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Some places to visit in the Poitou -Charentes

How to spend your time with us:-

Historic places of interest/Archeology:

Historic places of interest/Archeology:
Visit the Romanesque Churches of Melle and the Abbaye Royal of Celles-sur-Belle or the Donjons of Niort. The Tumulus Museum at Bougon and the Gallo-Roman Amphitheatre at Saintes are all interesting days out

Melle has an Arboretum and Botanical walk of about 6km containing over a 1000 species of trees & shrubs from all over the world.

Food and Drink:

An hour's drive will get you to the town of Cognac on the banks of the river Charente - with guided tours of the leading Cognac producers.

Follow the Route du Chabichou and discover the goats cheese specialities of the region or sample 'Pineau des Charentes', the essential pre dinner aperitif.

For the younger ones:

The aquarium at La Rochelle is fantastic.
We are about an hour away from Futurascope, the science and technology park at Poitiers.
Closer to home is Zoodyssée near Chizé - an 'open air' zoo for all european animal species, including 'Sanglia' the very impressive wild boars, as well as wolves, vultures, reptiles etc.

The centre for saving the Poitou Donkey, specific to Poitou-Charentes is just up the road near Dampierre sur Boutonne.

Visit the 'La Vallée des Singes' (monkey Valley) at Romagne, this side of Poitiers - all the species run free in shady parkland.

Try the boating lake at St Savinien on the Charente with its 'scaled down big boats' for hire.

The Coast:

Head for La Rochelle, the old port with its narrow shop lined streets is a must. Nearby Fouras is a delightful small seaside town with several family friendly beaches.

Brouage in the same area is an ancient walled Naval town left high and dry inland due to silting up of this lowland area. The old stables house a range of craft/gift boutiques.

Visit l'île de Ré and l'île d'Oléron two beautiful islands - visit the small towns & museums or explore by bicycle

The historic Naval town & related museums of Rochefort is worth a visit too.

The Marais Poitevin:

The Marais Poitevin:
An area where water has replaced roads. Originally marshland which has been drained by man over the centuries to make it habitable. Hire punts and explore......

Birdwatching

We have seen hoopoes, woodpeckers, goldfinches, greenfinches and barn owls in our garden plus egrets and birds of prey in the surrounding countryside and storks nesting around the old, now landlocked, port of Brouage.
There are several reserves in the area including La Réserve Naturelle du Marais at Moëze.

Festivals

The Festival season starts from about July onwards and includes:- The International Film Festival and the Francofolies (rock) at LaRochelle, the Musical Academy festival at Saintes, Jazz at Parthenay plus a children's games festival and a Blues festival at Cognac.

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