Click on the pictures and titles to discover the proposed sites.
is a maritime fortification from the 17th century, between the Oléron island and Marennes.
Its construction, decided by Louvois, minister of the war of Louis XIV, is carried out from 1691 to 1694 according to the plans of Vauban.
Drawn in the shape of a horseshoe, with a central keep protected by a drawbridge and a moat, it recalls the castles of the Middle Ages.
Village of fishermen and oyster farmers, with low houses and narrow streets exists since the 15th century.
The toponymy of the streets of the "vieux Chapus" evokes the activity of the time, turned towards the sea: the marine apprentice street, the street and the pilotes square, the old port street, the fishermen street.
At the bottom of Chapus Bay is the old port of the Middle Ages, with its (restored) wharf used for the salt and fishing trade. The narrow alleyways of the Old Chapus invite you to discover this picturesque quarter with wells nestled between two alleys, blooming hollyhocks.
A unique place thanks to its natural and architectural environment, the citadel of Brouage also has a rich historical past.
It is an ancient salt trade port, then a Catholic war port wished by Cardinal Richelieu to compete with the strong Huguenot place of La Rochelle.
It is also the birthplace of the royal geographer Samuel de Champlain who participated in the discovery and colonization of New France, and who is the founder of the city of Quebec.
In the heart of the old salt marshes of the Seudre, stands a unique monument in the region, the tidal mill "des Loges".
Built in the 12th century just minutes from Marennes, it is the indisputable witness of the regional customs of yesteryear.
Abandoned, pillaged and then rehabilitated in the 2000's, the tidal mill "des Loges" is today one of the last tidal mills in Europe that operates thanks to the power of the sea and still produces flour.
Windmill built by companions masons "Honnest Estrangers" between the XVII and the XVIIIème century. It probably belonged to the Comtesse of Soissons-Marennes and the abbey of Saintes.
The first restoration was initiated by its former owner in the 80's. He called on a carpenter of Pons, Mr. Charron, who had renovated the Moulin de la Galette in Paris.
With 175 Km2, it is the biggest French island on the Atlantic coast and the second biggest island in France after Corsica.
With several beaches labeled blue flag, it is the paradise of the sports of sliding : surfing, windsurf, sand yachting, canoe-kayak. But it is also the paradise of fishermen on foot, surf casting or boat.
By foot, by bike or horseback, go to discover many forests and marshes with their rich and varied fauna and flora.
The two poles nature "the marshes with the birds" in Dolus and the "port of the salines" in Grand Village are two sites to be visited imperatively.
Visit Château d'Oléron with its citadel and ramparts erected in the 17th century by Vauban.
Let yourself be carried away by the charm of La Cotinière, the 6th French fishing port, home to a flotilla of more than a hundred boats specializing in fishing soles, bars, langoustines distributed throughout the region and around the world via Internet.
Do not miss the lighthouse of Chassiron in the north of the island which will offer you an impregnable view on the Ré island and La Rochelle.
And many other places to discover ...
At the end of the 17th century, Aix island became a strategic site for England, which disputed it to France.
In 1692, the fortifications, on the instructions of Vauban, were laid flat by François Ferry to defend La Rochelle, Rochefort, Brouage and the mouth of the Charente.
Napoleon Ist stayed on the island for a week, from 8th to 15th of July 1815, before leaving the land of France for ever. It is from here that he embarks, for St. Helena island.
Fort Liédot served as a prison for many people. Among them were Communards, after the fall of the Paris Commune in 1871. Some soldiers of the Russian imperial army, rebellious on the French Front in 1917. Ahmed Ben Bella, leader of the FLN, and four others of his companions Stayed there from March 1959 to May 1961.
The only way to discover the Aix island is by boat.
Discover this exceptional island by foot or by bike.