Sablé-sur-Sarthe, round trip, 7 nights

Moor a few steps from the Sablé-Solesmes golf course. A calm and green stopover.

Boule de fort is a traditional Loire-region bowling game played… in slippers! Learn more at the local factory or watch a game at the Boule de Fort Club.

Stroll through the picturesque streets and visit the 12th-century church, then head to the Bois de la Jeunerie for a nature walk on an educational trail highlighting local wildlife and flora.

Built along the Sarthe River, Juvardeil was historically important for its gabares (freight barges) and as a hub for boatbuilding,crafting vessels up to 30 m long. Discover its heritage via a walking trail and a nautical base offering canoe hire.

Épinette, dulcimer, bowed psaltery… these instruments might not ring a bell? In Étriché, luthier and musician Didier Beauclair welcomes you into his Zither Workshop (booking required). Heritage lovers can also visit the Ivray Mill Chapel and the traditional Hemp Oven.

On your stop in Cheffes‑sur‑Sarthe, admire the slightly twisted spire of the listed Notre-Dame-de-Cheffes church. From here, you can reach the Champigné Golf Course (5 km) and the Château du Plessis-Bourré (7 km), a stunning moated castle featured in films like Peau d’Âne, Le Bossu, Fanfan la Tulipe, and La Princesse de Montpensier.

The vast floodplains, submerged every winter, provide an exceptional site for migratory birds to rest and feed,keep your eyes open for black-tailed godwits, greylag geese, or curlews. On the heights of Briollay, the botanical garden offers a unique panoramic view over the Basses Vallées Angevines. Good to know: the park is home to more than 70 species of small red fruit shrubs, which visitors are free to pick.

Stop in Angers, the city of King René, whose 13th-century château is one of France’s most beautiful fortresses and home to the renowned Apocalypse Tapestry. Also worth visiting: the cathedral, Terra Botanica (Europe’s first plant-themed amusement park), numerous museums, and parks. Practical tip: you can moor your license-free boat directly opposite the château, right in the city center.

Located in a Natura 2000 marshland and one of Europe’s most beautiful wetland regions, Montreuil-Juigné is a peaceful green town on the edge of the countryside,a perfect stop for nature lovers and fishing enthusiasts.