What to do in Saintes in 48 hours?
Get ready to discover a highly underrated (and committed!) city. Last year, it even won the “Best Biodiversity Town” label for cities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants. Come on, let's go and discover it in 2 days!
DAY ONE
A bike tour!
In Saintes, you can rent a bike and explore the landscapes and surroundings via the Flow Vélo. It’s a marked cycling route of 290 km, connecting Périgord to the Atlantic. You can even take a break in the beautiful Palu meadow: a complex ecosystem, classified as a Natura 2000 zone, where a variety of protected plant and animal species thrive. You're sure to come across a few storks along the way.
For a fun fact: there are more storks in Charente-Maritime than in Alsace!
A little break?
And since cycling can work up an appetite, we suggest you take a gourmet break at La Misardière.
Located right in the heart of the town center, this tearoom, restaurant, and coffee roastery offers local and Iberian cuisine in a magnificent setting: the Cour de l'Échevinage.
The beautiful courtyard of the Échevinage
Discover the history of Saintes!
Afterwards, you can explore the historic city center either by the small train (electric, of course!) or on foot, and perhaps follow the green line (marked on the ground) to the Abbaye aux Dames. This former Benedictine abbey will soon celebrate its 1000th anniversary (founded in 1047).
Beyond its historical significance, the Abbaye aux Dames is also a cultural hub for classical music, notably hosting the annual Saintes Festival every July.
https://www.abbayeauxdames.org
To round off the day with a good meal, head to L'Insolite. A restaurant in the town's historic center offering gourmet cuisine.
Ladies' Abbey in Saintes
DAY TWO
A bit of theater!
A visit to Saintes isn’t complete without seeing its amphitheater! For this second day, head west to discover the nearly 2000-year-old Gallo-Roman arenas.
We highly recommend a guided tour to learn more about this historic site and to momentarily immerse yourself in the lives of gladiators.
https://www.ville-saintes.fr/decouvrir-sortir/les-incontournables/amphitheatre-gallo-romain/
The Saintes amphitheatre
A house to change the world
Less than 10 minutes' walk from the amphitheatre, if you want to discover a place like no other, head for La Belle Étoile.
Laurence describes her home as “a fertile house open to sharing life together”.
It’s simultaneously a bed and breakfast, tea room, permaculture garden, and local creators and producers shop. It’s hard to describe such an incredible and unique place. With free access, you can play the piano, use a loom, pick up poetry books from the library, pick raspberries in the garden... In short, a house where you can spend hours dreaming and remaking the world!
https://www.belle-etoile-saintes.com
La Belle Étoile
Shall we go sailing?
To continue this 2nd day, let’s hit the water!
You can either rent an electric boat without a license to cruise the Charente, or make yourself comfortable by taking part in a river cruise on an electro-solar boat: the Bernard Palissy III
https://www.croisieres-palissy.fr
The Gastronomy...
To round off your stay in style, head for the IODE restaurant.
A bistronomic restaurant specializing in fish (although vegetarian dishes are available on request) using fresh, local and seasonal produce.
https://www.restaurantliode.fr
Dish from IODE
PS: if you happen to be in town on the 17th of the month, you should know that every 17th, the farms of the 17 (the département!) get together at 5pm for a local farmers' market!
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