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Vienne, France travel guide

photo of Vienne

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Vienne is a department of central-eastern France in the north-east of the Poitou-Charentes region.

Places to visit in Vienne

In the heart of La Vienne is the largest town in the department, and the capital of the Poitou-Charentes region - Poitiers, with its many buildings of historical interest and lively centre.

Nearby and very popular is the theme park at Futuroscope.

Travel east from Poitiers to discover the medieval city at Chauvigny, and continue eastwards for the impressive Saint-Savin Abbey (world heritage site).

Anther highlight in the Vienne is the pretty village at Angles sur l'Anglin (north of Saint-Savin), with the curious prehistoric rock carvings at the 'Witches Rock' nearby.

You can also visit the abbey at Nouaille-Maupertuis.

There are numerous other attractions and places to visit across the department, which has many local museums and places of interest to see during your visit. Other popular towns include:

Montmorillon, the book lovers town in the south-east of the department
Loudun, and the old town around the 'square tower'
Moncontour - small town with a fascinating history and the nearby Chateau Oiron - see Moncontour
Civray, for the medieval buildings and the Saint-Nicolas church
Chatellerault, 'Descartes town' for the Saint-Jacques church and the 17th century bridge

Theme Parks, Fun and Nature

Futuroscope theme park, Poitou-Charentes

Vienne promotes itsef as a destination of amusement parks, animal parks, and outdoor leisure.

As well as the well known Futuroscope there are a couple of other theme parks, and a whole series of other family-focussed activities.

Nature - animals and gardens

Vienne is also great for animal lovers - travel from the Island of Serpents (La Trimouille) to the Valley of Monkeys (Romagne) via the new 'Crocodile planet' at Futuroscope and the eagle displays at Chauvigny!

Garden lovers will want to visit the extensive planned gardens in Magné in the east of Vienne, where an extraordinary range of plants set-off very well the original farm estate that stands here.

Note that Poitiers airport falls within the Vienne department.