CôteAtlantic Atlantique Coast La Rochelle Marais poitevin Cognac Country Futuroscope DESTINATIONSDESTINATION POITOU-CHARENTES Poitou-Charentes Tourist Board Press Pack 2013 Press Pack Atlantic Coast & Cognac Country Poitou-Charentes www. holidays-france-atlantic.com Sandrine PAILLONCY - [email protected] CRT Poitou-Charentes - 8 rue Riffault - BP 56 - 86002 POITIERS CEDEX Tel : +33 (0)5 49 50 10 50 - Fax : + 33 (0)5 49 41 37 28 CôteAtlantic Atlantique Coast La Rochelle Marais poitevin Cognac Country Futuroscope DESTINATIONSDESTINATION POITOU-CHARENTES Edito Situated on the Atlantic Coast between Nantes and Bordeaux, Poitou-Charentes is particularly well known thanks to certain destinations: - La Rochelle – Ile de Ré - The Coast ( Ile d’Oléron, Royan, and Rochefort) - Futuroscope - Poitiers - Cognac country - The Marais Poitevin (Green Venice) Profile 1 700 000 inhabitants Wellbeing t Six thalassotherapy centres 4 ‘Departements’ t Seven spas t Charente (16) t Charente-Maritime (17) Nature t Deux-Sèvres (79) t Five major walking routes t Vienne (86) t 826km of road to Santiago de Compostela t 2950 km cycle tracks The coast t 2195 km mountain bike tracks 460 km of coastline t 220 km navigable roads 110 km of beaches t 20 Golf courses Four Islands : Oléron (the second biggest island in France after Corsica), Ré, Aix and Madame Heritage Eight churches are classified by the Unesco World Heritage organisation of which six ares situated on the road to Santiago de Compostela: the Churches of St Hilaire of Poitiers and Melle, the Church of St Pierre d’Aulnay- de- Saintonge, the Royal Abbey of St Jean d’Angély, the Church of St Eutrope of Saintes and the Hospital Table of of Pilgrims of Pons. Two outstanding sites are registered by Unesco World Heritage: the Abbey of St Savin contents (classified at the UNESCO for 30 years - 2013 celebrates the anniversary) with her recently restored frescoes and St Martin de Ré which is within the framework of the network Vauban (since 2008). Destinations 5 Cities and Villages New accommodation 15 Five cities and seven territories have the label ‘country of art and history’: Poitiers, Rochefort, Saintes, Royan, Itineraries 19 Cognac, Pays d’Angoumois, Pays Thouarsais, Pays de Parthenay, Pays Montmorillonais, Pays Mellois, Pays & Confolentais, Pays de l'Ile de Ré. Festivals Events 27 Six villages are among ‘ The Most Beautiful Villages in France’ : Angles-sur-l’Anglin, Ars-en-Ré, La Flotte, Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, Mornac-sur-Seudre and Talmont-sur-Gironde. PRESS CONTACT : Sandrine PAILLONCY - Tel: + 33 (0)5 49 50 26 55 - [email protected] Gillian GREEN - Magellan PR - Tel: +44 (0)14 8357 0804 - [email protected] CôteAtlantic Atlantique Coast La Rochelle Marais poitevin Cognac Country Futuroscope DESTINATIONSDESTINATION POITOU-CHARENTES Map and Access EDIMBOURG GLASGOW DUBLIN MANCHESTER LEEDS EAST MIDLANDS CORK BIRMINGHAM BRISTOL LONDRES SOUTHAMPTON PARIS TGV FUTUROSCOPE POITIERS LA ROCHELLE ANGOULEME BORDEAUX Ryanair Flybe EasyJet Jet2 Eurostar + TGV By boat Brittany Ferries, Condor Ferries, Norfolkline, P&O-Ferries, SpeedFerries Ltd, LDLines DFDS , MyFerryLink and Irish Ferries have regular links with the French Channel ports. All the ports are within half a day drive of Poitou-Charentes. By road From the north of France, from Normandy, Brittany and Paris, main roads lead to Poitou-Charentes. From the north follow the directions towards Bordeaux and then Poitiers or La Rochelle. The A10 motorway and Nationale10 road link Poitiers to Bordeaux and A837 and Nationale 137 road link La Rochelle to Saintes via Rochefort. By train Rail Europe: From London-St Pancras via Lille-Europe or via Paris: daily services to Poitiers and Angoulême. For example, from London-St Pancras to Poitiers via Lille-Europe: around 3h30. From Paris - Montparnasse station: with the TGV Atlantique, to Futuroscope train station (1h20), to Poitiers (1h30), Angoulême (2h15), Niort (2h15) and La Rochelle (3h). From Bordeaux there are services to Angoulême (50 minutes) and Poitiers (1h35). By air Access from the main cities in UK and Ireland The two airports of the region La Rochelle and Poitiers are directly linked to main cities of UK and Ireland. > La Rochelle airport: www.larochelle.aeroport.fr > Poitiers airport: www.poitiers.cci.fr/aeroport/ Some routes are seasonal. Other airports : Nantes, Tours, Bordeaux and Limoges. PRESS CONTACT : Sandrine PAILLONCY - Tel: + 33 (0)5 49 50 26 55 - [email protected] Gillian GREEN - Magellan PR -Tel: +44 (0)14 8357 0804- [email protected] PARIS Poitou- Charentes MAINE-ET-LOIRE Les Trois-Moutiers TOURS/PARIS Vignobles du Thouarsais Loudun INDRE-ET-LOIRE Argenton-les-Vallées Thouars hemins de St-Jacques Argent Mauléon on e Dangé-St-Romain N149 Monts-s.-Guesnes Div D938 A10 E05 Sèvre Nantaise DEUX-SEVRES D34 St-Gervais- atrimoine Mondial de l’UNESCO 7 les-Trois-Clochers D910 BRESSUIRE Saint-Varent Creuse N149 Moncontour us beaux villages de France 26 Cerizay D725 Thouet Thouaret Airvault CHÂTELLERAULT Autoroutes / n° de sortie Plan d’eau Mirebeau Lencloître St-Loup- 27 du Cébron Lamairé N149 Routes à chaussées séparées, Vignobles du Haut-Poitou D910 Pleumartin D938 axe principal Moncoutant 8 Thénezay Plan d‘eau de St-Cyr D93 Neuville- Vouneuil-s.-Vienne Routes secondaires de-Poitou Angles-s.-l’Anglin INDRE 28 St-Georges-les-Baillargeaux PARTHENAY N149 Principales voies ferrées VENDEE N149 Thouet Vouillé 29 D749 éroports Secondigny POITIERS St-Savin-s.- D951 Mazières- D951 Chauvigny Gartempe 10 Km re NANTES en-Gâtine Boiv 30 D743 St-Julien-l’Ars Coulonges- Autize sur-l’Autize Champdeniers- Ménigoute Vonne enne St-Denis Vi Ga La Trimouille r Clain N147 te A10 E05 La Villedieu- mpe A83 E03 Lusignan N10 31 du-Clain St-Maixent-l’École D611 Vivonne Lussac-les- 10 Châteaux Gençay MONTMORILLON D648 D611 La Mothe-St-Héray 11 Sèvre Niortaise NIORT VIENNE Coulon D950 Marans MARAIS POITEVIN 32 D741 Couhé N147 ÎLE DE RÉ Frontenay- Prahecq Courçon Rohan-Rohan Lezay N11 Celles-s.-Belle St-Martin-de-Ré 33 N137 L’Isle-Jourdain Ars-en-Ré Melle Lac de La Flotte 0 Chardes Mauzé-s.- Beauvoir- N1 LA ROCHELLE le-Mignon sur-Niort D115 La Jarne Sauzé- Clain Civray Aytré Aigrefeuille-d’Aunis Vaussais Charroux D948 Availles- N137 Brioux-s.- Limouzine Boutonne Chef-Boutonne Surgères Boutonne ÎLE D’OLÉRON D939 A10 E05 D950 Loulay ÎLE D’AIX D737 Charen HAUTE-VIENNE Aulnay Ruffec D650 Villefagnan te Champagne- ÎLE MADAME 31 ROCHEFORT Tonnay-Boutonne Mouton 32 CONFOLENS St-Pierre-d’Oléron 33 34 Boutonne 34 ST-JEAN-D’ANGÉLY Tonnay- e Charente CHARENTE- Le Château Charente A837 E602 enn N137 d’Oléron CHARENTE Vi MARITIME Aigre St-Claud St-Savinien N150 Matha D733 Mansle Chabanais St-Agnant St-Hilaire-de- N141 LIMOGES Villefranche Lacs de Marennes St-Porchaire D939 Haute Charente Charen St-Amant- de-Boixe Lavaud Mas-Chaban Lac de te La Tremblade Rouillac Cadeuil Burie 1 35 4 Montembœuf D73 Vignobles du Cognac N1 Mornac- 1 SAINTES La Rochefoucauld s.-Seudre N141 COGNAC Char N10 N150 ent e Jarnac N14 N141 1 Gond-Pontouvre D733 Hiersac Seug Ruelle-sur-T. Montbron ne ANGOULÊME ROYAN D730 Se u Segonzac Soyaux dre Cozes Pons Gémozac La Couronne 36 Châteauneuf- s.-Charente Talmont D137 Né N10 A10 E05 Barbezieux- St-Genis-de- Villebois-Lavalette Saintonge Vignobles du Cognac St-Hilaire Blanzac-Porcheresse D730 JONZAC DORDOGNE Seugne D137 Baignes- Montmoreau-St-Cybard Mirambeau Ste-Radegonde 37 0 Brossac D731 N1 Montendre D674 Chalais Montlieu- Aubeterre-s.-Dronne la-Garde Montguyon BORDEAUX D73 GIRONDE 0 CôteAtlantic Atlantique Coast La Rochelle Marais poitevin Cognac Country Futuroscope DESTINATIONSDESTINATION POITOU-CHARENTES Destinations Atlantic Coast La Rochelle Marais poitevin Cognac Country Futuroscope PRESS CONTACT : Sandrine PAILLONCY - Tel: + 33 (0)5 49 50 26 55 - [email protected] Gillian GREEN - Magellan PR -Tel: +44 (0)14 8357 0804- [email protected] 6 CôteAtlantic Atlantique Coast La Rochelle Marais poitevin Cognac Country Futuroscope DESTINATIONSDESTINATION POITOU-CHARENTES La Rochelle Historic Atlantic Port Founded in the tenth century, La Rochelle started as a town of fishermen and salt merchants. Always turned towards the sea, this major port built its expansion on the salt and wine trade. Razed by Richelieu, the town still has visible vestiges of medieval walls. The Old Town, once a prominent Huguenot and Protestant enclave, is characterised by medieval houses with facades sculpted during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, streets with arcades and private mansions of big shipowners. La Rochelle has four ports: the Old Port with its iconic towers, the commercial port - La Pallice, the fishing port ‘Chef de Baie’ and the Minimes Port which is the premier European pleasure port with 3,500 slips. The Minimes Port welcomes the ‘Grand Pavois’, a famous European nautical show every September. Thanks to protective ramparts put in place in the 1970’s, the town has safeguarded its historical centre, particularly its medieval and Renaissance architecture. The modern areas of the town are close to the Old Centre, notably the ‘Gabut’ quarter with its painted wooden buildings and the area near to the Minimes Port. Nowadays visitors come to the town to stroll down the streets and around the ports. La Rochelle welcomes over three million tourists annually, 25% of which are foreigners, making it the third most visited town in France. The Bunker of La Rochelle Concealed beneath three metres of concrete, the bunker of La Rochelle was built by the Germans in the Second World War to lodge the officers of the ‘Kriegsmarine’. Today it houses a museum that traces the history of the inhabitants of La Rochelle during the Newly 5* occupation. It is situated at 8 Rue des Dames, La Rochelle and opens at the Hotel Résidence de France***** start of the school holidays in February 2013. Opening hours are Wherever the French have an Embassy, between 10am and 7pm.