Saumur

Less than 100 km from your Aloé hotel restaurant in Vendée, discover Saumur.

Located in Maine-et-Loire, yet close to Vendée, this town is particularly renowned for its wines, its château, and its cavalry school, the Cadre Noir.

Discover Saumur on the water

And yes, the city is crossed by the Loire and therefore offers many opportunities for walks along the water .

Via small cruise boats, barges or traditional Loire toues (old ferry used as fishing boats), set off to explore the banks of the Loire from Saumur and discover a viewpoint like you've never seen before.

Your guides will be happy to regale you with historical anecdotes about the architecture and life of the period.

Saumur Castle

We start with one of the city's emblematic monuments: the Château de Saumur.

Perched atop its rocky peak, it overlooks the city and is visible from miles around. A symbol of the Valois dynasty, it has housed many sovereigns and high-ranking dignitaries of the city before being transformed over time and according to its functional purpose (arms depot, prison, etc.).

Today it belongs to the city and houses Saumur's main museum .

The apartments of the Dukes of Anjou now house collections of handcrafted objects and works of art. Visitors can wander around and soak up the atmosphere while discovering a slice of the city's history.

From antiquity to the 21st century, come and discover the history of Saumur, but also of horse riding and fashion , two skills which have left their mark on the town itself.

Finish the visit with a stroll near the windows to admire the view of the Loire !

Horse riding, symbol of the city

The town of Saumur is difficult to dissociate from its links with horses.

At the end of the 15th century, the first equestrian academy was founded here to train senior officials in international equestrianism. The prestigious Cadre Noir, and especially the expertise it imparts to its student riders, is now known and renowned throughout the world.

Since then, the school has opened up to the world and invites the public to come and visit it thanks to numerous annual events:

• guided tours,
• galas,
• public presentations, etc.

Fontevraud Abbey

Located about ten kilometers from Saumur, the royal abbey of Fontevraux is particularly renowned for being one of the largest monastic cities dating from the Middle Ages. The polychrome recumbent statues of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart are on display there, giving it a very interesting historical character.

Built in 1101 by Robert d'Arbrissel, it served as a shelter for numerous religious communities for more than 7 centuries before being transformed into a prison under the reign of Napoleon.

Today, the site has taken on a tourist dimension focused on discovery and sharing by opening its doors to visitors. You can discover its heritage, as well as numerous artistic creations that punctuate the place, such as concerts and exhibitions.

Come and discover the only octagonal Romanesque kitchen in France or the cloister of Grand Moutier!

The troglodytes of Saumur

The town of Saumur is also particularly renowned for its troglodyte houses, dug out in the surrounding area. Some of them are reminiscent of the troglodyte houses of Spain and Tunisia.

These houses were built once the earth had been dug out to extract the tuffeau stone. In order not to waste space, these huge holes were transformed into homes, but also wine cellars or mushroom farms .

This is where the sparkling wines of Saumur and Paris mushrooms are produced, and many of them are open to visitors.

Saumur also has a tank museum, a mushroom museum, the Doué-la-Fontaine bio park, shops representing the town's crafts and know-how, small historic streets and a charming town center , and many gourmet specialties:

• Anjou somersault,
• dyke,
• cream,
• or even plum pie.