| Pays de la Loire | |
 | |
Location  | |
Coat of arms  | |
| State | France |
|---|---|
| Capital | Nantes |
| Surface | 32 082 km² |
| Inhabitants | 3 553 353 (2009) |
| Tourism site | |
| Institutional website | |
Pays de la Loire (Pays de la Loire) is one of the regions of the France. It extends from the Loire Valley to the Atlantic Ocean.
To know
As the name suggests, the Pays de la Loire region is closely linked to the Loire, which ends its course in the Atlantic Ocean. The main population centers and the main historic cities are located in the Loire Valley and close to the ocean. There are two main tourist areas:
- Loire Valley: The Loire Valley (French: Val de Loire) is the third French tourist destination, known worldwide for its landscapes and its Loire castles.
- Atlantic area: it is characterized by a very important tourist activity during the summer holidays.
Geographical notes
The territory of the region borders on that of the Brittany to the north-west of the Lower Normandy north, del Center to the east and del Poitou-Charentes to the southeast. The western coasts are washed by the Atlantic Ocean.
When to go
| Climate | gen | Feb | mar | apr | mag | down | Jul | needle | set | Oct | nov | dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum (° C) | 11,1 | 12,1 | 15,1 | 17,4 | 22,5 | 27 | 26,4 | 27,2 | 21,6 | 19,9 | 12,7 | 9,2 |
| Minimum (° C) | 8,8 | 4 | 6,5 | 4,5 | 10,6 | 14,2 | 15,3 | 15,3 | 11,2 | 10,2 | 4,4 | 2,6 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 66 | 35 | 50 | 3,5 | 45 | 41 | 27 | 15,5 | 34 | 11,5 | 29 | 40 |
Loire Valley - From infoclimat.fr | ||||||||||||
There Loire Valley it has a mild semi-oceanic climate. Winters are cold, but temperatures rarely drop below 0 ° C. It is advisable to take an umbrella during the inter-seasons, and the summer is hot. Most of the sites remain open all year round and on weekends.
| Climate | gen | Feb | mar | apr | mag | down | Jul | needle | set | Oct | nov | dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum (° C) | 9.5 | 9.9 | 12.4 | 14.5 | 17.9 | 20.9 | 22.2 | 22.7 | 21.1 | 17 | 12.7 | 10 |
| Minimum (° C) | 5 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 8.3 | 11.5 | 14.1 | 15.7 | 15.5 | 14 | 11.6 | 7.2 | 5 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 62 | 45.5 | 53.6 | 61.2 | 48.8 | 25.4 | 38.9 | 34.6 | 50.7 | 79.8 | 75.5 | 76.4 |
Atlantic area - From wikipedia.org | ||||||||||||
There Atlantic area it has an oceanic climate. Winters are cold and wet, but temperatures rarely drop below -5 ° C. The inter-seasons are wet and cool, and are characterized by abundant rainfall. Summers can be hot. Most of the tourist sites are closed during the low season, it is advisable to be well informed before traveling.
Spoken languages
The Pays de la Loire have the distinction of being one of the regions of France where French is best spoken. However, the younger generations all speak several languages very well, especially English.
Culture and traditions
Don't tell an inhabitant of the Loire region that Italian wine is the best, they are convinced, and rightly so, that they produce some of the best wines in the world. It is very common to find wineries all over the territory to spend whole afternoons enjoying the wine. And at Rabelais, the meals haven't changed much here, neither in terms of quantity nor in terms of quality. The proximity of the ocean allows oyster producers to reach markets throughout the region to sell their products at low prices.
Territories and tourist destinations
Pays de la Loire: full screen map.It is made up of 5 departments:
- Atlantic Loire (Loire-Atlantique) —
- Maine and Loire (Maine-et-Loire) —
- Mayenne —
- Sarthe —
- Vendée (Vendée) —
Urban centers
- Nantes - Capital of the region.
- Angers
- Cholet
- La Baule
- La Roche-sur-Yon
- Laval
- Le Mans - Known for the "24 hours of Le Mans", a motor racing competition held on Circuit de la Sarthe.
- Montsoreau - Known for the Château de Montsoreau-Museum of contemporary art, one of the most beautiful villages in France
- Pornichet
- Saint-Nazaire
- Saumur - Located in the department of Maine and Loire and bathed by the river of the same name.
Other destinations
- Guérande - Walled city known for producing Breton salt in salt marshes.
How to get
How to get around
What see
- 1 Montsoreau Castle-Museum of Contemporary Art, Montsoreau, ☎ 33 241 67 12 60. Housed in the first castle of the Loire (UNESCO World Heritage) to be built, this museum contains the largest collection in the world of works of Art & Language, assembled by Philippe Méaille over the last 25 years. Art & Language is a British art movement that has invented and profoundly influenced conceptual art and music. The museum includes the most famous works of Art & Language, including their renowned Mirror, and hosts at least two temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists per year and numerous conferences. Photography is allowed. Backpacks are not allowed, but there are free lockers after entry.
- 2 Nantes Museum of Arts, Nantes.
- 3 Saumur Castle, Saumur.
- 4 Angers Castle, Angers.
- 5 [link not working]Angers Museum of Fine Arts, Angers.
- 6 Brézé Castle, Brézé.
- 7 Montreuil-Bellay Castle, Montreuil-Bellay.
- 8 Angers Natural History Museum, Angers.
- 9 [link not working]Jean Lurçat Contemporary Tapestry Museum, Angers.
- 10 Le Lieu Unique, Nantes.
- 11 Nantes Natural History Museum, Nantes.
- Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevraud-l'Abbaye. Splendid 10th century Gothic style abbey.
- La Bretesche Castle.
What to do
At the table
Safety
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Pays de la Loire
Commons contains images or other files on Pays de la Loire
