La Mare aux Oiseaux Hotel, Saint Joachim

Built in the grounds of the Château de l'Epinay, this 18-hole golf course extends over 67 hectares. The 5,790-metre course has slightly wavy greens and small rivers, ponds and streams. A reasonably easy course with the Martin Hawtree signature.

The Golf de Sologne is the oldest course in the Centre region, and probably one of the most beautiful natural settings.

This golf course is part of the Blue Green group of golf courses.

This 18-hole course is set in the grounds of an 18th-century château which is now a leisure complex with outdoor pool and tennis courts as well as a charming hotel.

Windsurfing, Stand-Up paddleboarding, Catamaran sailing and Kayak tours ranging from half day to several days can be taken with this canoe and kayak company based on the Ile Millocheau in Saumur.

Take in the magnificent scenery of the Loire by air in a hot air balloon. Offering a number of different tours and launch sites along the Loire river, what better way to take in the châteaux from up above where their size and splendour can really be seen.

This small restaurant in Angers serves traditional French cuisine made with locally-sourced fresh market ingredients explained on the classic chalkboard menu.

This wonderful restaurant run by Bernard Robin, the renowned chef, used to be a coaching house. Today is serves excellent traditional cuisine in a fine dining setting accompanied by an excellent wine selection. A top dining spot in the Loire with a Michelin star to match.

Young chef David Guitton gained worldwide training before taking on this restaurant in the grounds of the Domaine de la Bergarie winelands.

This restaurant, translated as The Fisherman's Place, offers an excellent selection of predominantly fish dishes served with locally grown vegetables. Christophe Cosme has earned a Michelin star for his dishes in this small spot in Blois.

An Asian-influenced menu in a great setting with beautiful views over the Loire. The fabulous setting was designed by Jean-Pierre Wilmotte. The fabulous menu was created by Jean-Yves Gueho. It has a fabulous wine cellar too. Definitely worth a visit.

This cute traditional French restaurant in Blois serves good quality food on, as the name suggests, red benches! The dishes are innovative and work well, and the is atmosphere charming.

Le Lieu Unique is the national centre for contemporary arts. It opened in 2000 in the former Lu biscuit factory and is a space for artistic exploration and cultural effervescence. Offering activities across all arts, it is a unique setting with plenty going on.

This 15th century Gothic cathedral was built on the site of an earlier Romanesque cathedral. Taking nearly 500 years to complete, it was immaculately restored following a fire in the 1970s. Its crypt contains the tombs of François II, Duke of Brittany and his wife Marguerite de Foix.

This small museum is dedicated to the world-renowned science fiction author Jules Verne who was born in Nantes. On the 150th anniversary of his birth, the city of Nantes decided to dedicate a museum to the writer in order to reflect the richness of his contributions. Books, articles, portraits and photography depict the personality of this famous figure.

On the Ile de Nantes, which has been transformed in recent years, this gallery in the old shipbuilding area features the mechanical designs of François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice whose imaginations were inspired by the works of Jules Verne. The huge moving urban sculptures, such as the Great Elephant and the Branch of the Heron Tree, are open for the public to experience, though bookings are required as they are extremely popular.

This historic 15th century château of the Goulaine family has been producing wine for centuries and it is unknown when they first sold it commercially. You can wander around its rich rooms, see an exhibition dedicated to the biscuit Lu and tour the butterfly house.

Visit this old slate mine near Angers which paints the life and work of pit workers, a traditional profession in the region. It includes an underground tour of the mines, 130 metres below ground, on a small mining train.