ROYAN
It is the main town on the Côte de Beauté. Royan is first and foremost one of the main seaside resorts on the French Atlantic coast, with five fine sandy beaches, a marina that can accommodate more than 1,000 boats and an active fishing port.
An economic centre covering the south-west quarter of the département, with shopping centres, craft industries, banks, etc.
All along the long beach, you can enjoy the promenade under the arcades where you’ll find numerous shops and restaurants offering a wide range of specialities.
TALMONT SUR GIRONDE
Talmont, an ancient bastide founded in 1284, this small town on a promontory overlooking the Gironde estuary was once a formidable stronghold, of which only a few sections of the ramparts and the remains of a half-ruined medieval tower (Tour Blanche) remain.
Talmont is also a small port where sturgeon were once fished for their eggs (caviar). The streets of the village, which intersect at right angles, are lined with old houses, deliberately very low to limit the wind, covered with pink tiles and almost all whitewashed. In summer, many hollyhocks add a splash of colour. On the edge of the cliff, the church of Sainte Radegonde towers above the waves in its characteristic silhouette.
LA PALMYRE
LA PALMYRE: this small seaside resort, which owes much of its fame to La Palmyre zoo, one of France’s leading zoological parks, also benefits from its proximity to the national forest of La Coubre, the bay of Bonne Anse and the beaches of the Côte Sauvage.
Since 2015, La Palmyre has been part of the Gironde Estuary and Pertuis Sea Marine Park, the largest in mainland France.
MORNAC SUR SEUDRE
Mornac-sur-Seudre is a small commune on the Altlantic coast close to Royan. The small village of Mornac is organised around its small fishing port and the medieval streets of its historic centre, which is largely pedestrianised and dotted with magnificent art workshops.
The traditional white-painted houses lined with hollyhocks are joined by the covered market, the old Romanesque church of Saint-Pierre and the few remains of the castle belonging to the Barons of Mornac.
Along with Talmont-sur-Gironde, Mornac-sur-Seudre is one of the two ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France’ in the Royannais region. It is also a member of the ‘Villes et métiers d’art’ network and, since 2011, of the ‘Villages de pierres et d’eau’ network, a label initiated by the Conseil Général.
ZOO DE LA PALMYRE
La Palmyre Zoo was created in 1966 by Claude Caillé and is located in La Palmyre. It extends over more than 18 hectares in the heart of the La Coubre national forest, with more than 1,600 animals and 115 species.
Today, La Palmyre Zoo is one of the most popular tourist sites in Charente-Maritime. Every year, 700,000 visitors flock to the zoo.
As well as being an enjoyable outing, La Palmyre Zoo also plays an important role in the conservation of endangered species. Between 200 and 300 animals are born each year, a success that can be attributed to the care taken in feeding and caring for the animals. Over the years, this unique site has become one of the most renowned zoos in France.
LE PONT DU DIABLE
Located at the crossroads of the customs path and Platin beach in the commune of Saint-Palais-sur-mer on the way to the Grande Côte, Pont du Diable is a natural site of limestone rocks forming a bridge, popular with fishermen and walkers. Its name comes from a legend…
A fisherman lost during a violent storm is said to have washed up with his boat on the reefs at the end of the peninsula, and sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his life: the Devil built him a stone bridge to enable him to return to dry land.
Between 1584 and 1611, 300 stones were quarried from this peninsula to build the Cordouan lighthouse on the estuary’s horizon.
LE PUITS DE L'AUTURE
The Puits de l’Auture is a hole dug naturally into the rock where the waves rush in to create geysers between the rock and the neighbouring white sand dunes. At high tide, litres of water gush out between the rocks, a fantastic sight.
Just like the Devil’s Bridge, a legend has been created: the rumbling that can be heard there is that of two lovers who voluntarily drowned themselves in the face of their families’ incomprehension when they refused to marry.
LE SENTIER DES DOUANIERS
The customs path: on the banks of the Gironde estuary, this path was used by customs officers on foot or on horseback to keep an eye on the coastline and prevent smugglers of all kinds of goods at the time.
Weapons, alcohol, tobacco, salt and fabrics were all smuggled in. Today, this path, which has been converted into a pedestrian walkway, offers nature lovers the chance to stroll between the Bureau beach and Nauzan beach.
LE PHARE DE CORDOUAN
The Cordouan lighthouse is located seven kilometres out to sea on the Cordouan plateau, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary. It lights up and makes traffic safer in the two passes that provide access to the estuary: the Grande passe de l’Ouest, which is buoyed at night and runs along the northern shore from the Banc de la Coubre, and the narrower passe Sud, which is not buoyed at night. Built between 1584 and 1611, it is the oldest lighthouse in France still in operation. Sometimes called the ‘Versailles of the sea’, the ‘lighthouse of kings’ or the ‘king of lighthouses’, it is the first lighthouse to be listed as a historic monument. You can visit the Cordouan lighthouse, which takes 45 minutes to reach by ferry.
LE PHARE DE TERRE NEGRE
Le Phare de Terre-Nègre: Tour de Puyraveau, Tour de Chassaigne or Tour de Terre-Nègre…. This tower-bitter is located in the vicinity of the village of Puyraveau and the home of Saint-Palais sur Mer. It was built in 1772 located near the port of St-Palais. It was then 26m high with an external diameter of 3.16m and an internal diameter of 1.78m. It had a square capital. To access the marquee, one had to climb 143 steps. In 1836, a fanal was installed at its top. From this transformation will be born the lighthouse of Earth-Black.
Height of 36m and white except the upper half, facing west, which is red. The light is fixed, white, consisting of a 4th order lenticular camera of 0.15m focal length, and is illuminated by rapeseed oil before its electrification.
LE PHARE DE LA COUBRE
La Coubre Lighthouse is located in the town of La Tremblade, at the northern end of the Gironde estuary. This part of the coast in perpetual movement is a place unstable and tormented. In 1690, the existence of a fire beacon is reported on the Pointe de la Coubre. The first wooden lighthouse was lit in 1860. 1895: Commissioning of the stone lighthouse built 1.5 km from the coast. Ten years of construction, marine erosion has done its work, a breakwater is built to try to slow down the march forward of the waves, but inexorably the ocean eats away. 1904: construction of the current lighthouse located at 1.8 km, commissioned on October 1, 1905. After climbing 300 steps, a 360° panorama offers an amazing view of the estuary of La Gironde, the forest of La Coubre, the peninsula of Arvert and the island of Oléron. The visit continues with at the foot of the lighthouse, an eco-museum telling its history and the various materials necessary for its operation.
LE GOLF DE ROYAN
It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful golf courses in the south-west of France. This magnificent course takes place in the heart of the forest of Coubre and allows everyone to indulge in golf in a unique setting.
It is an 18-hole golf course with a practice, a compact 6-hole course, a pitch & putt 9-hole course. Golf enthusiasts will surely stop for a few moments at hole 14, which offers a unique view of the ocean!
Note: if the course still appears as green, it is thanks to the irrigation provided by the sewage plant of the city. The reputation of this structure is no longer to be made.
