Angers is a medium-sized French city which is the capital of the Maine-et-Loire département in the northwestern region of Pays de la Loire. It offers the traveller a mixture of a typical French night-life, historically rich street-scapes and great shopping opportunities.
Understand
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Located in the French region which was known as Anjou in the Middle Ages, today Angers is a bustling French city, home to around 150,000 people in the city and roughly 270,000 people in the greater metropolitan area. It's a place with great appeal to historians and travellers interested in discovering France's rich medieval history.
1 Office de Tourisme, 7 Pl. du Président Kennedy. The Angers Tourist Office, opposite the Château d'Angers, is well supplied with details of local and regional attractions and events including free plans of the town. The Angers City Pass (available from the Office de Tourisme) offers 24-hr, 48-hr and 72-hr passes giving free access to local attractions.
Get in
[edit]By car
[edit]
Like most French cities Angers can be easily accessed by motorway. The A11 connects Angers to the French capital Paris and nearby Le Mans. By car Angers lies roughly 295 km west of Paris and 95 km west of Le Mans.
Angers is also close to Nantes, Tours and Rennes, all of which are connected to Angers by motorway. Many of the motorways charge a toll which can vary from €2 up to €25.
By train
[edit]TGV offers frequent rail-links between Angers and many of France's major towns and cities. The trains are generally of a very high quality, offer very comfortable seating and have suitable storage spaces for luggage. Trains are quite regular and generally depart on time. Ticket checks take place on every journey, as a result it is very important that you are in possession of a valid ticket at all times. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the train and the use of mobile phones in the seating area of the carriage is frowned upon by other passengers.
Angers is...
- Roughly between 90 minutes and 2 hours from Paris. (The train can be found in Gare Montparnasse in Paris.)
- Around 45 minutes from the city of Nantes.
- 40 minutes from Le Mans (on the same line as the Paris-Angers route)
- 55 minutes from Tours.
2 Gare d'Angers-Saint-Laud, 1 Esplanade de la gare.
By plane
[edit]- Nantes
- Paris (CDG)
- Paris (Beauvais)
- Bordeaux
See more details at the airport website
Get around
[edit]
Due to the plan "vigipirate", the national anti-terrorism policy, all luggage storage services around the train and bus station have been suspended.
By bus
[edit]Public buses are widely available in Angers. Whether you arrive by train or bus, your arrival point in Angers will be at the Angers-Saint-Laud train station, where local buses (and tramways) run frequently, connecting you to the city centre.
Tickets cost €1.60 for a 1-hour unlimited ticket (€14 for 10 tickets), or €4.50 for a whole-day pass (Dec 2023), and these can be bought from vending machines at tram stations, or from some shops. Single tickets can also be purchased on buses but at a cost of €2.00.
On the urban bus network (lines 1 to 12), you can pay for your journey using a contactless bank card. In this case, the fare remains at €1.60 per 1-hour journey, but is capped at €4.50 per day, so as to not exceed the price of the whole-day pass (Dec 2023).
By tram
[edit]The city has three tramway lines (A, B and C), which provide access through the city, cross the river and connect the city centre to the suburbs of Avrillé, Monplaisir and Roseraie. Lines A and C link the network to the Angers-Saint-Laud train station and lines B and C also serve the Belle-Beille campus of the University of Angers.
Tickets are integrated with the bus system and it is also possible to pay by contactless bank card on all tramways.
By taxi
[edit]Taxis cannot be hailed on the street, however there is a taxi point next to the train station. One of the main taxi companies is Allo Anjou.
By foot
[edit]One of the best ways to experience Angers is by foot and generally all of the main tourist attractions and shopping areas are located in close proximity to one another. One exception to this is the nearby lake, Lac de Maine, which is roughly 30 minutes from outside of the centre of town. It is located to the north of Parc Balzac, west of the banks of the Maine river. However, on a summer evening a walk out to the lake and back can be quite pleasant.
By bicycle
[edit]Angers has dedicated bike routes all along the town. People with local address can rent bikes for free from the two Velocite office near ESSCA and Rue Lorraine from Tuesday to Friday.
By Petit Train
[edit]Les Petit Trains du Val de Loire take you past the major attractions of Angers in a 40-minute guided tour.
See
[edit]
- 1 Angers castle (Château d'Angers), 2 Boulevard du Général de Gaulle. The site of the castle has been occupied by man since neolithic times. The Counts of Anjou built the first castle in the 9th century as a defence against the Normans. In the 13th century Louis IX rebuilt the castle in whitestone and black slate, with 17 semicircular towers, the essence of the building we see today. In the 14th and 15th centuries the Dukes of Anjou, Louis I, Louis II, and King Réné conducted a brilliant court life from within the shelter of the fortess. The castle also hosts the huge medieval Apocalypse Tapestry (see the separate listing).
- 2 Apocalypse Tapestry (Tenture de l'Apocalypse). The Apocalypse Tapestry (displayed in a 20th-century building within the Château d'Angers and included in the entrance fee) is a large set of medieval tapestries commissioned by Louis I, the Duke of Anjou, and woven in Paris between 1377 and 1382. It depicts the story of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation by Saint John the Divine in colourful images, spread over six tapestries that originally totalled 90 scenes, and were about six metres high, and 140 metres long in total. The surviving tapestry is about 103 metres long with 71 scenes. It is the most significant, and almost the only, survival from the first decades of the great period of tapestry, when the industry developed large workshops and represented the most effective art form for exhibiting the magnificence of royal patrons, not least because large tapestries were hugely expensive.
- 3 Jardin du Mail. A public garden laid out in the 1850s with a historic fountain and bandstand.
- 4 Jardin des Plantes. A botanical garden opened in the 1790s with two small ponds, numerous statues and a former church, Saint-Samson.
- 5 Angers Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Maurice d'Angers). Angers Cathedral was constructed primarily in the 12th and 13th centuries. It is renowned for its harmonious blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles, characterized by its distinctive twin spires and richly decorated portal. Inside, visitors can admire an impressive collection of medieval stained glass, including the remarkable 12th-century “Tree of Jesse” window.
- 6 Castle of Brissac.
- 7 Castle of Serrant.
Museums
[edit]- 8 Jean Lurçat and Contemporary Tapestry Museum (Musée Jean-Lurçat), 4 Boulevard Arago, ☏ +33 2 41 24 18 45. Housed in the 12th century St. Jean’s Hospital buildings. Since 1967, “Le chant du monde” (the song of the earth) by Jean Lurçat is displayed in the patients’ ward. Hanging on the wall is a modern replica of the Apocalypse tapestry of Angers, which Lurçat discovered in 1937.
- 9 Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des Beaux-Arts), 14 Rue du Musée, ☏ +33 2 41 05 38 00. Since 1796 the Museum of Fine Arts has been housed in the Barrault residence, a late-15th-century private home. The collection includes paintings by painters such as Chardin, Watteau, Fragonard, Boucher, David and Ingres). The collection also includes Goldsmith’s work, enamel, and ivory arts.
- 10 Pincé Museum (Musée Pincé), 32 Rue Lenepveu, ☏ +33 2 41 05 38 00. This museum is in the 16th-century Pincé residence. It is a museum which primarily focuses on the classical world. In line with this Classical focus the museum includes a selection of Greek & Roman artifacts including pottery & glasswork. There are similar items also on show to commemorate Ancient Egypt, China & Japan also.
- 11 David d'Angers Gallery (Galerie David d'Angers), 33B Rue Toussaints, ☏ +33 2 41 05 38 90. The All Saints Abbey is one of the biggest 13th-century abbeys in Angers. Since 1984 it has housed an important collection of plaster models, medallions, marble & bronze statues which were sent by Jean-Pierre David (1788-1856) to his native town’s museum.
- 12 Espace Air Passion, ☏ +33 2 41 33 04 10. Created by some local aviation enthusiasts who were determined to safeguard in our memories the role of those great men of the great flying adventure, such as Roland Garros, René Gasnier, etc. The aim of this museum was to give the visitor an opportunity to discover the second national collection of light and winged aircraft in France. Temporary exhibitions, guided conferences, and restoration of the “vieux coucous” demonstrations are organized on an on-going basis.
- 13 The Museum of Natural Science (Muséum des sciences naturelles), 43 Rue Jules Guitton. The museum tells the story of man since prehistoric times, with a special focus on the environment and ecology. It is home to an exceptional collection of artefacts, on display to the public, showcasing the diversity of the natural world and the evolution of nature.
- 14 Artothèque, 35 Bd du Roi René. The Angers Arts Library is a place devoted to contemporary creation through the loan of original artworks to the public from its collections, and its policy of regular exhibitinos and arts-related activities.
Do
[edit]- Cinemas are Gaumont Variétés (Blvd. Foch), Les Quatre Cent Coups (Rue Clavell) and Gaumont Multiplexe (St. Serge).
- Football: Angers SCO were promoted in 2024 and now play soccer in Ligue 1, the top tier. Their home ground Stade Raymond Kopa (capacity 18,700) is 1 km southeast of town centre.
- 1 Gliding Club (Association Sportive de Vol à Voile Angers (ASVV)), Zone Sud, Aéroport d'Angers Loire, 49140 Marcé (20 km NNE of Angers (at Angers Airport)), ☏ +33 2 41 33 50 62, [email protected]. Weather dependent. Gliding club. Trial flights (Le vol d'initiation). Tuition and visiting pilots (range of options and prices).
- 2 Sailing Club (NDC Voile Angers), Le PAVOA – Parc de loisir du lac de Maine 75 avenue du lac de maine 49000 Angers (6 km SW of Angers, W shore of Lac du Maine), ☏ +33 2 41 73 83 00, [email protected]. Tu–Sa 09:00–12:00 & 13:30–18:00 (check during winter). Sailing dinghy hire, teaching, racing.
Buy
[edit]Atoll is a big edge-of-town shopping mall, on the ring-road 5 km west of the centre.
Eat
[edit]- Pizzeria Zodiaco, 29 rue Roger Salengro.
Drink
[edit]Since Angers is a university town, there are a lot of bars thronged by young people. Passing via the chateau during night one can see groups of young students going to bars. Soft and Bolero are few notable ones and popular among students community.
Sleep
[edit]There is a campsite called Ile du Chateau to the south of the town near the river and for the camper-vanner there is an Aire de Camping-cars.
Connect
[edit]As of June 2022, Angers has 5G from all French carriers.
Go next
[edit]- Nantes - The historical capital of the region.
- Le Mans - A nearby town best known for its annual 24-hour automobile race.