Category: Poitou-Charentes

Capital city of the historic Poitou region, west-central France, Poitiers is a relaxed city with some high-octane thrill options on the doorstep.  Gillian Thornton went ...

If you have a taste for history, the pint-sized town of Cognac, with its royal castle and famous distilleries, will satisfy your soul, says Janine ...

The Vendée department of west France has long been the country retreat of Parisians. It’s a diverse and ancient landscape with woodlands, wetlands, and stunning ...

St Maixent l’École is a small town in the Deux-Sèvres region of Nouvelle Aquitaine (about 1 ½ hrs drive from La Rochelle). But for a ...

Once described by 16th century French monarch Henri IV as ‘the most beautiful river in the kingdom’, the Charente meanders leisurely through some of the ...

The department of Vienne in south-western France is a bit of a well kept secret. It’s in Poitou-Charentes (now called Nouvelle-Aquitaine), and though the capital, ...

La Rochelle in Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle Aquitaine, has a unique mix of charm and style. Steeped in history and rich in architectural treasures – no wonder ...

Cognac is a small bustling town in the Charente department in South West France. Home to just over twenty thousand souls, it straddles the navigable ...

The village of Talmont-sur-Gironde in Charente-Maritime was founded in 1284 by Edward I, AKA Edward Longshanks, ruler of Aquitaine and King of England (1272-1307). He ...

Saintes in the department of Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle Aquitaine (formerly Poitou-Charentes) is a surprising city. Not that well known to visitors or even to the French, ...