Home > A variety of activities > Near the Venise Verte campsite

The Marais Poitevin is an exceptional tourist spot and throughout the season organises a variety of festivals in different places including art, documentary film, music and medieval spectacles.

Various shops as well as activities such as horseriding, golf and cinema are all easily accessible.

There are several places of cultural interest nearby:

• La Maison du Marais Poitevin in Coulon unveils the secrets of this protected region of natural beauty : 700m² exhibition and a cinema projection the Maraiscope
  
• The Ornithological Park and landing stage: wend your way along the shady waterways that criss cross the Marais area and view more than 70 species of the region’s birds and domestic animals. You can combine your tour of the waterways with a visit to the Park.
  
• Peaceful little hamlets in verdant settings are dotted along the banks of the canals
  
• In the four tourist offices in the area all the local traditions are displayed in an original and informative way:
  • Maison du Marais Poitevin in Coulon
  • Maison de la Mytiliculture in Esnandes
  • Maison du Petit Poitou in Chaillé les Marais
  • Maison de la Meunerie in Nieul sur l’Autize
    
• Le Baudet du Poitou is a donkey sanctuary where you can see how the Poitou donkey is raised and looked after.
  • Ferme Tillauderie
    17470 Dampierre sur Boutonne
    asineriedubaudet@cg17.fr
    
• The yellow iris flowers that are scattered across the countryside and much loved by water colour artists
  
• Fishing for all ages: carp, roach, perch, pike, or bleak
  
• A trip by boat reveals the wonderful magic of the Venise Verte

Places to visit less than an hour from the campsite:

• Maillezais Abbey: the old stones bear witness to the history of mankind from the simple dwelling of a humble peasant to the grand monastery of the monks.
  
• Le Cloitre de Nieul sur l’Autize: the Abbey and its cloister remain one of the few monastic complexes in the Poitou region that still has its three elements of church, cloisters and monastic buildings virtually intact.
  
• Le Centre Minier de Faymoreau: its mining centre recalls the glorious past of the village’s mining industry including a simulated descent to a renovated shaft : a tour that brings to life the work at the coal face.
  
• Melle has three separate tourist sights : its silver mine which was once the centre of the French Royal Mint, its "triade romane" three fine examples of Roman style churches and its fine arboretum with a 6km walk following an old railway track that introduces many different species of trees.
  
• Parthenay where the St Jacques area offers a fabulous journey through time back to the Middle Ages.
  
• Bougon: Tumulus museum where pre-historic man built 5 neolithic tumulus, 2000 years before the Egyptian pyramids were built
  
• Rochefort: Le Chantier d’Hermione (ongoing renovation of a splendid 18th century ship), La Corderie Royale to view ropemaking techniques, Pierre Loti ‘s house, two museums, Begonia conservatory…
  
• Futuroscope: enjoy yourself and learn at the same time
  
• La Rochelle: no need to introduce this wonderful town !

Activities and places to visit less than 2 hours from the campsite:

• Le Puy du Fou: a whirlwind of unique and extraordinary displays
  
• The islands: Ré, Oléron and the little island of Aix
  
• Oradour and its 2nd World War memorial

We invite you to consult our interactive tourist map of west Atlantic coast of France to find all this information,
with in addition some pictures and links of their web site when they are available:

Have a look at the tourist map of the Atlantic west coast of France