Poitiers & Futuroscope

A city of Romanesque architecture, with summer-night projections on the façade of Notre-Dame-la-Grande, the Futuroscope theme park to the north, and the UNESCO-listed Saint-Savin abbey church nearby.

Poitiers is the capital of the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of western France. Set on a rocky promontory encircled by the Clain and Boivre rivers, it is a 2,000-year-old university town of about 90,000 people. It was the centre of the medieval Duchy of Aquitaine, where Eleanor of Aquitaine once ruled, and it gave its name to two battles: the Battle of Poitiers in 732, when Charles Martel repelled the Umayyad army nearby, and the battle of the same name in 1356 during the Hundred Years' War. The old town is famous for its Romanesque architecture – Notre-Dame-la-Grande, the Baptistery of Saint-Jean, the Church of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand and the Palace of the Counts of Poitou are all within walking distance – earning it the name "city of a hundred bell towers". About 10 km north, Futuroscope is France's second-largest theme park and draws many families. For day trips by car: to the east, the UNESCO-listed Abbey of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, the castles of Chauvigny and Angles-sur-l'Anglin; about 70 km southwest, the Marais Poitevin, known as "Green Venice". The climate is mild, with April–October the most pleasant; on summer nights the façade of Notre-Dame-la-Grande is lit with projections, while winters are grey and wet and the park is closed on some days. Getting there: about 1 hour 20 minutes by TGV from Paris Montparnasse and about 1 hour 45 minutes from Bordeaux; city buses run directly to Futuroscope. Allow 2–3 days: 1 for the old town, 1 for the park, plus 1 more for the surroundings if you have a car.

Top sights

Futuroscope – France's second-largest theme park, themed around future technology and immersive cinema; the 4D flight theater and nighttime water show ar…
Notre-Dame-la-Grande – One of France's most finely crafted Romanesque church façades, covered with reliefs telling Bible stories; on summer nights, a projection o…
Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe – A UNESCO World Heritage Site often called the “Romanesque Sistine Chapel,” whose vaulted ceiling preserves Europe's most complete group of…
Marais Poitevin – France's second-largest wetland, known as the “Green Venice,” where flat-bottomed boats glide through canal networks covered in duckweed an…
Aquascope – An indoor water park that opened in 2022 beside Futuroscope, themed around water technology and ideal for a second day at the park or a rai…
Baptistère Saint-Jean – A baptistery dating from around the 4th century, one of the oldest surviving Christian buildings in France, with early wall paintings and M…
Palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine – A medieval royal palace where Eleanor of Aquitaine once lived, with a vast Gothic Hall of Lost Steps and the Maubergeon Tower offering view…
Poitiers Cathedral – A grand Angevin Gothic cathedral that houses one of France's oldest stained-glass windows and 13th-century carved wooden choir stalls.
Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand – Part of the World Heritage French Way of Saint James pilgrimage route, this Romanesque church has a rare seven-aisled interior and finely c…
Église Sainte-Radegonde – The church where Saint Radegund, a Frankish queen and patron saint of Poitiers, is buried, with its crypt and the Footprint of God drawing…
Musée Sainte-Croix – Poitiers' general museum, with collections spanning thousands of years from prehistory and Gallo-Roman times to Camille Claudel's sculpture…
Parc de Blossac – An 18th-century French formal garden along the old city walls, with tree-lined avenues, an English garden and a small zoo, a favourite stro…
Place du Maréchal-Leclerc & Hôtel de Ville – The central square of Poitiers' old town, lined with cafés in front of a 19th-century Neo-Renaissance town hall, with pedestrian streets ne…
Hypogée des Dunes – A 7th-century Merovingian underground burial chamber with rare carved doorframes and inscriptions, open only at limited times, so check ahe…
Chauvigny – A medieval hilltop town above the Vienne River, with five castle ruins, a raptor flying show and carved Romanesque church capitals as its h…
Angles-sur-l'Anglin – One of France's most beautiful villages, with castle ruins perched on a cliff and stone houses and water mills reflected in the Anglin Rive…
La Vallée des Singes – A primate-themed zoo where monkeys roam freely among islands and woodland, with close-up views of bonobos and gorillas.
La Planète des Crocodiles – One of Europe's largest crocodile attractions, with more than a dozen crocodile species in a tropical greenhouse and Merovingian burial gro…
Merovingian Necropolis of Civaux – A Merovingian-era cemetery with hundreds of stone sarcophagi, its walls built from upright sarcophagus lids, a striking sight that is free…
Ligugé Abbey – The oldest monastery in Western Europe, founded by Saint Martin in 361 and still home to Benedictine monks today.
Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers – A romantic castle ruin ringed by a moat and draped in vines, bought and being restored by some 20,000 online supporters through crowdfundin…
Nouaillé-Maupertuis Abbey – A medieval abbey with a moat and walls, close to the battlefield of the 1356 Battle of Poitiers in the Hundred Years' War.
La Roche-Posay – The birthplace of the skincare brand of the same name and a European spa town renowned for treating skin conditions, with a medieval keep o…

Where to eat

Les Archives – Michelin-recommended restaurant in a former 19th-century Jesuit chapel, serving modern French food beneath a soaring va…
Les Bons Enfants – Family-run bistro with a retro schoolroom theme, serving Poitou regional dishes like stuffed cabbage, with bread baked…
Papilles – Simple, modern French restaurant listed in the Michelin Guide, cooking seasonal local produce and pairing it with wines…
Auberge Chez Cul de Paille – Long-standing inn in Poitiers' old town, its walls covered with signatures of passing performers; share appetizer and d…
Le Trait d'Union – Market-style restaurant with a shaded terrace by the Clain River, using produce from local growers and offering plenty…

Itineraries

Poitiers to Bordeaux Atlantic Family Trip – Head south from Futuroscope through the marshes, La Rochelle, Île de Ré and Cognac to Bordeaux.