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Laval, in the Mayenne département of France, is one of the country's designated "towns of art and history," and certainly has the credentials to merit the accolade.

The naïve painter Henri Rousseau was born here, and the town has an impressive 12th century château built on a rocky spur in its centre. The Cathédrale de la Trinité de Laval and the Basilique Notre-Dame d'Avesnières are also fine examples of ecclesiastical architecture with more than 1000 years of history.

Wander its winding streets lined with half-timbered houses in faded ice-cream colours; today some are filled with quirky antiques and clothes shops.

Laval is also a prime dairy production area - there are two cows to every person in the Mayenne - and this is reflected in the variety of cheeses and other dairy products available in fromageries and restaurants.

From this Saturday (November 30) to January 7, the town will host its annual Christmas illuminations, with lights laced in a canopy over the Aristide-Briand bridge. Illuminated fountains, up to 12 metres in height, will dance in the river Mayenne below.

Getting there

Rail Europe (0844 848 5848, raileurope.co.uk) has standard returns from London to Laval from £99pp. Hire car from Avis ( avis.fr) or Hertz (00 33 2 43 56 39 92; hertz.fr) both of which have branches opposite the train station.

Where to stay
Special treat
Château Le Bas du Gast (1) ((00 33 2 43 49 22 79; chateaulebasdugast.fr) has four guest rooms in Louis XV and XVI style, including one suite that can accommodate up to four people. Despite its central Laval location, the townhouse-turned-guesthouse has beautiful gardens and offers walled privacy. Rooms from €120 (£100), breakfast €11 (£9).
Mid-range
Château de La Villatte is a restored 19th-century pile about six miles from Laval's centre, and offers guests the chance to stay in immaculately-furnished, spacious château rooms at rates that offer excellent value for money. En-suite rooms come with local antiques and meals (dinners are available at extra cost) are presented on beautiful blue and white china. Rooms from €78 (£65), including breakfast. (Route de l'Huisserie, 53970 Montigné-le-Brillant; 00 33 2 43 68 23 76; lavillatte.com). Read a full review
Budget
Marin' hotel, near Laval train station and a 15-minute walk from the old town centre, is a two-star property that trades on being "a hotel that doesn't just pretend to be nice" and "an address that you would pass on to a friend." King-size beds (in superior rooms), free Wi-Fi and sound-proofed accommodation mean that what it lacks in designer furnishings, it adds in practicality and value for money. Rooms from €49.90 (£42); breakfast €7.50 (£6.30) extra. (00 33 2 43 53 09 68; marin-hotel.fr).

On arrival
5pm
Admire the festive lights displayed across the Quai Gambetta and the Aristide-Briand bridge (2), from 5pm until midnight between November 30 and January 7. Illuminated images are also reflected against the Renaissance buildings on Place de la Trémoille, but those across the river are arguably more impressive.
8pm
Take a dinner cruise down the Mayenne in the boat Vallis Guidonis, sailing between the lights reflecting off the water. Eat a menu prepared by the Maison Marsollier, a local restaurant known for its veal, duck, and seafood. Adults from €43 (£36), children from €27(£23) (00 33 2 43 49 46 46; laval-tourisme.com).

Day one
9am
If your visit coincides with a Tuesday or a Saturday, head to the food market in the car park opposite Rue Charles Landelle (3) (8am-1pm). Seasonal produce - apples, girolles, pumpkin and nuts - are on sale next to snails, cheeses and honey.
10am
In the 12th-century Old Château (4), tour the Naïve Art Museum (Place de la Trémoille; 00 33 2 43 53 39 89, laval-tourisme.com; adults €1, under 18s and students free; 10am-12 midday and 2pm-6pm daily except Mondays). Henri Rousseau, a major proponent of the movement, was born in the town and is buried in the public Jardin de la Perrine (see day two). The museum's collection also includes works by Henri Trouillard and André Bauchant.
11am
Take a guided tour of the Old Château's low chapel, used as a prison from the French Revolution until 1905, and the dungeon tower, where 60 per cent of the lower supporting timbers said to be are originals; there are fine views from here over Laval's old bridge. Ask your guide to point out the graffiti scrawled during the revolution that reads "vive le roi". In the low chapel, a lead sarcophagus was discovered 26 years ago, housing the skeleton of a former Countess of Laval, Anne d'Alègre. The lead case and the sheath in which her heart was buried are still here, although the skeleton is not.

Guided tours - the only way the low chapel and dungeon are open to the public- leave daily Tuesday-Saturday at 11am, 2.30pm and 4.30pm, Sundays and school holidays 2.30pm, 3.30pm and 4.30pm. Tours in English are possible if the majority of the group are Anglophone. Entry: €2 for adults (€1 if you have already paid for entry to the Naïve Art Museum), under 18s and students free. (Vieux Château, Place de la Trémoille, 00 33 2 43 53 39 89, laval.fr)
1pm
Lunch at modern restaurant L'Esprit Cuisine (5) for light French cooking with international twists: dishes include pan-fried veal with quinoa and chorizo jus and poached pineapple with hibiscus flower infusion. (8 rue Mazagran, 00 33 2 43 56 78 51, lespritcuisine.fr).
2.30pm
Visit the odd but intriguing Lactopôle museum (18, rue Adolphe Beck; 00 33 2 43 59 51 90; lactopole.com; tours €10), an enormous former cheese factory now home to a collection of 4,000 objects charting the history of the dairy production industry through the Lactilis empire, which manufactures Président products among hundreds of other brands. See everything from butter moulds and churns to Camembert production utensils and an array of 20th-century packaging and advertising material - and there is a cheese tasting at the end. By guided tour only (Monday to Friday at 2.30pm).
5pm
Stroll round the shops in the narrow lanes (6) surrounding the Place de la Trémoille: look out for the 170-year-old Pineau hat shop at 33 rue des Déportés, Franck Renault's cheese shop at number three on the same street, and the brocante Antik Ici et La at 17, Grande Rue.
7pm
Stop for a drink at Le Marais Café (7) (21 Bis Rue des Serruriers, 00 33 2 43 49 10 93) or Chez Martine (8) (22 rue du Pin Doré), both with pleasant outdoors seating near the Porte Beucheresse gateway in the old town walls.
8pm
Dine at L'épicurien (7 rue du Marchis, 00 33 2 43 49 90 00, hotel-perier-du-bignon.fr), the gourmet restaurant at the Hotel Perier du Bignon (9). Service in the hotel itself leaves something to be desired, but the restaurant serves excellent food with all the pomp one might expect from a French eatery: think amuse-bouches, suited waiters and a spirits sideboard. Reservations obligatory.

Day two
10am
Walk around the public Jardin de la Perrine (10), with detailed plant labelling and a small menagerie housing goats and budgies. Variegated holly drips with red berries and Jolie Môme roses pucker pink against the surrounding greenery.
11.30am
Visit the Cathédrale de la Trinité de Laval (11), with rich tapestries by the Manufacture de Felletin atelier and a triptych of St John the Baptist by Dutch painter Pierre Aertzen.

Laval checklist

1. Buy Trappe cheese, a mild but rich local product made by nuns at the Abbaye de la Coudre (00 33 2 43 02 85 85, abbaye-coudre.com) on the outskirts of Laval.

2. From Thursday December 12 to Sunday December 15, a Christmas fair takes place on the Place de la Trémoille with 70 chalet-style market stalls.

3. More information is available from tourisme-mayenne.com.

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Laval, in the Mayenne département of France, is one of the country's designated "towns of art and history," and certainly has the credentials to merit the accolade. The naïve painter Henri Rousseau was born here, and the town has an impressive 12th century château built on a rocky spur in its centre.

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Etymologically spoken, however, the name of Laval, in all likelihood, merely stands for "the valley" in French ("la vallée" in contemporary language), to capture the lush valley of the Mayenne river, wherein Laval is situated. This name commonly appears in other French location names, sometimes with a second word, such as in Laval-d'Aurelle ( Ardèche) or Laval-sur-Doulon ( Haute-Loire).

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Laval has stood here on the banks of the Mayenne, between Normandy and Anjou, for almost a thousand years.
A majestic castle standing high on a rocky outcrop, with its circular keep reflected in the river... it's picture-perfect for a postcard.

Laval, a Town of Art and History
Laval has been designated a Town of Art and History by the Ministry for Culture. This prestigious national seal of approval promises visitors a whole range of tourist services and special activities here, all based around the town's unique urban heritage. It also guarantees you'll receive a first-class welcome.

Laval's Castle and Museum of Naive Art
Laval castle , is an imposing edifice whose origins go back to the 11th century. Today it houses the Laval Museum of Naive Art , the finest collection of naive art in Europe. This is a fitting posthumous tribute to one of Laval's sons, the painter Douanier Rousseau.

Don't miss ...
The castle and its keep can be seen as you stroll the along the quays beside the Mayenne, or follow the narrow medieval streets that lead to the 13th- and 15th-century fortifications.
Also well worth a visit are the imposing Porte Beucheresse, which was the gate out of town towards Brittany, and the Maison du Grand Veneur (Head Huntsman's House) at the top of the Grande Rue.
At the Museum of Milk the guided tour will take you right to the heart of the French tradition of milk production. This is the world's largest milk and cheese museum, and its ultra modern, 5,000 square metre exhibition area will give you a full picture of all the different business activities related to milk.

Laval, a lively town
Throughout the year the Laval Area Tourist Office has lots of unusual ideas for activities. You can take a guided tour around the town by boat, on foot, or in the little tourist train, by day or by night, when there are dramatized tours by torchlight.
And let's not forget the kids; they can join in "heritage kids" tours, where they'll have a chance to play the part of explorers.

Laval, a country town
In Laval, you're never too far from nature.
How about stopping off amidst the flowers and greenery of the Jardin de La Perrine (La Perrine Gardens), where you'll have a beautiful view of the river and the castle. Here you can visit the Alain Gerbault Centre, a tribute to the Laval-born navigator.
Right in the centre of town you can board Laval's cruise-boat, the 'Vallis Guidonis', which offers a range of cruises through the heart of the town and the Mayenne valley.

Laval and virtual reality
The town of Laval has developed a technology centre that is at the very forefront of research into virtual reality.
Every year the 'Laval Virtual' exhibition attracts specialist companies from all over the world. And on the days when it's open to the public, crowds of visitors come to see the latest virtual reality innovations. When you visit Laval's castle, you'll see an impressive application of this research: a virtual reconstruction of Laval in 1750, developed by the Nautilus company.

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La Mayenne - Laval ville d'art et d'histoire

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Laval has stood here on the banks of the Mayenne, between Normandy and Anjou, for almost a thousand years. A majestic castle standing high on a rocky outcrop, with its circular keep reflected in the river... it's picture-perfect for a postcard.

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Laval France travel and tourism, attractions and sightseeing and Laval reviews

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Visit Laval,important town and regional centre in the Mayenne department of France