Gites in the Charente
Domaine d'Or
LEISURE
Fishing 1km. Canoing 12km. Beach 45km. Tennis 1km. Train Staion 11km. Restaurant 1km. Golf 40km.
Horse Riding 5km. Swimming Lake 2km. Boule in the garden. Walking and cycling on the doorstep.
Chateaus of the Charente
Château de Verteuil
An historical building in the Charente. Dating back to 1080.
Château de Bouteville
Built as early as the 9th century to defend the area against the Vikings, the castle passed into the hands of the English and then the french who razed it in 1392. The current chateau dates from the 17th centuary.
Château la Rochefaucauld
This stately chateau has belonged to the same family, the La Rochefoucauld, for more than a thousand years. The chateau is considered as one of the most beautiful in France.
Château de Barbezieux
The chateau of Barbezieux was built in 1453 by order of Marguerite de La Rochefoucauld to provide work in a time of famine. In history past it has been used as a hospital a girls scool and a prison.
ATTRACTIONS
Futuroscope,
a different kind of leisure park experience for all the family!
Nautilis
Full equipment for leisure and sport activities in the area of Angouleme, you will find in the Nautilis nautic centre an ice rink as well as an aquatic centre.
La Vallée des Singes.
Discover the largest concentration of chimpanzees in Europe. Meet 34 primate species where more than 450 animals roam free.
Saint Palais sur Mer
Set in the middle of the pines, legendary rocks strand the blond coast ... Discover the unique character of Saint Palais sur Mer throughout the year.
CITIES
Angoulême
Perched on a promontory set within its ancient ramparts, Angoulême overlooks the meander of the Charente. The white stone houses with red tiled roofs give this city of Art and History a southern atmosphere. Known for its classic car motor race and papermaking museum mill it also boasts a Comic Strip Festival held in January, attracting over 200,000 fans. A stroll through this charming city reveals beautiful street art murals which adorn many buildings transforming their walls into enormous canvases for art all of which can be geo-tracked by mobile phone.
Poitiers
Founded by the Pictones, history-steeped Poitiers is perched between the rivers Clain and Boivre. First settled by the Romans it is home to the oldest surviving church in france.
A pivotal turning point came in AD 732, when the cavalry of Charles Martel ousted the Muslim forces thus changing the course of european civilisation. This sublimely beautiful city was known as the 'town of 100 bell towers'. The remarkable Romanesque churches that remain today are in part a legacy of Eleanor of Aquitaine who annulled her marriage to Louis VII to marry Henry II of England.
Cognac
Wine and salt came before Cognac. During the development of the Gallo-Roman civilisation, salt and wine traded on the banks of the Charente but little remains of this ancient Neolithic village of Condate. A priory was founded in the area in the 11th century followed by a chateau around which houses built up thus creating a bustling town. In this period Viticulture was introduce to the region by the Romans, the site of Haute-Sarazine being one of the first vineyards to be established. The 13th century saw Dutch salt traders take weak wines from the Vignoble de Poitou vineyards and distill it nearby transforming it into "brandwijn" - burnt wine - hence the name Brandy. The resulting concentration "eau-de-vie" better survived transportation by sea. Delays in handling and shipping brought the realisation that eau-de-vie actually improved with extended time in the oak casks and that it could be consumed straight from the barrel. The first known reference to "Cognac" appeared in a sales contract in 1617. Today you can imbibe history by visiting the many Cognac houses who open to the public for cellar visits culminating in tasting the amber liquor.