Mayenne

Understand

Pays de la Loire is adjoined by the region of Centre-Val de Loire with which it shares many affinities. Both regions border on the Loire Valley and host famous châteaux. The Pays de la Loire is somewhat more diverse, however, and has a long coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, forming the northern part of the Bay of Biscay, within the area known as the Vendée.

Get around

thumb|Map of the local railway network The region has a good rail network, with the majority of services operated by TER Pays de la Loire.

Eat

The Pays-de-la-Loire region is quite varied culinarily. Its historical ties with Brittany strongly marked the food tradition in the north of the region, while the coast features all kinds of seafood dishes. The Vendée area also has a strong culinary identity. A region-wide tradition everyone should try is salted butter with large crystals of salt: inhabitants of Pays de la Loire would not have it otherwise.

Brittany's most famous specialty is by far their delicious crêpes, pancakes of wheat or buckwheat, eaten with sweet or savory garnish. Restaurants serving them are called crêperies and will often serve only that. Small kiosks on the street may serve crêpes as well, generally of lower quality and sometimes sweet only. A tourist in the region should try at least one meal of crêpes only, with a savory main course (the most common would be a "complete": eggs, ham and cheese) and a sweet crêpe for dessert. Other specialties from Brittany include the saucisse bretonne, a sausage traditionally eaten wrapped in a buckwheat crêpe, and l'andouille de Guémené, another type of sausage. On the sweet side, the Far Breton cake is a rich cake, served with or without prunes. The Kouign-Amann is another sweet pastry famous for the large quantities of butter used in its making. And you can always top anything with a generous serving of sea-salt caramel ("caramel au beurre salé").

Seafood is found everywhere but coastal cities will get you the best of the best. Oysters and mussels are favor…

Drink

The region grows grape, a lot of it, and makes many wines. The most famous, if you ask a French person, is probably the Muscadet, a white wine that is kept with the lees (the dead yeast) for a full winter, giving it a yeasty, tangy flavor with a light body. Gamay, red or rosé, is typical of the Loire-Atlantique wineries, as well as Gros-Plant. Red Gamay is light-bodies with fruity flavors, and will please amateurs of the more famous Pinot Noir. In Anjou, the white Coteaux du Layon has a beautiful golden robe and will please those who enjoy a sweet white wine.

Sleep

With a strong tourist industry throughout, it's easy to find hotels, especially along the Atlantic coast. In summer, budget travelers can rent campsites for cheap by getting a few kilometers away from the coast.

Stay safe

Crime is generally low, although tourist areas in the major cities and along the coast will have some level of pickpockets and scammers.

The city of Nantes has become infamous for its protests, many of which can get quite violent. Avoid the city center if you see a large protest, as cops and looters are known to indiscriminately target people at will.

Despite having a great network of dual carriageways, some of the country roads are narrow, bendy and unsuitable for their 90kph speed limits. Take your time and enjoy the dramatic scenery of the region.

Go next

Travellers wishing to see more of the Loire Valley can continue further east into the adjoining Centre-Val de Loire region, studded with additional historical cities and chateaux at sites such as Bourges and Saint-Benoît-du-Sault.

Travellers who enjoy the Atlantic coast can go south to Nouvelle-Aquitaine or north to Brittany.