Poitou and Charentes - an area guide 

Area :

• Le Marais Poitevin - Venise verte. "Green Venice" covers much of the sea-level flat land inland from the coast, mostly in Deux Sèvres and Charente maritime. It is an area of slow moving rivers and channels, woods and fields. Boating and kayaking, angling, rambling and riding are among popular activities here. There is a good network of marked cycle tracks and the area is a haven for wildlife.

Charente department

• Angoulème (16) Attractive hill town, with an old but not particularly historic town centre. The cathedral, of romanesque origin, was extensively renovated in the 19th century.
• Aubeterre sur Dronne: (16) small town with unusual romanesque "monolithic" church, carved out of the rock. One of the "most beautiful villages in France" - consequently full of tourists in busy periods.
  
• Cognac (16) Visit the great cognac houses, and the cognac and pineau cellars.

Charente Maritime department

• Brouage; the citadel (17). Remarkable 17th century walled garrison town, birthplace of Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Quebec. Once a major Atlantic port, Brouage was abandoned, and survived just as a village on the Charentes fenlands. Off the beaten track, it has remained virtually unchanged, its fortifications rising from the marshes.
• La Rochelle (17); historic Altlantic port city, with medieval fortifications around the old port. The Aquarium at la Rochelle is one of the 20 most visited attractions in France. La Rochelle, which prides itself as the yacht-building capital of France, also has a maritime museum on board a historic ship.
• Rochefort (17). Small city just inland from the coast, once a major naval arsenal. Old naval buildings, including the old naval rope works, and the Maritime museum, with historic collection of model sailing ships, and a shipyard where a replica 18th century frigate, the Hermione, was recently built. Other interesting attractions include France's only surviving transporter bridge (no longer in use), and the unusual House of Pierre Loti, a French 19th century traveller, with its genuine Oriental interiors; and the Museum of historic shops....  a trip down memory lane for more elderly visitors.
• Royan (17) : classic seaside resort. The la Palmyre zoo is one of the best in France. Jardins du Monde offers a discovery of garden styles from round the world, plus a butterfly house.
• Saintes (17). Lying on the river Charente, Saintes was once the capital of the Roman province of Aquitaine. Today a small town, it is most famous for the Roman triumphal arch (Arch of Germanicus) and remains of the Roman amphitheatre and other remains from antiquity. The historic Abbaye aux Dames is the largest example of Saintonge romanesque architecture.
• Saujon (17). Train des Mouettes - the Seagull line - 21 Km from Saujon (between Royan and Saintes) to la Tremblade, along the estuary of the Seudre. Steam trains on weekdays in the holiday period.
• Saintonge: (17) a remarkable ensemble of 11th and 12th century romanesque churches, with magnificent carved porches and stonework. So many villages harbour marvels of medieval heritage, that sometimes they are not even signposted.
• Iles de Ré and Oléron - Popular offshore islands, accessible via road bridges from the mainland.

Deux Sèvres department

• Niort (79). The capital of the Deux-Sèvres department is a classic old French town. Though the outskirts are modern - Niort is home to the major French insurance cooperatives or "Mutuelles" - the old town is a sleepy ensemble of stone buildings dominated by a medieval castle overlooking the river Sèvre Niortaise .
• Parthenay (79) . Small town on the river Thouet, best known for its impressive medieval fortified bridge.

Vienne department

• Chauvigny (86) the town of the five castles. Five impressive castles and a romanesque church make up the medieval quarter of this old town built on a rocky spur beside the river Vienne, just east of Poitiers.
• Montmorillon (86). An attractive small town on the river Gartempe that has recently reinvented itself as a "book town", like Hay-on-Wye in Wales. The town has lots of shops and boutiques around the theme of books and writing, and also three museums and Notre-Dame church which has 12th century frescoes in the crypt.
• Poitiers (86), Regional capital, Poitiers is an old hill-town with an attractive old centre. The city is most famous for its ancient churches, including the medieval frescoes in  St. John's Baptistry, reputedly the oldest place of Christian worship in France, and the Notre-Dame la Grande church, one of the most famous and distinctive romanesque churches in France.
• Romagne (86) Near the Futuroscope. Valley of the Monkeys - Vallée des Singes - Over 400 primates from tiny ouistitis to large gorillas live on this 35 acre wildlife park. No cages, no fences. The animals live in semi-liberty on islands, some of them accessible to visitors, others clearly visible.
• Futuroscope (86) A future-based theme park, famous for its variety of high-tech cinemas including IMAX and 3D. ► More details and advanced booking
• St Savin sur Gartempe (86). UNESCO world heritage site, a romanesque abbey church with a remarkable collection of medieval frescoes.