Cales Troglodytes de Doué-la-Fontaine (day trip) & the Corniche Angevine
Just 30 km south of Angers, the twin rewards of the Corniche Angevine — a dramatic cliff road above the Loire — and the troglodyte village landscape around Doué-la-Fontaine offer a half-day escape that most visitors to Angers completely miss. This is the Loire Valley at its most otherworldly: a land of cave dwellings, sunken rose gardens and panoramic river terraces.
The Corniche Angevine
The D751 road known as the Corniche Angevine runs along a ridge above the south bank of the Loire between Rochefort-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire, offering a succession of viewpoints over the widest part of the Loire river. Pull over at the Belvédère de la Haie Longue near Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné for the most celebrated panorama: the river spreads out below you in a vast silver arc, braided around wooded islands, with vineyard slopes dropping to the water's edge.
The Coteaux du Layon vineyards clinging to these south-facing slopes produce the Loire's finest sweet wines. Several domaines along the Corniche offer cellar door tastings — Domaine des Baumard in Rochefort-sur-Loire is one of the most respected.
Troglodyte Landscape Around Doué-la-Fontaine
The soft tuffeau rock around Doué-la-Fontaine has been hollowed out for centuries into an extraordinary network of cave dwellings, wine cellars and even a cave zoo (the Zoo de Doué, genuinely worth a stop if you have children). The town's sunken arena — Les Arènes de Doué — is a natural amphitheatre carved from an ancient quarry and hosts a famous rose festival every July.
The nearby village of Rochemenier preserves an entire underground village — troglodyte houses, a chapel and farm buildings all carved from the rock — that was inhabited until the 1930s. It is one of the most quietly astonishing heritage sites in the Loire Valley and rarely crowded.
Making the Most of It
Combine the Corniche drive (about 20 km, allow 90 minutes with stops) with a visit to Rochemenier underground village and a cellar tasting. The whole loop from Angers and back takes a comfortable half day by car.
There is no direct public transport to Rochemenier — a hire car or a guided day tour from Angers is the practical option. Several Angers-based tour operators offer Loire Valley day trips that include this area.
More of Angers
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Angers →
