Back in July, we were invited on a press trip to discover how Valle Du Loir and Le Mans were great destinations for family holidays. We had so much fun on our trip, we did so much it was really busy but we loved it! I wanted to share more with you about what we got up if you are planning on visiting with kids. It is handy to know what to expect in different places isn’t it especially for family-friendly places to visit and more importantly eat!
Ad Presstrip: We were invited by the Vallée du Loir & Le Mans Tourist Boards to a press trip to visit the area
What To Do in Vallee Du Loir with Kids
This may not appear to be a to a family-friendly area at first glance but there is so much to do my girls really enjoyed it. Our base was Camping La Plage in Mansigne, Pays De La Loire.
It is a beautiful campsite and we stayed in one of the chalets which are separate to the campsite. It has a swimming pool, a lake with a beach and a play area for kids so it is a fun place to stay if you are travelling as a family. Plus the scenery is beautiful.
Château du Lude
Château du Lude dates back to the 10th century. The castle is set in the most gorgeous grounds and the family actually still live there now. We were lucky enough to see them enjoying their home when we arrived before opening times.
The castle is open to the public from 1st April to 30th September (it is closed on Wednesdays in April, May and September). You can choose to visit the castle and the gardens or just the gardens. Opening times are; castle: 11am-12.30 / 2.30pm-6pm gardens: 10am-12.30 / 2pm. Entry to castle & gardens costs: adult 9 € / child (7-15 years) 4.50 € and gardens only: adult 6€ / child 3€.
They also have events and activities throughout the year so it is worth checking this out if you are planning to visit.
If you are looking for a place steeped in history and overflowing with beauty then you have to visit the castle! Bella and Sienna both loved the chance to dress up as princesses and explore a real castle. They even got to visit rooms used by the owners too.
Zoo de la Flèche
Zoo de la Flèche is the best zoo. We loved seeing different animals to what we see in zoos in the UK. We loved seeing the polar bears but the zoo as a whole was a completely different experience for us and we loved it! The girls loved the giraffes, elephants and also white tigers and white lions. We have been so many times to the London zoo but this is zoo was a completely different experience for us. We really enjoyed it.
The zoo is open all year round but with different opening and closing times for different parts of the year. Prices are from 19,00 € for children and 24,00 € for adults.
There are many other places you can look at visiting in the Loire region:
- Balloon Revolution
- Natural History Museum
- Forteresse Du Faucon Noir
- Donkey trekking with Le Monde d’Ossyane
Where to Eat in Vallee Du Loir with Kids
We ate at some really good family restaurants during our trip.
La Table de Laurène
La Table de Laurène was really nice. And very popular at the same time as it was very busy. I was surprised to see so many kids there considering it was fairly late.
The owners spoke very little English but this didn’t stop us ordering our dishes. We all understood each other at the end. Our dinner was delicious.
The girls ordered burgers with fries and Nick ordered beef and I ordered pork. We were given first a lovely gazpacho and salmon as a pre snack. I had Le Poelon Campagnard as a starter. It was really nice.
The girls and Nick had ice cream for dessert. I couldn’t eat more. We also had our dinner with Rose wine.
If you are looking for other places to eat in Vallee Du Loir, then you can check out the following which was suggested to us as alternative places to eat as a family.
If you would like to read more about our trip, then make sure to check our part 1 and part 2 of our trip and my post of places to visit and eat in Le Mans.
Have you been to Vallée du Loir before?
*Disclosure: We were invited by the Vallée du Loir & Le Mans Tourist Boards to a press trip to visit the area. Everything was complimentary for the purpose of this blog post.
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
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ooooh, I’d love to go. I’m hoping to take our youngest for a week in France earlier than the rest of the family so she can go to Disneyland but I wouldn’t mind squeezing in somewhere I’ve not been before too. This could be perfect….#KCACOLS
The castle looks so dreamy and it makes me excited that I’m only three months away from my next trip to Europe!
I love the idea of going out to eat as a family on valentine day, no worries about not having a babysitter#kcacols@_karendennis
Loads of ideas here Franca – and I love some of the places you visited – and the food looks awesome!
I love a holiday to France although this isn’t an area I have visited. It looks absolutely lovely so I would love to go! #KCACOLS
Give us a zoo or aquarium on a family holiday and we are happy 🙂 The castle looks absolutely gorgeous too! #KCACOLS
Beautiful chateau! #KCACOLS
I have been to Le Mans a few times to watch racing, such a lovely area too. It is not somewhere I had previously considered taking my young family but this has now got me thinking!
#KCACOLS
So great to know there are family friendly options. I would love to visit all the beautiful chateaus. #KCACOLS
This looks so much fun Franca, what a great place to visit with kids.
This place looks lovely. That food looks amazing! #KCACOLS
I love a good castle, but Penguin would probably have more fun at the zoo! Looks like you all had a lovely holiday there xx #KCACOLS
Oooh, Château du Lude looks beautiful.