Travel

Chateau du Pin is located outside the village of Champtocé-sur-Loire, 18 km (30-minute drive) west of the city of Angers in the province of Anjou. Angers is approximately 200 miles southwest of Paris (4+ hours by car or train and 95 minutes by TGV train) or about 60 km (hour drive) east of Nantes. Modern shopping centers, banks, hospitals, car rental agencies, and train station are in Angers. The nearest international commercial airports are located in Nantes and Paris.

DIRECTIONS: HOW TO GET TO CHATEAU DU PIN

By Car

From Paris (322 kilometers; about 200 miles or 4+ hours by car):

Take the Autoroute A10 to the west. Take A11 when it divides and head toward Chartres, Le Mans and Nantes.

For the past few years Cofiroute, the folks that operate the autoroutes in France, has been building a bypass to the west of Angers. This bypass is now open. If you do not want or need to drive through Angers, take the bypass.

About 18 km (15 miles) beyond Angers, take the exit (Sortie 19) marked "Chalonne". After the exit, pay the 1.70€ toll at St. Germain des Prés. (Toll fees are subject to change. Amounts mentioned were correct in the winter of 2011). Pass straight through the roundabout, onto a small paved road (between the large industrial buildings) marked by directional signs for "Jardins du Chateau du Pin". Follow the signs to the chateau. As you enter the farm of Le Pin, follow signs for the lodgers’ parking (a somewhat serpentine path between the barns) to the parking area set aside for our chateau guests.

If you wish to go the Angers from A11 (to visit the cathedral or castle, do some shopping, go to the train station etc,) exit at Sortie 18 and follow signs for “Centre Ville”. Note for experienced visitors to Le Pin. They have done recent work in and near Bouchmarine that has changed the 4-lane highway. Just make sure to follow signs to center ville or on return to Nantes.

From Nantes (60 kilometers, about 40 miles):

Take A11 towards Angers/Paris. There will be a 7.50€ toll in Ancenis. Take the exit (Sortie 19 marked "Chalonne").  After the exit, pass straight through the roundabout onto a small paved road (between the large industrial buildings) marked by directional signs for "Jardins du Chateau du Pin". Follow the signs to the chateau. As you enter the farm of Le Pin, follow signs for the lodgers’ parking (a somewhat serpentine path between the barns) to the parking area set aside for our chateau guests.

An alternative route to A11 is D723 (the old N23). It is the main non-toll road that runs between Angers and Nantes, paralleling the Loire. As you approach Champtocé-sur-Loire you will start to see signs for "Jardins du Chateau du Pin". Le Pin is approximately 3 km from the center of Champtocé.

By Train

Train service on the French railway (SNCF) is available to Angers from throughout France. The TGV fast train takes about 90 minutes from the Montparnasse station in Paris to Angers and 2-½ hours from Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) Terminal 2F. There are hourly trains from Montparnasse and roughly four trains from CDG per day.  TGV service requires reservations that can be procured at the station or on-line at www.tgv.com along with up to date timetables. The website has timetables and reservations from other cities as well. Note: the code for Angers is “Angers St Laud (49)”.

There is local train service (Ter service) to Champtocé that runs between Angers and Nantes.  There are usually four trains a day in both directions.  For an on-line schedule visit:
http://www.ter-sncf.com/pays_de_la_loire/carte_horaires/index.asp. Choose “04 Angers - Nantes” in the drop-down menu, then click on the link "04 Angers - Nantes" that appears, to see the timetable. There is a telephone at the Champtocé train station, but no taxi service.

Car Rentals

All the major rental car companies have offices and cars available at the station in Angers. Note that with the exception of Paris, rental car offices are closed on Sundays in France. If you are planning to arrive by train on Sunday, contact the Resident Manager beforehand to arrange a lift from the station to Le Pin.  Alternatively, taxis are always available at the station in Angers. Fares from the station (gare) to Le Pin are about 60€.

GPS Mapping Systems

If you are using GPS based navigation system, like TomTom or Onstar, the coordinates of Le Pin are: 47º 25’ 40” N; 000º 50’ 58” W.

The telephone number at the chateau is 02 41 39 97 41.

Easy-print directions