Angers

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Overview

An intellectual centre in the 1400s and a lively university city today, Angers – the historical seat of the Plantagenet dynasty and the dukes of Anjou – makes an engaging western gateway to the Loire Valley. The mostly pedestrianised old town supports a thriving cafe culture, thanks in part to the dynamic presence of over 39,000 students, as well as some excellent places to eat. The city is famous for two sets of breathtaking tapestries, one from the 14th century, the other from the 20th.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Château d’Angers

Angers

Looming above the river, this forbidding medieval castle – seat of power of the once-mighty counts of Anjou – is ringed by moats, 2.5m-thick walls and 17…
Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine

Angers

Inspired by the Apocalypse Tapestry in the château, Jean Lurçat (1892–1966) began his epic tapestry masterpiece, Le Chant du Monde (Song of the World;…
Quartier de la Cité

Angers

One of the earliest examples of Angevin (Plantagenet) architecture in France, Gothic Cathédrale St-Maurice is distinguished by its striking Norman portal…
Cathédrale St-Maurice

Angers

Angers' austere, mainly 12th- to 13th-century cathedral has a striking Norman porch and nave (mid-1100s); the latter's three convex vaults, forming a…
Musée des Beaux-Arts

Angers

Has a superior 14th- to 20th-century collection (mainly paintings) that ranges from French masters Ingres, Fragonard and Watteau to the Florentine Lorenzo…
Galerie David d’Angers

Angers

The Angers-born sculptor Pierre-Jean David (1788–1856), aka David d’Angers, is renowned for his lifelike sculptures, which adorn public monuments such as…
Maison d'Adam

Angers

Right behind Cathédrale St-Maurice stands the Maison d’Adam, one of the city’s best-preserved medieval houses (c 1500), which is decorated with a riot of…
Montée St-Maurice

Angers

The square in front of Cathédrale St-Maurice is linked to a new riverside esplanade (under construction in 2018) and a gourmet covered market (set to open…