Travel guide Charente-Maritime

Coming from the patois, this word links the two Charentes. It qualifies people who feel at ease, happy. And they are numerous here! You can hear this expression everywhere: at the café, at the beach... because here we cultivate a certain art of living. And the Charentais were delighted to see this word enter the dictionary!

This is how, in the Charente patois, the snail is referred to, one of the symbols of the ancient region. The Charente-Maritime is one of the first French producers. Like oysters or mussels, this small animal is cooked with all kinds of sauces! It is also the animal that gave the name to the neighbors of Charente: the cagouillards.

This term refers to children, whether they are funny or not! You will hear this expression in both Charentes with a variation for girls called "drôlesses". The expression "un bon drôle" is also used to designate a good person. To be Benèze, when the weather is nice, it is better that the funny ones wear a chapia!

The reconstruction of the replica of the frigate is a story of enthusiasts. It began in the early 1990s, in the heart of the Rochefort naval arsenal, before the ship underwent its first sea trials in 2014. The following year, the Hermione left for the United States before her voyage to the Mediterranean and then to Normandy.

The Charente-Maritime has four islands including the second largest in France, Oleron. Like its little sister, the very popular Ile de Ré, it is connected to the mainland by a bridge. There is also Aix, a small crescent of land in the heart of the Charente archipelago and Madame, the smallest of all, which can only be approached at low tide.

Stretching over 450 km, the oceanic coastline extends from the Bay of Aiguillon to the Gironde estuary. It is marked by a great variety of landscapes: marshes, dunes, large sandy beaches but also small creeks and limestone cliffs. Among the coastal communities, La Rochelle is the only one to have a deep water port.

You will see this bird while walking along the ocean. Voluntarily curious and talkative, the laughing gulls do not hesitate to show themselves, approaching the docks to nibble a few crumbs. They can also be found behind tractors, during ploughing, on the oldest locomotive in France and on the department's logo.

Charente-Maritime is the first oyster farming department in France, with nearly 1,200 producers, mainly located in the Marennes Oléron basin. In this unique environment, the oyster benefits from exceptional breeding conditions. Refined in oyster beds, former salt marshes, they are the only ones to benefit from the Red Label.

In the plural, of course, since there are 8 of them on the territory! Among these structures, the two most famous are those that link the islands to the mainland, and they are also the largest, nearly 3 km for the bridge on the island of Ré. Others cross rivers, like the one over the Seudre or the Charente, without forgetting the recently renovated transporter bridge.

Charente-Maritime has no less than 60 of them! The one in La Rochelle is probably the most emblematic, but the traveler will also linger in l'Houmeau for its intimate atmosphere, in Saint-Martin-de-Ré for its fortifications and in Mortagne-sur-Gironde to admire the beautiful white stone houses. So many lively and authentic places.

The Charente-Maritime region has many defensive works designed by Louis XIV's military engineer to protect the Rochefort Arsenal. The most famous are the fortifications of Saint-Martin-de-Ré which served as a shelter for the population. This stronghold of the Charentais channel was classified in 2008 as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The history of the vine in the department goes back to antiquity! Today, the vineyards produce an exceptional beverage: Cognac, an eau-de-vie aged in oak barrels with a beautiful amber color. But the winegrowers of Charente-Maritime also produce a "Vin de Pays" with the appellation "Indication Géographique Protégée".