All our hotels in Angers

But the city also offers visitors plenty of opportunity to relax amidst verdant greenery – it's dubbed La Ville verte ('the green city'), both for its lush parks and its role as a horticultural centre. Today it also boasts a buzzing café and gastronomic scene, thanks to both its large student population and its setting in one of France's culinary heartlands – a location that makes your accommodation in Angers a perfect base for exploring the magnificent châteaux and the legendary wineries of the Loire Valley. You're bound to find the best places to stay in Angers among the Accor portfolio of hotels, whatever the reason for your visit.

The obvious way to start your tour of the attractions of Angers is with a visit to the monumental castle that looms over the town from its perch on a rocky outcrop. The vast 13th-century Château d'Angers is instantly recognisable for the 17 imposing, striped watchtowers that punctuate its ramparts. But step beyond the fortifications and you'll discover tranquil gardens, panoramas over Angers rooftops and a masterpiece of medieval art: the immense wool and silk Apocalypse Tapestry. Commissioned in 1375 by Louis I of Anjou, it is the world's largest surviving tapestry from the Middle Ages, and vividly depicts the historical, social and political situation in France during the Hundred Years War.
Stop in at the Angers tourism office nearby before you head to a jewel of Angevine Gothic architecture, the Cathédrale Saint Maurice, standing regally with its twin spires atop a long flight of stairs. Step inside to view the soaring vaulted ceiling and vibrant stained-glass windows. Near the church you'll find the most iconic of Angers' numerous surviving half-timbered townhouses, the Maison d'Adam – behind the intricately carved façade you can browse creations by the region's finest craftspeople at La Maison des Artisans.
Spread over a 15th-century mansion and a 17th-century seminary, the Musée des Beaux Arts Angers features a major collection of paintings and sculpture spanning the 14th to the 21st centuries, along with hundreds of artefacts documenting the city's eventful history. A beautifully restored medieval abbey is today home to the Galerie David d'Angers, displaying the 19th-century sculptor's works, including busts of Victor Hugo and Honoré de Balzac. Across the river in the 12th-century Hôpital Saint-Jean, you can admire modern textile artworks at the Musée Jean Lurçat, including the eponymous artist's 'Chant du Monde' tapestries.
Time for an outdoor break on your Angers cultural visit with the family? The city offers an array of options for reconnecting with nature. Angers' botanical garden, the Jardin des Plantes, is a serene refuge complete with turn-of-the-century English-style gardens, ancient trees and an aviary. Take a stroll along the banks of the Maine, or the shady paths and the canals that lace vast Parc Balzac, a heron habitat. At neighbouring Lac de Maine you can take a dip, paddle a rented pedalo or try your hand at windsurfing, while the whole family will have fun – and learn a lot – at Europe's first theme park devoted to plant life, Terra Botanica Angers, which offers boat rides, climbing courses in an elven-themed village and 4D adventures, all set amid water features and diverse gardens.
A little further afield, an island in the Loire, the Ile de Béhuard, is home to a delightful namesake village of flower-bedecked medieval stone houses and the Notre Dame chapel, a place of pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary. Around 20 minutes from Angers, grand Château de Serrant is a moated Renaissance castle full of tapestries and artworks, lavish period furnishings and a vast library of rare books, surrounded by a sprawling landscaped park.

This being the Loire Valley, Angers boasts more than its fair share of Michelin-starred restaurants serving refined haute cuisine. But sampling the best of local specialities doesn't have to break the bank. You'll find lots of cosy bistros with menus featuring poulet à l'Angevine (chicken cooked in red wine with vegetables), hearty gouline pie with pork, mushrooms and Tomme cheese, Loire-river fish or slow-roasted pork belly pieces known as rillauds. Pâté aux prunes plum pie or creamy crémet d'Anjou with fresh fruit make a sweet conclusion to a great meal. For chocolate lovers, Quernons d'Ardoise – caramelised nougat encased in blue chocolate – are a must.
Although you're surrounded by the superb wineries of the Loire Valley, you don't need to even leave Angers to try some of the finest Anjou wines – stop in at the Maison des Vins for tastings and oenology classes. You can also go behind the scenes of Angers' signature spirit, Cointreau, at the Carré Cointreau distillery, and then sample the orange-flavoured liqueur in cocktail bars along the banks of the Maine.

Whether you're visiting for business, leisure or both, you'll find what you need in our selection of Angers accommodation. We have stylish 4-star hotels in the city centre, including one just steps from the congress centre and another at the train station. When you're combining business with pleasure, we also offer hotels with coworking space and meeting facilities in Angers. In town for a relaxing family weekend? Book our 4-star property across the river, close to the Lac de Maine. If you need to keep to a budget, choose one of our affordable Angers hotels with bed-and-breakfast options close to the centre.

Angers is a year-round destination, although summer is the most popular time for visits to the wineries of the Loire Valley. Seasonal draws include April's Cinemas d'Afrique film festival, held every two years, and the ImaJn'ère science fiction festival in May. Come December, sip mulled wine under festive lights and browse stalls piled with regional handicrafts at the Christmas market on Place du Ralliement.

The nearest large airport to Angers is Nantes Atlantique Airport, a hub for connections across Europe and beyond: the drive to Angers from the airport takes around an hour. Direct trains connect Nantes and Angers in 40 minutes, while the journey from Paris Montparnasse takes around 90 minutes. The drive from Paris via the A11 autoroute is roughly 3 hours.