Sustainable tourism

Slow tourism version

“Slow Tourism” or “slow tourism” is choosing to travel taking his time, going off the beaten track. This trend opposes the phenomenon of seeing a maximum of things in a minimum of time, and mass tourism.

With “Slow Tourism”, it is a question of immersing oneself in nature and the biodiversity that surrounds us, the culture and the richness of our heritage.

With slow tourism, there is room for disconnection, the rediscovery of local territories, meeting and sharing with local populations.

Nature spots

A natural heritage to discover!

The Loire, from Montsoreau to Thoureil

Listed at the end of November 2000 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its living cultural landscapes, the Loire is the last wild river in Western Europe. However, since the Middle Ages, the hand of man has shaped the landscapes. The Loire Valley is a combined work of men and nature.

With Loire Anjou Touraine Regional Nature Park, the exceptional fauna and flora are preserved. During their migration, many species of birds stop there to nest and hibernate. Enjoy many viewpoints all along the river: castles, tufa villages, vineyards, troglodytes, traditional boats...

Park House

The quays of the Loire are an integral part of the Loire landscape. The holds have different architectures according to their vocations: loading of wine barrels, unloading of goods, materials, animals…. But also depending on the type of boat that can moor there and the level of the Loire.

Heritage capsule

A small rural heritage to discover on a walk

The menhirs and dolmens du Saumurois are almost all located on the hillsides. Of the dolmens, there remains only an immense slab placed on vertical stones. These ancient funerary buildings were once covered with earth and stone (tumuli) and were used to house collective burials. You can discover these remains by taking a hiking trail (for example " the path of old stones in St-Georges-des-sept-voies).
The washhouses were installed along waterways and near fountains. Most date from the middle of the 19th century, they are small open buildings, built of stone and wood, with tiled floors and slate roofs. In the town of Longué, a walk on the banks of the Lathan allows you to discover a group of around twenty former private washhouses.
Heritage capsule
The vineyard lodges are small houses covered with a slate roof, equipped with a fireplace so that the winemaker can warm up, prepare his meal and store his tools. A metal ring, hung on the facade, made it possible to attach the horse to it. In recent years, the Parc Loire-Anjou-Touraine has promoted the restoration of these modest buildings. You will discover them by chance during your walks in the vineyard.
The windmills : in the Loire Valley, the millers took advantage of the galerne wind (coming from the northwest): the mills are an integral part of the Loire landscapes, and their remains still mark out the territory. The mills-caviers are typical of Anjou and in particular of Saumurois, the best preserved are in Turquant, Montsoreau or Varennes-sur-Loire.
You will be able to observe mills-cavier on the Montsoreau hiking trail (16 km)
Heritage capsule
Lime kilns made it possible to transform limestone into lime by calcination. The Saumurois has limestone soil, mainly tufa, so it was ideal ground for this activity. Lime was used in the 19th century to "lime the soil", that is to say restore a neutral pH of the earth which is acidifying. It will quickly be replaced by chemical fertilizers. Today there are only a few remains of the lime kilns, especially in the town of Vaudelnay where you can see the mouthpiece (where the combustion chamber was filled) and the ébraisoir (from where the drawn lime).
Hiking trail in Vaudelnay

In the Saumur Val de Loire Agglomeration Community, the municipalities are developing meeting areas, 30 zones in order to promote pedestrian safety and make strolling around town centers and town centers pleasant. This sharing of roads promotes the practice of walking on a daily basis which should develop if we consider its direct and immediate benefits: health, economy, environment, simplicity and speed!

Walking: the right reflex to adopt

Walking reduces the risk of cardiovascular accidents and limits overweight problems by increasing blood supply and strengthening the heart. It can be practiced at any age, without specific equipment. This economical mode of transport is naturally also ecological: it produces no noise pollution or pollution in the city.
In France, a quarter of journeys are less than one kilometer, whereas walking 500 meters takes 8 minutes, which is the time it often takes to find a parking space!
In town, each kilometer covered on foot can save 280g of CO2 and even more on short journeys.

Cycling facilities: Prepare your route with the application Geovelo to download on App Store or Google Play
Possibility to rent a bike for an excursion or a longer stay.

- Saumur Agglobus, the public transport network of the Saumur Loire Développement conurbation, offers a set of regular lines serving Saumur and its surroundings. In season, 3 additional tourist lines connect the high tourist places of the surroundings from Saumur.
- Public transport networks allow you to move around Saumur, and travel in the region: by bus, coach or train:
- Aleop, the Pays de la Loire transport network : coach lines and train-TER: this transport offer covers five departments of the Region: Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe and Vendée.
- Train Loire by Bike : from June to September, TER Interloire services (Orléans - Nantes - Le Croisic) allow you to travel with your bike without reservation, subject to availability.
Park and move

Several carpooling platforms exist to connect drivers and passengers who can share the same journey:

For home-work journeys: www.ouestgo.fr
For other distances: www.blablacar.fr
In order to facilitate the organization of journeys, carpooling areas make it possible to establish specific meeting places for carpoolers.

Via its Aléop public transport network, the Pays de la Loire region participates in the remuneration of the driver, which reduces the costs for the passenger accordingly.

Many charging points for electric vehicles exist on the territory of the Community of Agglomeration of Saumur Val de Loire.

In Saumur only : Users in possession of an electric vehicle can benefit from a sticker (according to conditions, and on request at the reception of the town hall of Saumur or the Municipal Police) allowing them to park for free, with a parking time control disc, throughout the City of Saumur on paid parking spaces excluding enclosed and underground car parks equipped with barriers.

According to a distance or for a specific route