Saumur sits halfway between Tours and Angers on the Loire, its château rising dramatically above a town of white tuffeau stone mansions and tree-lined streets. It is one of the more handsome cities in the valley — unhurried, compact enough to walk, and serious about its two great pleasures: wine and horses.
The château is the obvious starting point. Climb up through the old town and you are rewarded with a wide view over the Loire and the confluence of the Thouet. Inside, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs holds a good collection of medieval tapestries and faïence. July brings the Carrousel de Saumur, a spectacular equestrian parade staged by the Cadre Noir — the French national riding academy that has been based here since 1814 and remains one of the finest in the world. The Musée des Blindés, one of the largest tank collections in the world, occupies a separate site at the southern edge of town.
The surrounding countryside produces some of the Loire Valley's best sparkling whites, made in the same méthode traditionnelle as Champagne from Chenin Blanc grapes. The tuffeau hillsides are riddled with cave cellars — Bouvet-Ladubay runs the most polished tour — and the same caves shelter the mushroom farms that supply much of France. A short drive west takes you into the Saumurois vineyards; a short drive north reaches the troglodyte village of Troo. The eating quarter is Place Saint-Pierre in the old town, and a curiosity worth seeking out is the Dolmen de Bagneux, an enormous Neolithic chamber tomb behind a suburban cafe.