Charente-Maritime

Visit Charente-Maritime

Charente-Maritime is a very popular summer destination: La Rochelle is a lovely town set around a bustling harbour, while Ile-de-Re is popular with families looking for a sunny beach holiday. For a change head east to the marshes of the Marais Poitevin and spend some time exploring the quiet wataerways by boat

Selected places to visit in Charente-Maritime

Charente-Maritime sights and places to visit

Charente-Maritime is located on the Atlantic coast of western France , in the Poitou-Charentes region. The department extends from just north of La Rochelle to the Gironde estuary (north of Bordeaux) to the south.

The Charente-Maritime perhaps represents the transition zone from northern France to southern France. in part the department has a very warm micro-climate with a great deal of sunshine, and warmer conditions than you would expect.

The countryside is largely flat, small scale agricultural - sunflowers, maize etc - interspersed with small woodlands.

The highlight of the department is undoubtedly the port town of La Rochelle, a lovely and interesting small city with lots to enjoy and discover.

Heading south along the coastal region, the ramparts at Brouage, and Royan and the villages of Talmont and Mornac-sur-Seudre are popular resorts and attractions.

The beach resorts of mainland Charente-Maritime are not always exceptional, but there are treasures to be found - try La Palmyre north of Royan (visit the zoo while you are there) for example. Another town near the coast is at La Tremblade, on the Arvert peninsula, with its associated beach resort at Ronce-les-Bains.

Towards the south, see the interesting Meschers-sur-Gironde on the Gironde estuary near Talmont, above all for the interesting coastal troglodyte dwellings set in the cliffs. The spa town of Jonzac is also at the southern end of Charente-Maritime.

Heading inland a little within the Charente-Maritime there are some treasures to discover. To the north the Marais-Poitevin region of marshes and canals deserves exploration - take a boat trip for the best way to appreciate the unusual environment. Some of the inland towns with interesting historical sights include Marans and Surgeres and, heading further south, Rochefort and Saintes.

Islands off Charente-Maritime coast

Off the coast of Charente-Maritime there are several popular islands.

The most well known of these is Ile-de-Ré, off the coast from La Rochelle. A large island, it has many attractive beaches and several small towns and villages to admire. These include Ars-en-Ré to the north-west, Flotte-en-Ré to the south-east, and the centrally placed fortified town Saint-Martin-de-Ré.

The other main islands are at Ile d'Aix - home to Napoleons 'getaway' home - and the Ile d'Oleron, another large and popular island with beaches and small towns to discover found a little to the south of Ile-de-Ré.

You can also visit Fort Boyard, the sturdy castle built by Napoleon and made popular by a French 'action' quiz show.

There are many boat excursions available from the coast of Charente-Maritime, to see the islands, the Gironde estuary, the lighthouses, the coastline...these boat trips leave from many of the ports eg Royan, La Rochelle, Meschers (for the Gironde estuary), Marennes and Fouras (to see the oyster beds).

Nature reserves

For bird watchers and nature lovers there are several nature reserves in Charente-Maritime - each of these also organises guided visits -  that will enable you to see the flora and fauna in a natural habitat. See the lagoons at Rochefort; the natural reserve of Marais de Moeze Oleron (on the coast south of Rochefort); the natural reserve of Marais d'Yves (coast between la Rochelle and Rochefort); the Maison du Fier (at Portes-en-Ré on the Ile-de-Ré); and the Natural reserve of the Bay of Aiguillon (inlet north of La Rochelle).

The La Rochelle airport is a popular arrival point for visits to Charente-Maritime.

See a list of all Charente-Maritime communes

Page in French? See Charente-Maritime (Francais)