Gîte Self Catering Holidays in France

Gîtes-Le Bois de l'Église
email:- leboisdeleglise@yahoo.co.uk
call us at:-  +33 06 37 48 15 57
location : Le Bois de l’Église
                  Villiers Le Roux
                  Poitou Charente

Poitou-Charente Tourist Sights and Places to Visit


Poitou-Charente is on the western coast of France, facing the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay.  It is made up of 4 department regions, Deux-Sèvres to the north, Charente to the south, Vienne to the east and Charente-Maritime to the west.  Poitou-Charente has so much to offer the visitor with so much to see, do and enjoy. 

The Charente, where the Le Bois de l'Eglise is situated, has a reputation of being a quiet area where you can explore the rural area far from the crowds.  Close by are the picturesque and historic villages of Verteuil-sur-Charente and Nanteuil-en-Vallée with their excellent restaurants and cafes. There are  other great places to visit such as Angoulême with its ramparts and its captivating city centre with a mix of old and new and the unexpected, Cognac, with its focus on the famous brandy, Confolens which is home to the Festival de Folklore and Aubeterre-sur-Drone with its fascinating underground church. 

Vienne is where the regional capital Poitiers is situated.  The centre of the city with its historic buildings, street cafés and boulevards is a great place to explore and shop.  If you are into action rides, time machine and dancing robots then a trip to Futuroscope is a must for children of all ages.  Other recommended places to visit are the medieval market town of Chauvigny, with its five ruined castles and Anglles-sur-l'Anglin set on the river overlooked by a ruined castle and officially one of the most beautiful villages in France. 

Deux-Sevres department is to the north east of Poitou-Charentes and is best known for the Marais-Poitevin, a large area of canals and marshes.   The most important town in the department is the former medieval port of Niort on the Sevre-Niortaise river.  The town boasts a huge 12th-century castle built by Henry II and Richard the Lionheart.  Niort is a good base from which to explore the Marais-Poitevin. The region is perfect for exploring on foot, by bicycle or on horseback with hundreds of kilometers of tracks.  At Coulon you can hire a traditional “pigouille” (punt) with a boatman to explore the canals and marshes who will tell you about the marches and its plants and animals.  Moving on, the medieval centre of Parthenay is worth  visiting, with its cobbled streets leading to 13th  century ramparts and a drawbridge with twin towers.

Charente-Maritime is very popular with both French and overseas visitors for it attractions such as ile-de-Ré and the port of La Rochelle. The island of ile-de-Ré attract many visitors with its beaches and family friendly atmosphere.  In La Rochelle the Vieux Port with its many places to eat and it's chic boutiques and vibrant atmosphere is a great place to visit.  South of La Rochelle is the sea side resort Châtelaillon-Plage which boasts a 2.5 km of fine sandy beach, esplanade, casino, water park, and  thalassotherapy centre.  Continuing down the coast there are numerous interesting places such as the 17th century new town of Rochefort built around the port and naval buildings.

Le Bois de l'Église is perfectly placed to visit the attractions of Poitou-Charente.  All the tourist sights and places to visits described are between 40minutes and 2 hours of easy driving from Le Bois de l'Église.