Pays d'Aunis and the Coastline, La Rochelle, Rochefort and Marennes

The Aunis region, a sedimentary plain of limestone and marl, includes:

• To the north, the Poitevin marsh and the Green Venice, a maze of water and greenery, with incomparable flora and fauna;
• To the east and south, Saintonge and to the west, the coast, with its capital La Rochelle. The Aunis region displays its Romanesque churches, the pride of its towns and villages. Its coasts with the seaside resorts of Châtelaillon-Plage, Fouras, the interior of its lands with Marans, gateway to the Poitevin marsh, Rochefort or Surgères. They constitute an authentic territory full of history.
• The Seudre estuary extends to the south, with Marennes, the birthplace of the oyster.

La Rochelle, maritime tradition

History

La Rochelle was once a fishing village, then a trading port for salt and wine. A Protestant city, envied for its prosperity by Richelieu and Louis XIII, it was the object of a siege with famine. Its mayor, Jean Guiton, appealed in vain to the English. The city surrendered in 1628, having lost 4/5 of its population.

In the 18th century, the city launched into the slave trade and became a major slave port. This economic prosperity ended in the 19th century. The old port, the city's emblem, is framed by the Saint-Nicolas and Chaîne towers.

Today, the town is home to a fishing port with an ultra-modern fish market at La Pallice and a marina, the largest in Europe, at Les Minimes.

Events not to be missed

• La Rochelle is also known for its Francofolies festival, created by Jean-Louis Foulquier, who has since passed away. It has become a reference in French-speaking songs, attracting around a hundred artists, as many concerts and thousands of festival-goers every summer.
• Another important event: the Grand Pavois. This is the benchmark boat show that welcomes all sailing enthusiasts.
• Also don’t miss the La Rochelle International Film Festival.

Activities in La Rochelle

La Rochelle is a pleasant, very sunny city where you can go for a bike ride. It is also one of the first cities to have created cycle paths and self-service two-wheeler rental. Special feature: the sea bus. It allows you to go from one bank to the other and to go from the old port to the port of Minimes, a few kilometers away.

It is pleasant to stroll through the old town, to walk under the arcades, to admire the elegant residences and private mansions from the 18th/19th century, to go to the old market square.

Several museums enhance a visit to La Rochelle:

• The Maritime Museum ;
• The New World Museum ;
• The Museum of Fine Arts ;
• The Natural History Museum ;
• The Orbigny-Bernon Museum...

The Aquarium of La Rochelle allows you to visit the marine depths of our coasts but also of other continents, with more than 12,000 varieties of fish and marine animals.

SURGÈRES AND ITS BUTTER

MARANS

A marina at the gateway to the Poitevin marsh, Marans is a former fortified stronghold designed to defend the Sèvre estuary. It is naturally protected by vast marshes that stopped any approaching invaders. Its port, located a few kilometers from the Aiguillon Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, experienced heavy traffic at the time before seeing its activity stopped to become the marina that we know today.

• You will enjoy strolling through its pleasant streets and alleys and enjoying the tranquility of the place due to its small size. Discover its architectural heritage by visiting the Saint-Étienne church founded in the 12th century. The remains still standing make this church a little gem of Charente's religious heritage.
• The castle, of which only ruins remain today, has experienced many adventures over the centuries. The ruins, listed as Historic Monuments, are evidence of a past life full of twists and turns.
• Other historical, archaeological and local documents are exhibited at the Cappon Museum which traces the entire history of Marans. It allows the most curious to learn a little more about this Charente town.

Marans is also renowned for its many local products such as its famous chickens and their red eggs, its fruits and vegetables (the famous red bean of Marans!), its seafood and its spices.

Marans is located on a major road, not far from La Rochelle. The port is therefore an ideal destination for visiting some other famous sites in Charente. Several boat trips (electric or with thermal engines) are offered, with a wide choice of circuits, to discover the marshes and its surroundings.

Châtelaillon-Plage, former capital of Aunis

It became famous with the first sea bathing in 1870. With its retro charm , the town attracts attention with, along its seafront, beautiful villas typical of the seaside architecture of the Belle Époque. It is a very sunny seaside resort with a huge beach and a casino. On the Boucholeurs beach, mussels and oysters are farmed. To the south, around a large lagoon, you can discover the Yves marsh nature reserve, with its remarkable biodiversity.

Several events take place every year in Châtelaillon-Plage.

• Come and discover the Kite Festival : it usually takes place on Easter weekend or in the surrounding area. It brings together all those who are passionate about these flying objects that fascinate young and old alike.
• Also discover the local festival “ Chatel en Fête ” where all the inhabitants gather around a theme that can be found on market stalls, in the streets and in parades.
• Finally, the Boucholeurs festival takes place in August. It offers all its participants the chance to discover its local heritage, particularly oyster and shellfish farming. Old-fashioned games are also in the spotlight and seafood tastings await the most gourmet.

All of these festivities give a very good overview of the activities and heritage of Charente in these seaside regions.

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Fouras, the first seaside resort

This small family seaside resort on the Aunis coast is one of the very first centres of the early days of seaside tourism in Charente-Maritime. It is pleasant to walk through its pine forests, tamarisks and holm oaks. Surrounded by fortifications built on an old feudal castle by Vauban to resist invaders, it is a stronghold at the mouth of the Charente. Fort Vauban houses a 12th century crypt and today a regional history museum. Fort Enet completes this arsenal.

Fouras is the starting point for going to the island of Aix or for approaching Fort Boyard, which you can see on sunny days from the South beach.

Rochefort and its arsenal

Inland, 15 km from the mouth of the Charente, the town owes its growth to its maritime and military past. Rochefort now has significant tourist activity. It is also the 6th spa town in France.

The city has the prestigious label of City of Art and History, as its heritage and conservation are intact. Its arsenal born by the will of Louis XIV and built under the authority of Colbert was one of the most important, the most beautiful, with shipyards, foundry, careening basins, rope factory. Many ships and frigates were built until 1926, when it closed. The rope factory was burned down during the war and restored in 1976, with its superb 17th century facade 374 m long. Today it houses tertiary activities and the International Center of the Sea. A superb public garden is laid out around the building.

A stone's throw away, a titanic construction site was launched in 1997: the construction of an identical version of the frigate Hermione which brought La Fayette to America in 1780. The vessel has since left its home port for a voyage to America.

You can also, while strolling in the city center, visit:

• The house of the orientalist writer Pierre Loti ;
• The Museum of Art and History ;
• The National Maritime Museum ;
• The museum of old-fashioned shops...

Another curiosity, to the south of the city, the Martrou transporter bridge. It is the only one still in operation, classified as a historic monument.

Hiers-Brouage, port in the marsh

A small fortified town between Rochefort and the island of Oléron, Hiers-Brouage was once one of the busiest ports on the Atlantic coast for the salt trade.

Today, a marsh has taken its place, sheltering a fauna and flora of great diversity. It has the label "Grand site national". Its many historic buildings: royal gate, royal forge, food hall, cooperage, powder magazine... and its ramparts 13 m high and more than 2 km long, offer bastion, curtain walls and watchtowers. Find a superb view of the marsh with its oyster port which constitute an unusual place for a walk.

Marennes, oyster capital

Located on the Seudre estuary, Marennes, once surrounded by salt marshes, is the birthplace of the oyster, which made it famous throughout the world. Formerly an island in the Gulf of Saintonge, now attached to the continent, Marennes has forged a solid reputation with its oyster basins and its small multi-coloured huts.

The port of Cayenne and its 4 km channel is the starting point for visits to the oyster parks and the claires used to refine the oysters. You can let yourself be guided through the Cité de l'Huître, on foot or by bike, to learn all about the history, culture and gastronomy of this delicate mollusk with such delicate flesh. The Seudre estuary supplies almost half of the oysters consumed in France.

Along the right bank of the Seudre, you can stop at Marennes-Plage and enjoy sunbathing on the developed beach.

On the left bank of the Seudre, we discover one of the most beautiful villages in France: Mornac-sur-Seudre. With its white flowered houses, its small fishing port, its alleys and its covered markets, it is a picturesque oyster and craft village. Its fortified medieval church is famous for its chevet classified as a historic monument.

La Tremblade, going up the left bank, is also a very important oyster port.

To discover the Seudre estuary in an original way, you can also take the Train des Mouettes, from La Trembalde to Saujon. It is the only steam locomotive still in service in Charente-Maritime.

© Philippe Devanne - Fotolia.com