Juliette Tentvakanties at Camping Les Voiles d'Anjou

Being anywhere sur Loire is always a good start, but if you’d like to get yourselves literally sur Loire, you can make that happen with a canoe trip from the other side of town (five minutes’ drive or 25 minutes’ walk). Once you’ve paddled locally, set out to see some of the Loire Valley’s big hitters: it’s a 20-minute drive to splendid Saumur (to see the château, watch displays at the Cadre Noir military riding school and sample wares from the sparkling wine cellars), and around half an hour to Angers (to see the cathedral and another château, this time with an eye-popping depiction of the apocalypse in tapestry form). If you’re not château-ed out yet, there’s another fine specimen in Château de Brézé (half an hour’s drive). But should be seeking something a little different, try out the treetop trails at Aventure 49 adventure park (15 minutes), come eye to eye with a thousand animals at Bioparc Doué la Fontaine zoo (20 minutes), or delve deep underground at La Cave aux Sculptures subterranean museum (15 minutes).