Nestled in the western part of the Loire Valley, Angers is surrounded by numerous châteaux.
Whether you're a fan of medieval architecture, royal history or simply in search of beauty and wonder, you're sure to find what you're looking for.
In this article, we share our selection of the best châteaux around Angers to help you plan your stay.
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
The best castles around Angers: selection
The Loire Valley is packed with châteaux. The list can be very long.
Angers is a little less central, but still one of the best destinations for visiting the Loire castles. There are also a number of lesser-known but equally fascinating castles in the surrounding area.
We have:
- selected our favorites and best-known
- listed in order of distance from town
- limited to less than 1h10 drive from the city
If you don't have much time, we recommend:
- Castle of Serrant
- Château de Brissac
- Castle of Saumur
For more ideas in the region, see our list of the most beautiful Loire castles.
And if you're staying in Angers, check out all our favorite attractions.
WHERE TO STAY IN Angers
Our favorites: neighborhoods and hotels
Downtown, to enjoy the city, its restaurants and beautiful architecture.
Hôtel L'Oisellerie - see photos and availability
Hotel 21, Foch - prices, pictures and availability
In the surrounding countryside, for greater peace and quiet
Hotel Château des Forges - see photos and availability
1. Château d'Angers (in the town)
It is from this imposing fortress castle that the powerful dukes of Anjou ruled for more than 4 centuries. These 17 towers and its thick ramparts made of schist and limestone, protect today an artistic treasure, the tapestry of the apocalypse of Saint John, woven in the 14th century and 140 meters long.
- Nearest city: Angers
- Style: mainly 13th century
- Of interest for: exterior architecture, upholstery
- Open to visitors all year round
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
2. Château de Serrant (20min west)
At the gates of Angers, a surprising castle of great interest, which is distinguished by its constancy. Although it was built over nearly two centuries, it is authentically Renaissance, its plans having not evolved with the architects. But it is most notable for its furniture and its incredible library, the result of several centuries of acquisitions by the various owners.
- Nearest city: Angers
- Style: Renaissance
- Interesting for: furniture
- Open to visitors from April1 to October 31 and during school vacations.
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN Loire
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars - one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a fairly compact car (many villages have narrowed the road).
- Think aboutfull insurance (parking in big cities is really tight).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
3. Château de Plessis-Macé (20 min north)
About ten kilometers from Angers, this medieval castle of the XIIIth century was embellished in the XVth century to make it a seigneurial dwelling. It is in this grandiose natural setting that many plays of the renowned Anjou Festival have been performed over the past 70 years. The château du Plessis is now run by theater enthusiasts who offer theatrical activities for young and old alike.
- Nearest city: Angers
- Style: 13thand 15th centuries
- Interesting for: exterior architecture, animations
- Open all year round - Wednesdays and weekends only in low season
- Suitable for children: particularly suitable for children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
4. Château de Brissac-Quincé (25 min south)
The"giant of the Loire Valley" with its 7 floors and its 48 meters height which makes it one of the highest castles in Europe. As you will see, the monumental facades hold a few surprises. The English-style park irrigated by two streams is wildly poetic and offers beautiful views of the castle.
- Nearest city: Angers
- Style: 17th century
- Interesting for: exterior architecture, art nouveau theater and park
- Open to visitors all year round (only at weekends during the winter months).
- Possibility of accommodation: yes
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
A LITTLE MORE patience
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5. Château du Plessis-Bourré (25 min north)
A 15th century castle that has survived the centuries without any damage or hazardous architectural modifications. Surrounded by a very large moat, it really seems to float on water. The paintings on the coffered ceiling of the guard room fully justify a visit to the interiors.
- Nearest city: Angers
- Style: 15th century
- Interesting for: exterior architecture - interior ambience
- Opening period: February to November
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: yes
- Timetable on the official website here
6. Château de Montgeoffroy (30 min east)
Of the original castle built in 1543, only 2 towers, the moat and the chapel remain. At the end of the 18th century, the new owner, Marshal Louis Georges Erasme de Contades, decided to rebuild the castle by calling upon the famous Parisian architect Jean-Benoît-Vincente Barré. The latter was one of the creators of the Louis XVI style, marking the return to classicism with symmetrical and harmonious structures. The visit of the first floor will plunge you into the refined universe of the 18th century, while thefirst floor has been entirely restored by the fabric publisher Pierre Frey, whom we love.
- Nearest city: Angers
- Style: Louis XVI
- Interesting for: exterior architecture, furniture and decoration
- Opening period: from the beginning of April to the end of September.
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
7. Château de Saumur (50 min east)
The castle of Saumur majestically overlooks the city and the river. From the top of the belvedere, the view is just incredible, certainly one of the finest of the Loire. Thetormented history of the castle is an indispensable testimony of the life in Anjou during nearly a millennium.
- Near the town of: Saumur
- Style: mosaics from the 10th to 16th centuries
- Interesting for: exterior and interior architecture, views and decorative arts museum.
- Open to visitors all year round
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Accommodation available: No
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities
8. Château d'Oudon (50min west)
This castle is one of the few remaining between Angers and Nantes. Built at the end of the XIVth, beginning of the XVth century, it dominates the Loire, which allowed it to control the traffic on the royal river. With the castle of Ancenis, they ensured the defense of the "border" between the duchies of Anjou and Brittany. The fortified enclosure can be visited on sunny days.
- Nearest city: Nantes
- Style: Middle Ages
- Interesting for: exterior architecture
- Opening period: May to November
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
9. Château de Montreuil-Bellay (55 min east)
The castle of Montreuil-Bellay has the reputation of being one of the"impregnable fortresses" of the Loire. It is certain that this castle whose construction began in the Middle Ages has a defensive system consisting of no less than 15 towers! We recommend a visit from the moat.
- Nearest city: Saumur
- Style: Medieval and Gothic
- Of interest for: exterior and interior architecture and kitchens
- Open to visitors all year round
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
10. Château de Brézé (1h east)
In the castle of Brezé, it's what you can't see that is the most interesting! Not that the Italian Renaissance building, erected in the16th century, is unattractive, but the troglodytic network that runs 4 km through the moat and beneath the château is simply incredible.
- Nearest city: Saumur
- Style: Italian Renaissance
- Interesting for: cave network
- Open all year round, closed in January
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article (coming soon).
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11. Château de Montsoreau (1h east)
Château de Montsoreau is an early French Renaissance château, at the foot of which flows the Loire River. Now dedicated tocontemporary art, it offers a setting in which the works can fully breathe and give their full potential. The view from the terrace of the guard road almost justifies the visit.
- Nearest city: Saumur
- Style: between gothic and renaissance
- Interesting for: exterior architecture, museum, view
- Open to visitors all year round
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article (coming soon).
12. Château du Lude (1h east)
The castle of Le Lude is distinguished by its geographical position on the border of Anjou and Maine, which exposed it to the ravages of the Hundred Years War. Rebuilt in the Renaissance style in the 15th and 16th centuries, and extensively remodeled in the 19th, it offers a rather massive architecture that contrasts with theelegance of the gardens. The park is bordered by the river Loir which gives it a very special atmosphere.
- Nearest city: Tours
- Style: 15th and 19th century
- Of interest for: architecture and gardens
- Open to visitors from April1 to October 31 and during school vacations.
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article (coming soon).
13. Château de Nantes (1h west)
The castle of the Dukes of Brittany (Nantes) is a real architectural puzzle that it is pleasant to reconstitute. You will cross there the dukes of Brittany, the famous Anne of Brittany, wife of 2 successive kings of France, but also Louis XIV. The castle houses the surprising and very well designed museum of the history of Nantes.
- Located in the city of Nantes
- Style : Gothic/Renaissance
- Interesting for: exterior architecture and museum
- Period of opening to the visit : all year long
- Child-friendly: activities designed to interest children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
14. Château de Villandry (1h05 east)
Villandry impressed us for its breathtaking gardens and their permanent dialogue with the rooms of the castle. The gardens were redesigned in the 20th century according to the rules of the Renaissance and adopt a tiered structure that corresponds to that of the castle. Just gorgeous!
- Near the city of: Tours
- Style: Renaissance
- Of interest for: interior architecture and gardens
- Open to visitors: December and February to mid-November
- Child-friendly: activities designed to appeal to children
- Possibility of accommodation: no
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
15. Château d'Ussé (1h05 min east)
The castle of Ussé is one of the most enchanting in the Loire Valley and is suitable for children. We liked its architecture that fits so well with the landscape facing the Indre River, and its tiered gardens designed by Le Nôtre. The visit of the interiors, ends with a collection of wax dolls, which plunges us into the famous tales of Charles Perraut who was inspired by Ussé to write "Sleeping Beauty".
- A favorite of Manu's
- Near the city of: Tours
- Style: Renaissance
- Interesting for: exterior architecture, wax doll re-enactments and gardens
- Open to visitors all year round
- Child-friendly: particularly suitable for children
- Accommodation available: No
- Timetable on the official website here
- More photos and tips in our article
Known castles: driving time
From Angers, towards Tours and Amboise:
- Château d'Azay le Rideau = 1h15 drive
- Château du Rivau = 1h20 drive
- Château de Chenonceau = 1h40 drive
- Château de Chambord = 2h20 drive
In our opinion, the Château de Chenonceau is well worth the drive.
DISCOVER Angers
- Things to do in Angers
- Where to sleep in Angers: best hotels
- Where to eat in Angers: best restaurants
- Rent a car in Angers
- Visit the Château d'Angers
- Visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Angers - coming soon
- Château de Brissac
- Terra Botanica
- Best castles around Angers
- Most beautiful villages around Angers
Other castles near Angers
- Chinon fortress (1h05 east)
- Château de Gizeux (1h05 east)
- Montabazon fortress, with children (1h30 to the east)
- ...
- or see our list of Loire castles
PLAN YOUR TRIP IN
Loire Valley
The castles of the Loire Valley
Other places to explore
Practice
