual event (formerly biannual) in 2026. But have you explored the city itself yet? Surrounded by a Gallo-Roman wall, the medieval Plantagenet old heart has preserved a remarkable collection of half-timbered houses nestled in a maze of pretty cobbled streets, and a spectacular Gothic cathedral. What’s more – the city’s just an hour from Paris by train.
How to spend 24 hours in Le Mans
Elsewhere in Sarthe
Cider and wine off the beaten track
Little-known Mayenne is a major cider producer whose speciality is Pommeau du Maine, a mix of sweet and bitter apples with cider brandy, drunk chilled as an apéritif. There’s a dedicated cider museum close to the border with Normandy. Although orchards replaced vines in Mayenne in the 16th and 17th centuries, there are a few notable vineyards too: La Maison du Pin is converting to organic farming and also produces buckwheat pasta and rapeseed oil, while winegrower Florent Deslandes planted his first vines in June this year, expecting his first bottles in three years’ time.
The delights of the Vendée
A region within a region, Vendée boasts two of its own islands and some of the best sandy beaches on France’s Atlantic coast, whose influence stretches inland with marshes and unique salt-influenced wines. Vendée is the ideal place for a family holiday and a must for surfers, hikers and cyclists, with 18 seaside resorts, countryside bocage and the Marais Poitevin, a network of navigable marshland waterways nicknamed the ‘Green Venice’. Historical theme park Puy du Fou is also found here – we await its sister park in the UK in the coming years. And Vendée is coming to London in the New Year: join us for a cocktail networking party on 13 January 2026. Contact us to register your place!
Two major cycling festivals and a new cycle route
The Nature Is Bike Gravel Festival returns to Angers for its 5th run in May 2026, uniting gravel bike fans, nature lovers and foodies. ‘Angers Vélo Guinguettes’ will take place the same weekend – the ultimate friendly bike ride punctuated by riverside bars. In early August, Mayenne will host the International Cycle Tourism Festival for the first time, a non-competitive event offering daily tours to explore the bucolic beauty of Mayenne. And bolstering the Atlantic Loire Valley’s reputation for cycling, Le Maro 70′, a new 70km gravel route through the wetlands of the Marais Breton in Vendée, opened in September. The Saint-Gilles Tourist Office has also developed five other gravel routes ranging from 50 to 160km. Meanwhile, European Green Capital winner Nantes is also on track to increase its network of bidirectional cycle lanes by 50km in 2026.
The Guérande Peninsula: home of salt and seaweed
Up on the border with Brittany at the mouth of the Loire estuary, the wild Guérande Peninsula has made a luxury out of salt and seaweed. Salt has been harvested here since Roman times and much of its landscape is characterised by squares of salt marshes, from which paludiers painstakingly gather the prized fleur de sel and gros sel by hand. Visit Terre de Sel to watch the harvest in action. In Le Croisic, Les Jardins de la Mer is a professional harvester of edible seaweed and marine plants, suppling gourmet French restaurants – such as nearby La Mare aux Oiseaux at the heart of the marshes – and running cookery workshops.
On the coast in the Atlantic Loire Valley
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