Bécon-Les-Granits: Granite History and Trails

Granite quarrying, historic buildings, trails and diving activities give Bécon-Les-Granits a range of attractions for visitors. Depending on your interests, you can focus on cultural history, the bocage landscape or water sports. Granite links the museum with the dive site as a common theme.

Granite and Local History

The Musée du Granit presents the secrets of granite quarrying in four exhibition rooms. A 1.5-hour guided tour takes you through a 500-square-metre exhibition. The tour’s duration gives you a concrete point of reference for planning your time; the rooms and exhibition area also define the scope of a visit to the museum.

Outside, the museum displays monumental and unusual pieces of granite, as well as equipment and machinery from earlier times. You can therefore encounter the subject of granite quarrying both in the exhibition rooms and outside, among the stones and machines. The use of the material is also part of local history: granite from Bécon was used to pave the Champs-Élysées. Tour details, exhibitions and outdoor displays may change; check the museum’s current information before your visit.

Historic Buildings

The Château de Landeronde is partly classified as a Monument historique and partly listed as a Monument historique. The two heritage-protection statuses each apply to parts of the building. The Château du Bois-Guignot includes a 19th-century chapel and a dovecote. The two buildings therefore have different features to note: Landeronde’s partial heritage-protection status, and two specific structures at Bois-Guignot.

Trails in the Bocage

Three different points of reference can help you choose a route: ground markings, bocage scenery and railway history. The “Le tour de Bécon en 80 minutes” route is marked on the ground; check the route locally if needed. The Sentier du Bocage is a hiking trail in the heart of Bécon’s bocage landscape. The Sentier du Granit includes remains of the Petit-Anjou railway, which operated in Loire-Atlantique and Maine-et-Loire until 1948. This lets you choose between a marked route, a landscape-focused trail and a route connected to industrial history.

Diving in Bécon-Les-Granits

Maïtaï Plongée in Bécon-les-Granits offers introductory diving and underwater snorkelling for families with children aged 8 and over; fins, snorkels and wetsuits are provided. The minimum age is a specific point to consider if you are planning the activity as a family. Maïtaï Bécon Plongée’s diving courses range from a first introductory dive to training as a diving instructor. The course programme therefore covers both getting started and a more advanced training path. Maïtaï Bécon Plongée is located in a former granite quarry, linking the diving experience to the site’s former use. Activity details may change; check the latest information before making plans.

Discover more destinations: Charcé-Saint-Ellier-Sur-Aubance, Parçay-Les-Pins, Vernantes, Loiré, Montsoreau, Clefs-Val D'anjou, Saint-Pierre-Montlimart, Marcé

For the overview of the wider region: Maine-Et-Loire.