Angers travel guide

Angers, France

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Angers

Introduction

Angers sits in western France, roughly 300 km southwest of Paris, and serves as the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department. Before the French Revolution it was the capital of the province of Anjou, and that older identity still shapes how the place is understood: the people of both the city and the surrounding province are known as Angevins, or more rarely as Angeriens.

Before you go

Angers sits in the French region once known as Anjou, and its medieval heritage is the main draw for historians and travellers keen to explore that side of France. The city itself is bustling, and the surrounding metropolitan area is larger still. Start your planning at the Office de Tourisme on Place du Président Kennedy, directly opposite the Château d'Angers. It carries details of local and regional attractions and events, and you can pick up free plans of the town there. If you plan to visit several sights, the Angers City Pass is also available from the Office de Tourisme, with 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour options giving free access to local attractions.

Getting there

Angers is well connected by motorway. The A11 links the city to Paris and Le Mans, and further motorways connect it to Nantes, Tours and Rennes. Many of these routes charge a toll, so factor that into your driving budget.

By rail, TGV services run frequently between Angers and many of France's major towns and cities, with comfortable seating and good luggage storage. Ticket checks take place on every journey, so keep a valid ticket with you at all times; smoking is not permitted on board, and mobile phone use in the seating area is frowned upon. Journey times are roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours from Paris, where trains leave from Gare Montparnasse, around 45 minutes from Nantes, 40 minutes from Le Mans and 55 minutes from Tours. Trains arrive at Gare d'Angers-Saint-Laud on Esplanade de la gare. If you fly in, the nearest useful airports are Nantes, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Beauvais and Bordeaux.

Getting around

Angers is compact and walkable, and most of the main tourist attractions and shopping areas sit in close proximity to one another, so you can cover the centre on foot. The main exception is Lac de Maine, roughly 30 minutes from outside the centre of town, north of Parc Balzac and west of the banks of the Maine river; a summer evening walk out to the lake and back can be quite pleasant. Dedicated bike routes run all along the town, though free bike rental from the two Velocite offices (near ESSCA and Rue Lorraine, Tuesday to Friday) is aimed at people with a local address. Taxis cannot be hailed on the street; use the taxi point next to the train station, where one of the main companies is Allo Anjou.

Whether you arrive by train or bus, you will arrive at the Angers-Saint-Laud train station, where local buses and trams run frequently into the city centre. Three tramway lines (A, B and C) cross the river and connect the centre to the suburbs of Avrillé, Monplaisir and Roseraie; lines A and C serve the station, and lines B and C also reach the Belle-Beille campus of the University of Angers. Public buses are widely available, with lines 1 to 12 forming the urban network. Tickets are integrated between bus and tram, and you can pay by contactless bank card on all tramways and on the urban bus network, where the fare is capped per day so it never exceeds the price of a whole-day pass. Tickets can be bought from vending machines at tram stations or from some shops, and single tickets are also sold on buses at a higher cost. Note that due to the national anti-terrorism policy known as "Vigipirate", all luggage storage services around the train and bus station have been suspended, so plan accordingly. For an orientation tour with commentary, Les Petit Trains du Val de Loire run a 40-minute guided tour past the major attractions.

Where to stay

Angers offers few sleeping options within the centre itself, so plan your base with that in mind. To the south of town, near the river, you'll find a campsite called Ile du Chateau, which suits those travelling with a tent or caravan.

If you're arriving by camper-van, the Aire de Camping-cars gives you a dedicated place to park and stay. Beyond these, the source lists no other accommodation, so it's worth sorting your sleeping arrangements before you arrive.

Food & drink

As a university town, Angers has a lively bar scene, with plenty of places filled by students. You can see groups of young people heading out near the chateau at night. Soft and Bolero are two well-known spots that are popular with the student community.

For a bite to eat, Pizzeria Zodiaco can be found on rue Roger Salengro.

What to see and do

In Angers, the castle is the essential starting point: occupied since neolithic times, fortified by the Counts of Anjou against the Normans, and rebuilt in the 13th century in whitestone and black slate with its ring of semicircular towers. Within its walls you can see the Apocalypse Tapestry, a vast medieval cycle woven in Paris in the late 14th century and displayed in a modern building inside the castle grounds. Elsewhere in the city, the cathedral blends Romanesque and Gothic styles and holds remarkable medieval stained glass, including the "Tree of Jesse" window, while the Jardin du Mail offers a formal 19th-century garden with symmetrical flowerbeds, a fountain and tree-lined walks opposite the town hall. For museums, the Jean Lurçat and Contemporary Tapestry Museum occupies the old St Jean's Hospital and displays Lurçat's "Le chant du monde" alongside a modern replica of the Apocalypse tapestry. The Museum of Fine Arts, in a late 15th-century residence, holds paintings by Chardin, Watteau, Fragonard, Boucher, David and Ingres as well as goldsmiths' work, enamel and ivory; the Pincé Museum focuses on the classical world with Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Chinese and Japanese pieces; and the David d'Angers Gallery, in a 13th-century abbey, shows plaster models, medallions and statues by the sculptor. You can also visit the Museum of Natural Science, the Artothèque for contemporary art loans, and Espace Air Passion for light aircraft. Out of town stand two Loire châteaux: Brissac, a towering residence with a private opera theatre and vineyards, and Serrant, a Renaissance castle with a moat, English-style park and a library of over 12,000 volumes. For activity, there is a gliding club at the airport and a sailing club on the Lac du Maine, and Angers SCO play football at the Stade Raymond Kopa.

When to go

Angers has an oceanic climate, which means rain is spread throughout the year rather than concentrated in one wet season. Winters here are mild: frost and snow are rare, so you are more likely to encounter damp, grey spells than deep cold. Pack for rain whatever the season, since showers remain possible even in the brighter months.

Summer is the warmest and sunniest stretch of the year, and it feels like the driest period too. This is the time to plan outdoor sightseeing, though rain can still fall at times. If you want the best odds of dry, bright days for exploring the city on foot, aim for summer.

Three days in Angers

Day one: Start at the Office de Tourisme on Place Président Kennedy, where you can pick up the Angers City Pass and orient yourself before exploring. From there, walk to the Château, the fortress that anchors the city and tells the story of the Angevins. Spend the rest of the day wandering the streets of Angers itself, getting a feel for the Maine and the Loire, and stopping for French classics in the old centre.

Day two: Use Angers as your base for a day trip. Many travellers arrive by TGV, and the same network makes Le Mans, Nantes, Tours and Rennes reachable by train. If you prefer to stay closer, spend the day in Angers exploring the layers of the city, from its medieval roots through to the French Revolution and the Anjou and Angevins legacy that shapes the region.

Day three: If you are coming from or heading to Paris, the journey by TGV from Gare Montparnasse is straightforward, with trains also connecting to Gare Saint-Laud in Angers. Arrive at the Esplanade or the station and take a final slow walk through the city before you leave. For those flying, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Beauvais are the main gateways, while Bordeaux and other French cities are linked by rail. Before you go, make one last stop for a French meal and a glass of something from the Loire.

About this place