Musée des Blindés — Attraction in Saumur

As an avid amateur historian, I became a member of the Musée des Blindes quite a few years ago as it's on my doorstep and I visit quite often. Each time I do visit, I usually end up finding something that I hadn't seen before, or some other detail pops out that I hadn't noticed. So a visit is never, ever wasted here. The staff are friendly and always ready to help. The static displays are made even more interesting when you realise that a good percentage of these machines still move under their own steam! The Tigre Royale (King Tiger) is the only example in the world that's still running. If you get the chance to visit around Pentecot (end of May), then do. There's the International Concours de Maquette (Model competition), that's fast becoming one of the foremost displays of its kind in France. Over the two days there are two displays of the tanks outside on the parking lot, and if you're lucky - you'll get to hear the Tiger II growl menacingly!

The only real downsides are the prices of plastic kits and other goodies in the museum shop. Very much on the expensive side when compared to both online prices as well as a local store. The other thing is the lack of a decent café. Often, it's the dads and boys that'll spend an hour or two here, leaving mums and sisters in the seating area by the Accueil. There are a couple of vending machines and plenty of seating and tables, but a café (as at Bovington, UK) would be a very welcome addition, not to mention a potential, additional income stream. It loses a star for me because of these two minor grumbles.

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Wow ... I don't have the words to explain how my son and I felt when we visited recently. My son is 18, and is a gigantic war history buff. We live in Arizona, but made the trip to France specifically for this museum. We did other stuff while in France, but this was literally the reason why we came. And it did not disappoint. The sheer scale of this place, when you walk inside, is breathtaking. Breathtaking. And then as you spend easily the next few hours, walking around and learning, it becomes even more unbelievable. My son knew just about every single vehicle under that roof. He had a smile from one ear to the other the entire time. He'd come running up to me to point something out, with so much excitement, that I was blown away. I am a fan of war history as well, and have been for quite a while. So this place clearly rang with me as well. If you have a chance, no matter how slim, to visit this museum, you really do owe it to yourself to go. My son's high school graduation gift was to go to Germany, to see some museums. But after this we're broadening the scope. Oh, and the city it's in is really really lovely...

Today we visited the Tank Museum, and it was an impressive experience. The collection features well-maintained tanks from different eras, covering everything from the early days of tank development to modern military vehicles. The museum was almost empty, which was surprising, given how interesting the topic is.

The ticket price was just 11 euros per person, which felt very reasonable considering how expensive it must be to maintain such a collection. Each tank has an informational stand, also available in English, detailing its technical specifications and historical use, making it easy to learn more about each vehicle.

One unique feature was the use of mannequins on some tanks and equipment, helping to visualize how soldiers would have operated them. The exhibition includes legendary tanks like the Tiger, Tiger II, T-34, and Panther, alongside many other iconic war machines.

One downside was that the bathrooms were not working, which was inconvenient. But overall, for anyone interested in military history, engineering, or simply impressive machines, this museum is absolutely...