Stays in Angers

I would not choose Markus for a family with children, because it is an adults-only hotel. I would recommend it to couples and friends who want a four-star stay in a historic building in Angers. Rooms are air-conditioned, with private bathrooms, parquet floors and city views. Free WiFi and a lounge are included, and breakfast is continental or à la carte, with local specialities. Families should look at the other Angers hotels instead.

Hôtel Marguerite d'Anjou is in central Angers, a two-minute walk from the Château d'Angers and close to the train station. Its brasserie has an outdoor terrace, which makes lunch or dinner easy with children, and bicycle rental is available for exploring the city. Pets are accepted. Note that only some rooms have lift access, worth checking with a pushchair. I recommend it to families who want the château on foot from a well-rated small hotel.

A six-hectare park and an outdoor pool heated from spring to September are what make Le Château des Forges work for children: there is room to run between swims, and the hotel provides a baby cot and a high chair. With 14 rooms, it never feels like a large resort. The limits are just as clear: the restaurant is vegetarian, there is no spa or kids' club on site, and everything beyond the grounds needs a car or bikes. I would pair it with an afternoon on Île Saint-Aubin, reached by the chain ferry at the end of the lane, and a morning at the château of Angers for the Apocalypse Tapestry. Teenagers who want town life in the evening will find it too quiet.

Domitys Rosa Gallica in Angers offers self-catering apartments within a senior residence, each with a kitchenette and a private bathroom, some with a balcony or terrace. Families can stay, and the indoor pool is a draw for children in any weather, but the setting is a residence designed for older guests, so expect a quiet atmosphere. Terra Botanica Park, a popular outing with children, is close by. There is a restaurant and a bar on site, plus a sauna and a fitness room. Pets are accepted.

La Maison du Cocher is an adults-only aparthotel, so it does not take families with children; parents visiting Angers should look at another address. For couples or adult relatives travelling together, it offers an air-conditioned room in a historic building in central Angers, with a garden and a sun terrace for quiet time and free WiFi. The location makes the city easy to explore on foot. An 8.9 score from 48 reviews is encouraging.

Novotel Angers Lac de Maine is 3 km from the centre of Angers, on the Lac de Maine side of the city, which suits families travelling by car. Its 79 rooms are modern and en suite, with flat-screen TVs and free fibre Wi-Fi. The restaurant serves traditional French cuisine, so dinner is sorted on arrival, and the bar has a shaded terrace for warm evenings. Pets are accepted. I recommend it to families who prefer a calmer four-star outside the centre.

Hotel Le Progrès stands directly opposite Angers station, which makes arriving by train with children about as simple as it gets, and luggage storage helps on the first or last day. The Château d'Angers and the cathedral are a short walk away, so sightseeing stays on foot. Rooms are soundproofed, a plus so close to the station, and the continental buffet breakfast is served in a bright room overlooking the garden. I would choose it for a short city break in Angers.

Hostellerie Bon Pasteur sits on the historic site of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Angers, and I like its calm for families after a busy day. Some rooms look over the garden, WiFi is free, and Le Tournemine restaurant serves creative local cuisine at lunch and dinner. The Château d'Angers is about a 10-minute walk away, which makes an easy outing with children, and the station is an 8-minute drive.

Studios and one-bedroom apartments with an equipped kitchen give families at Séjours & Affaires Angers Atrium the freedom to cook their own meals. The one-bedroom units help when children go to bed earlier than parents. The city centre is a short walk away, parking is available, and pets are accepted. Breakfast and weekly cleaning are optional extras, so the stay can be kept as simple or as serviced as you like.

Logis Hôtel Angers Sud sits 3 km from the centre of Angers, with 42 rooms that sleep one to three guests, so it suits couples or small families rather than larger groups. The restaurant cooks with fresh local produce, which saves heading back into town for dinner after a day at the château. The team helps plan visits to the city and the Loire vineyards, and pets are accepted.

Odalys City Angers Centre Gare gives families room to breathe: the city apartments are spacious, each with a kitchenette and a private bathroom, and family rooms are available. A continental buffet breakfast is served every day for mornings when nobody wants to cook. The lift helps with pushchairs and luggage, the 24-hour front desk handles late arrivals from the station, and pets are welcome. Private parking is available at extra cost.

Hotel Continental is a three-star, certified eco-friendly hotel in central Angers, on a quiet street in the pedestrian area, and I like that families can walk to the sights without traffic. The rooms are comfortable, soundproofed and air-conditioned, with a contemporary design, and WiFi is free. I would recommend it to families who want a calm night's sleep in the middle of the city and a short walk to everything.

Hôtel du Mail occupies a converted 17th-century convent on a quiet street behind Angers city hall, about 100 metres from the centre. That combination suits families well: the château and Saint-Maurice Cathedral are within walking distance, yet nights are calm. Behind the historic walls, rooms are modern, with flat-screen TVs and free WiFi. Pets are accepted for a supplement. With an 8.5 score from more than 1,200 reviews, it is one of the more characterful three-star options in town.

Hôtel De France stands directly opposite Angers-Saint-Laud TGV station, and I would recommend it to families arriving by train who want to drop their bags and head straight out. The Château d'Angers is a short walk away. A hot buffet breakfast is served in the dining area, or in your room if the children need a slow start. Staff are on hand 24 hours a day, there is a restaurant on site, and parking can be reserved for drivers.

Hotel Iena is a two-star hotel in Angers, less than five minutes on foot from both the train station and the medieval castle, and I recommend it to families arriving by train who want to start sightseeing straight away. Rooms are en suite with free WiFi, and most are served by a lift. Breakfast is a buffet in the breakfast room, or a continental tray brought to your room for a slower morning with children. There is also a bar.

For a family visiting Angers, this ibis is practical above all: the château and the cathedral are a short walk away, so the main sights need no car. Rooms are air-conditioned, which helps in summer, and the on-site restaurant and bar make dinner easy after a day of sightseeing. Families and pets are both welcome. It is a standard three-star chain hotel rather than a boutique address, but an 8.3 score from more than 1,400 reviews shows it delivers.

The Hôtel de Champagne stands directly opposite the TGV station in Angers, a short walk from the city centre, and I like it for families arriving by train who want to drop their bags straight away. Rooms are soundproofed, air-conditioned and contemporary, with en suite bathrooms and flat-screen TVs. The breakfast buffet offers fruit, yoghurts, cereals and croissants, with Fair Trade and organic options, and the hotel was the first in Anjou to earn the Ecolabel.

The Mercure Angers Centre Gare is a short walk from the Château d'Angers, so a family can see the fortress without the car. Rooms are air-conditioned and include hot drink facilities, handy for a quick breakfast in the room with young children. There is a restaurant and a lounge bar on site, a 24-hour reception and free WiFi throughout. Pets are accepted. Guests rate it 8.2 out of 10 across 316 reviews.

A kitchenette changes a family stay: breakfast at your own pace, a simple dinner after a long day, and drinks kept cold for the children. Appart'City Confort Angers offers fully equipped kitchenettes in serviced apartments close to the city centre, so the château and the old streets stay within easy reach. Pets are accepted, and private parking is available on site at extra cost, useful if you arrive with a car full of luggage.

Mercure Angers Centre de Congrès is a designer four-star in central Angers, directly opposite the botanical garden and the Congress Centre. The garden across the street is a handy green space for children, and the centre of town can be explored on foot. Rooms are air-conditioned and soundproofed, with free WiFi, a minibar and tea and coffee facilities. Breakfast is a daily buffet, there is a bar, and the front desk is open 24 hours. Guests rate it 8.2.

Angers Saint-Laud station is about 10 minutes away on foot, so a family arriving by train from Paris or Nantes can walk with children and bags, and a lift serves every floor. Rooms are air-conditioned, which matters in the Loire valley in July, and pets are accepted. The château of Angers, home of the Apocalypse Tapestry, is about 900 m away as the crow flies. The spa, with sauna and hammam, suits adults more than young children, and there is no pool. I would choose it for parents with older children who care about a good dinner, less for toddlers who need space to run.

Families arriving by train cross a single forecourt from the carriage to the lobby, and the hotel has triple and quadruple rooms, so four can share one key. The buffet breakfast is served each morning in the dining room, and a special diet can be requested when booking. The Château d'Angers, about ten minutes on foot, is the obvious outing, with its seventeen towers and the walk along the ramparts. What I would warn about: the lift only starts at the first floor, which matters with a pushchair or heavy cases, there is no pool or garden, and the rooms have fans rather than air conditioning, a real drawback in July and August. I would book it for a one- or two-night city stop with school-age children, not as a week's base in the Loire Valley, where a car and a countryside address suit families better.

ibis Styles Angers Centre Gare is under a 10-minute walk from Angers-Saint-Laud station and the city centre, which suits families travelling by train. Rooms are air-conditioned and individually decorated, each with a flat-screen TV and private bathroom, and high-speed WiFi is free. The 24-hour reception helps with late arrivals, and pets are accepted. There is a bar on site, and I would use it as a practical base for seeing the château and old town on foot.

The Hôtel Saint-Julien keeps a family stay in Angers simple: family rooms are available, pets are welcome, and the rooms are allergy-free, a real plus for children with sensitivities. A continental breakfast is served each morning, and the terrace gives everyone a spot to regroup. The concierge can help plan the day, and luggage storage is handy on arrival or departure, for example before a last visit to the castle. It is a practical three-star.

The château d'Angers, with its seventeen towers and the Apocalypse Tapestry, is a five-minute walk from this hotel, which is the strongest argument for a family. The station is about 400 metres away, so a family arriving by train can leave the car at home. Family rooms have parquet floors and town views, and a baby cot can be provided. Dinner downstairs is Japanese and Sri Lankan, a change for children tired of brasserie menus, but the restaurant closes on Sundays. Families with a wheelchair user or a heavy pushchair should note that the building is not accessible, and those who want a pool should look at larger hotels on the edge of town.

Ethic Etapes Lac de Maine is a holiday centre set in a 220-hectare park a short drive from the centre of Angers, with plenty of space for children to run around. It holds the European Ecolabel, and the restaurant serves organic dishes. A games room and a bar fill the evenings, and the 24-hour reception and free parking keep things simple for families arriving by car. Accommodation is basic and budget-friendly. Guests rate it 7.1 out of 10 across 229 reviews.

Le Royalty is in central Angers, a five-minute walk from Place du Ralliement, so a family can explore the old town without the car. Rooms are well equipped, with a private en suite bathroom, a TV and a telephone, and family-friendly rooms are available. A buffet breakfast is served each morning, which helps start the day with children, and WiFi is free and unlimited. Guests rate it 7.0 out of 10 across 202 reviews.