Hotels in Angers

Angers: Slate Rooftops and the World's Largest Medieval Tapestry

Angers sits on the Maine River in the Maine-et-Loire department, 300 km southwest of Paris and at the gateway to the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage corridor. The city's signature landmark is the Château d'Angers, a 13th-century fortress of 17 towers that houses the Apocalypse Tapestry — woven between 1375 and 1382, measuring roughly 140 metres long, and considered the longest surviving medieval tapestry in the world. Around the castle, the Saint-Laud and La Doutre quarters preserve slate-roofed townhouses typical of the Anjou region, distinct from the white tufa stone seen further east along the Loire.

Who Visits and Why

Angers draws history and textile scholars, Loire Valley wine tourists, and French families on school-holiday itineraries. The Cointreau distillery, founded in Angers in 1849, offers guided visits from the Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou suburb. The city also hosts a 15,000-student university population, keeping the Place du Ralliement and Rue Saint-Aubin café strip active year-round.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: TGV from Paris Montparnasse reaches Gare d'Angers Saint-Laud in approximately 1 hour 35 minutes.
• Getting around: The A and B tram lines connect the station to the château and La Doutre in under 10 minutes.
• Château timing: Book tapestry entry slots online; summer queues form by 10 a.m.
• Climate: Anjou summers are mild; pack a layer for evenings near the Maine riverbanks.