The Marais Poitevin, nicknamed the Green Venice, is one of the largest wetlands in France, straddling the Vendée, Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime. A network of canals shaded by ash and poplar trees, known as conches, winds between meadows and villages, offering a peaceful landscape to explore by flat-bottomed boat, bike or on foot.
A boat trip from Coulon, Arçais or Damvix lets you glide silently between the banks, with wildlife and plants for company. The marsh is also a land of good food: mogettes beans, Niort angelica, eel and local produce can be enjoyed on the spot. The regional nature park protects and promotes this heritage.
About an hour from La Rochelle, the Marais Poitevin is an ideal escape for a day in nature, to complement a stay on the Atlantic coast. Maillezais Abbey, nearby, enriches the visit.