Spotlight on Saumur in the Loire

The beautiful town of Saumur in the Loire sits about 3 hours south of Paris, Caen and Saint-Malo. Famous for its Loire Valley wines, picturesque château and equestrian history, Saumur is a perfect spot for a long weekend.

Framed by vineyards and rivers, Saumur is filled with elegant townhouses built from the local white tuffeau limestone creating a strong visual identity, reinforced by a stunning château that overlooks the town. With a rich history, wonderful wines and a year-round programme of events, Saumur is a superb destination.

What to see in Saumur

The town centre is mostly flat and easy to explore, with 64 historic monuments including a photogenic town hall and half-timbered buildings on the Place Saint-Pierre, where a weekly market is held on Saturday mornings. Alongside familiar chain stores, you’ll find independent boutiques, antique shops and Barre de Chocolat, a fabulous artisan chocolaterie that has been tempting locals and visitors for nearly twenty years.

As you meander through the centre, you catch glimpses of the impressive Château de Saumur perched above, guarding the town for more than six centuries. These days, the château hosts cultural events, with open-air films projected onto its walls in summer. You can walk here from the centre – avoiding the river approach if you’re not a fan of a steep climb – and enjoy its panoramic views, sample lunch in L’Orangeraie bistro or take a guided visit to learn about the castle’s rich past, architecture and museum collections. Fans of horse-riding will particularly appreciate the equestrian exhibition in the upper floors, including the full skeleton of the English champion racehorse, ‘Flying Fox’.

Saumur has a long equestrian history and was home to the Cadre Noir, the elite French Horse and Riding Institute founded in 1822 by King Charles X (brother of the beheaded King Louis XVI). Now based 5 km west of the centre, it remains a highly prestigious school for classical riding and offers a regular programme of galas and presentations.

Loire Valley Wines

It would almost be rude to visit Saumur and not sample the local wines, including the regional speciality crémant, a light, sparkling wine similar to champagne. You’ll find a wide variety of producers and cellars in Saumur, including Louis de Grenelle – although you could miss it as it’s 12 metres underground, filled with thousands of bottles resting at the perfect temperature! The land around Saumur features acres of well-tended vineyards with producers of every pedigree and size, most of whom offer wine-tasting visits.

Curious visits

Follow the Loire 5 km northwest and you’ll reach the truly amazing Pierre et Lumière (stone and light), a subterranean sculpture trail in a former quarry, ideal for escaping the rain or very hot weather. This circuit features 20 hand-sculpted recreations of local landmarks in incredible detail, from châteaux to parish churches, carved from a block of limestone or directly into the quarry wall.

Next door is the Musée du Champignon (mushroom museum), which is surprisingly fascinating! The hands-on tour explains how mushrooms have been grown for centuries in these underground caves whose temperature and humidity offer ideal growing conditions.

In the other direction, 15 km southeast of Saumur, the UNESCO-listed Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud is a must. Its 900-year history includes 36 abbesses, Richard the Lionheart, nobility, royalty and criminals (read more about it here).

Treats for the tastebuds

Local food specialities include la fouée, little pockets similar to a pitta, traditionally made with scraps of bread dough and filled with savoury treats. Equally delicious are les galipettes, large mushrooms stuffed with butter, shallot and crème fraîche.

Those with a sweet tooth will appreciate the pommes tapées (flattened apples), which you can find in the village of Turquant, 9 km southeast of Saumur. To make the apple harvest last throughout the year, locals would peel the apples, bake them in a bread oven until they dried out, then flatten them artfully with a mallet.

For an evening meal, it would be hard to beat L’Alchimiste, a cosy and authentic restaurant seating up to 20 diners. Its husband-and-wife team offer refined, delectable dishes in an unpretentious, welcoming setting.

To visit nearby

If you have a car, drive along the Loire to explore the pretty villages on either side of Saumur including Montsoreau, which has a flea market on the second Sunday of every month. At Turquant, be sure to walk to the artists’ centre built into the rocks; it feels like a movie set and gives you a glimpse into troglodyte living.

The Bioparc of Doué La Fontaine is a truly unique zoo, (18 km from Saumur). Their ethos is about biodiversity and protecting threatened species: the 2,000 animals have plenty of space to roam in limestone settings that feel organic and natural.

Chateaux galore

Saumur is close to many of the Loire Valley’s most spectacular chateau including the stunning Chateau de Rivau with its fairy tale-like gardens, the royal fortress of Chinon, Ussé AKA the “real sleeping beauty castle” as it’s gloriously pretty and was the inspiration for French author Charles Perrault to write the Belle au Bois Dormant, the Sleeping Beauty, story, and the Chateau de Brissac, which, at seven stories, is the tallest castle in France

Info symbol: ot-saumur.fr/en

By Annaliza Davis – an editor, translator and writer. She lives in Brittany after falling in love with the area on a school exchange and loves to explore the coast with her scruffy dog Mimi!