Village de Chalets

When you can tear the kids away from the beach and all the watersports, chances are they’d like to head for Zoo de la Flèche (20 minutes’ drive) to see the Big 5 African animals in spacious and well-shaded enclosures, raptor flying displays and sea lion shows. There are more animal antics to watch at Spaycific’Zoo (25 minutes) if the youngsters haven’t quite had their fill of wildlife. On cultural jaunts, don’t miss out on a tour of the ornate Château du Lude (20 minutes), part medieval fortress and part handsome Renaissance-era palace, where you can admire elegant rooms with period furnishings, 18th-century kitchens and formal gardens. Le Mans (25 minutes) is famed as the location of the 24-hour car race in June, but there’s plenty of other stuff to see; check out the history of the race at the Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and have a wander around the cobbled historic city centre, its Gallo-Roman turreted ramparts and Cathédrale Saint Julien-Le Mans, a Gothic-era edifice bristling with flying buttresses and gargoyles.