Pays de la Loire - A tale of six cities

The Pays de la Loire consists of five departments, each with its own ‘capital’, each with its own character and style.

An international port for 500 years, bustling Nantes is the biggest. Only 40 miles apart, Angers and Saumur have been rivals for centuries. Le Mans boasts near perfect Roman walls, a superb car museum and world-famous race, and more rural, Laval and Cholet both have corners to explore.

It takes more than an impressive cathedral, art gallery and château to be named the ‘best place to live in France’ by a French magazine. And Nantes, the administrative capital of the Pays de la Loire, has plenty to show off: an old quarter with stone-paved lanes, centuries old houses, a superb 18th-century opera house and chic shopping along Rue Crébillon.

Over on the Ile Feydeau, 18th-century merchants’ homes recall the days of empire. But there is plenty of contemporary fun: the funky LU, the Lieu Unique arts centre, in a converted biscuit factory, and the Machines de l’Ile, the home of giant mechanical elephants and more. nantes-tourisme.com

By contrast, Angers feels much older, with its cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and the dark, moody-looking castle. Defended by a moat and 17 towers, the jewel inside is the Apocalypse Tapestry. The world’s largest medieval tapestry, it stretches for 107 metres – the length of a football pitch!

On the River Maine, three miles from the Loire, this city also boasts a 12th-century cathedral and the 16th-century Maison d’Adam, covered in graphic wood carvings. More up-to-date is the buzz from the university students, the pedestrianised streets, the flashy new steel and glass TGV railway station and a host of galleries, museums, shops and restaurants. angers-tourisme.com

Saumur is known as the ‘white town’, built from chalky limestone. On the bluff, the 13th-century chateau stands high above the medieval streets down by the river. Go for the atmosphere, the restaurants and the nearby cellars, where you can taste sparkling Saumur brut wines. The Cadre Noir, the cavalry regiment, gives displays of horsemanship and outside the city is the Ecole Nationale d’Equitation, the national riding school, where you can watch horses training for the Olympics.

Also minutes away is the Abbey of Fontevraud, one of the world’s largest monasteries which has now beautifully restored to its medieval magnificence. A highlight for British visitors is the recumbent figures of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son, Richard the Lion Heart – who were buried here 800 years ago. ot-saumur.fr

Say Le Mans and motor-racing is the immediate response. But this is a city rich with heritage, from its 3rd-century Roman walls to St-Julien, one of the finest 12th-century cathedrals in France, complete with original stained glass. The cobbled streets and half-timbered houses are authentic enough to be used in films, such as The Three Musketeers and Cyrano de Bergerac.

In summer, don’t miss the Nuit des Chimères, colourful stories projected on to the ancient walls using the latest son et lumière techniques. But, Le Mans is also modern, boasting a myriad of delightful small restaurants and cafés, as well as a new, smooth and stylish tram system. Due to open this year is the Maine Archaeology and Historical Museum. And, of course, on the outskirts is the circuit that petrol-heads adore, as well as a high-tech car museum and the roads that host the June Le Mans 24-Hour Race (June 13-14, 2009). lemanstourisme.com

Deep in the Mayenne, it is easy to think that time has passed Laval by. And that is part of its charm: stroll through old town and on to the Perrine Gardens that lie along the banks of the Mayenne River. Step aboard a boat – not any old boat, but a laundry boat. The medieval answer to a laundromat, the bateau-lavoir was a practical way to wash clothes.

Guarding the Mayenne River and the Pont Vieux, a bridge that looks 1,000 years old, is the Château of the counts of Laval. Since Laval was the birthplace of naïve painter Henri Rousseau, (also called Le Douanier), the château holds a small museum of naïf art. mairie-laval.fr

At the outskirts of Anjou Cholet used to be a sleepy rural town until shopping took it to the top of the French tourist charts. In La Séguinière, a few minutes from the town centre, Marques Avenue boasts about 40 factory outlet stores, including Kickers, Levi’s, Delsey, Mango, Morgan and Nike. ot-cholet.fr