Yes — they sit within about 90km of each other along the Loire and its tributaries, making a loop by car straightforward over three or four days.
Discover Local Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire & Vendée: What to Do Around Mercure Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire & Vendée
At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire & Vendée, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?
Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire & Vendée in 5 picks
Le Mans
Best known for its 24-hour endurance race, but the old town — the Cité Plantagenêt — holds some of the best-preserved Roman city walls in Europe. Wander the cobbled streets around the cathedral before the racetrack crowds pull your attention elsewhere.
Angers
The Château d'Angers houses the Apocalypse Tapestry, a medieval work over 100 metres long. The city's black slate rooftops give it a distinct look among Loire Valley towns, and the Loire à Vélo cycling route passes right through on its way to Saumur.
Saumur
Its château sits above the Loire, but the real character is underground: this is troglodyte country, with homes, mushroom farms and wine cellars carved into the soft tuffeau stone. Saumur also makes its own sparkling wine, méthode traditionnelle, worth tasting where it's made.
Puy du Fou
A historical theme park built around live reenactments rather than rides — Viking raids, gladiator fights, birds of prey shows — staged across sets that recreate different centuries. Evening shows run through summer and draw visitors from well beyond the Vendée.
Les Sables-d'Olonne
A working beach town and the start-finish point of the Vendée Globe, the solo round-the-world sailing race. It's a solid base for the Vendée coast, with a long sandy beach and an old fishing quarter behind the seafront.
FAQ
It's a full day out, and most visitors plan an overnight nearby to catch the evening show as well as the daytime performances, so factor that into your schedule.
It's a drive of roughly an hour and a half from Angers or Saumur to the Vendée coast around Les Sables-d'Olonne — manageable as a day trip, easier as an overnight stay.
Where to sleep
See our Mercure hotels across Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire & Vendée, ideally placed to explore these picks.