Beautiful surroundings in Mid-West France for a wonderful holiday
The Poitou - Charentes is the sunniest place in Central - West France with statistically the most hours of sunshine per year and an average temperature of 26 degrees. The region really is an ideal region in France: pleasant weather, a beautiful landscape, picturesque villages, cozy terraces, a relaxed atmosphere and an excellent regional cuisine.
In this region, you may need a France “Crit’Air” environment sticker.
There is a possibility that you will drive through a permanent or temporary environmental zone.
Check out our beautiful parks in the Poitou - Charentes region
Holiday region with lots of entertainment
The Poitou – Charentes is a department with many touristic activities. It is surrounded by the Atlantic coast and has well-known seaside resorts such as La Rochelle and Île de Ré. The Dordogne region is located south and the Loire is north of Poitou-Charentes. The city of Poitiers has plenty to do, see and experience just like Niort and Angoulème, two other beautiful cities in the area. These cities are perfect for shopping. The area also has small rolling hills and therefore great for walking and cycling. Part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela runs through the region, which is why there is a lot of religious Romanesque art in the region. The region also has a huge nature reserve: Marais Poitevin, a marshland where people sail in gondolas. A little further along you will find the Cognac region which is where Cognac comes from and also where the renowned house Courvoisier is located.
Puy du Fou, Futuroscope and Marais Poitevin
The area has a few of France’s best touristic attractions such as Puy du Fou, a huge park with attractions based on different periods of history. This park is highly ranked in the world ranking of theme parks, it even was number 1 at one point. Futuroscope, another fantastic theme park, is located in Poitiers and has loads of futuristic attractions/shows. The shows are all dedicated to the latest techniques in the field of film and multimedia. There is 900 m2 of IMAX movie screens, 4D effects and shows where you look into the future.
Regional dishes
- Eel dish Matelote d'anguilles
- Sauce aux Lumas (snails with red wine)
- Goat lamb with green garlic
- Country-made ham with salt and cognac
- Pineau is the most famous drink
Tourist activities and places of interest
- Walking
- Cycling
- Horse riding
- Swimming
- Canoeing
- Tree climbing course
- Golf at Golf des Forges
- Amusement parks
- Futuroscope theme park
- Puy du Fou animation park
- Animal parks
- Tourist villages
- Castles and fortresses
- Recreational lakes
- Marais de Poitevin
- Silver mine Melle
- Cognac
- Vineyards
- Wine tastings
- La Rochelle and île de Ré
- Shopping in Poitiers or Niort
- Festivals
- Events
- Markets
- Village festivals
