Charente-Maritime trip planner

Named after the Charente River, the Charente-Maritime department is where French inhabitants go to vacation on its 482 km (300 mi) of pristine coastline along the Atlantic Ocean with exceptional Gallo-Roman, medieval, and renaissance heritage. Located in the Poitou-Charentes region, this department offers beautiful scenery, a mild temperate climate, and a luminous quality of the light that makes this a painter's haven. Outdoor activities are bountiful with areas for fishing, sailing, and golfing as well as discovering wildlife and sightseeing in nature. At the southern tip is the "Haute Saintonge," a special area that is a bit like the land that time forgot with red-tiled Romanesque roofs where many of the locals still wear blue overalls and slippers for all occasions. Make Charente-Maritime central to your France travel plans using our France driving holiday planner.