The Good Life France Magazine




The Good Life France Magazine brings you the best of France - inspirational and exclusive features, fabulous photos, mouth-watering recipes, tips, guides, ideas and much more...


Published by the award winning team at The Good Life France

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SUMMER 2026

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  • France
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  • French culture
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Brimming with brilliant features and beautiful photos - bursting with inspiring, entertaining and informative guides from sun-kissed, pickled-in-the-past villages and dazzling historic cities, plus articles about French history, heritage and culture from royal feasts to to the Roman Pont du Gard in Provence. Discover Paris, Provence, Saint Paul-de-Vence and more picture perfect Provence villages, the Loire Valley, the sun-kissed Var in southern france and Le Cannet, the arty town above Cannes, Brittany, Normandy and lesser known, but utterly beautiful, treasures in Burgundy, southern France, Vienne, cities that are perfect for a car-free break, stunning seaside towns and many more dazzling destinations. Plus mouth-watering recipes, history, culture, heritage and much, much more. Bringing France to you - wherever you are.

Angers is a mix of

Angers is a mix of contrasts - old and new. Trams whizz around the city with its mighty medieval castle, there are museums galore, a vibrant cultural life, and it’s one of France’s greenest cities. It’s also home to a unique cutting-edge theme park dedicated to plants, and a mysterious island that you can only reach by hand-pulled cable ferry. Janine Marsh explores this Loire Valley gem. Château d’Angers © Romain Bassenne Destination Angers ANGERS in the Loire Valley A city of Secrets and surprises Angers began as a Gallic settlement before becoming the Roman town of Juliomagus. Its strategic position made it a key stronghold throughout the centuries, but the city really came into its own in the Middle Ages as the seat of the powerful Plantagenet dynasty. In the 13th century, King Louis IX (AKA Saint Louis) ordered the construction of the formidable Château d’Angers, still one of the most impressive fortresses in France, which dominates the city today as it has for centuries. With 17 huge bastion towers, and enclosed by walls 600m long, the castle looks fearsome, but it was even more imposing before two storeys were demolished in the late 1500s. King Henri III actually ordered the whole building to be destroyed but the job was delayed, the king died before it was complete, and so the castle was saved. The walls have an interesting striped appearance due to the use of local shale and white limestone. And the dry moat, where once animals roamed during the reign of Good King René (who was actually never a King of France but was King of Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem, and was considered a good ruler of his provinces) is now planted with gorgeous gardens. Inside the castle, the world famous “Apocalypse Tapestry” portrays the apocalypse as described by Saint John in the Bible. It was commissioned by Good King René’s grandfather, Duke Louis I of Anjou. Created between 1373 and 1380, it is an Statue of Good King René in front of the Château d’Angers La Cité amazing medieval artwork with an astonishing history. When René left Angers for Provence, turfed out by his nephew King Louis XI in 1471, he donated the tapestry, 130m long originally, to the Cathedral of Angers, who later tried 8 | The Good Life France Apocalypse tapestry © Alexandre Lamoureux Destination Angers The Good Life France | 9

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