Also known as « Green Venice », the Marais Poitevin is the second largest humid zone in France, and the fifth in Europe. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the town of Niort in Deux-Sèvres, these renowned marshlands are blessed with a particularly agreeable climate.

Explore authentic villages and stride down alleyways leading to marshland ports. Track down the small-scale heritage: washers, sluices, fountains, passageways, dovecotes... Traditional dwellings give way on each side of the street to conches. Territory forever in symbiosis with its environment…

Precious treasure of nature, over 90,000 hectares of greenery with thousands of canals,

by foot, in a fishing boat or canoe, by bicycle, in a chaise or on horseback, its beauty is sure to leave you moved !

Don’t forget to visit villages such as Arçais and Coulon, « one of France’s prettiest », to be found in the heart of the Marais Poitevin.

A “plate” to crisscross the Marais

Low-sided, flat-bottomed punts, more commonly known as “plates”, were for many years the one means of transport allowing for people and goods to wend their way through the marshes. In today’s marshland, there exist some 4,000 kilometres of waterways.

There also exist numerous landing areas along the Sèvre Niortaise and punts are available for hire. Visitors can ply the waterways on their own or else with a boatman ready to regale them with tales of the history, traditions and customs of “Green Venice”. This nature conservation area is France’s second largest wetland. Far from the madding crowds, it is a great place for fishing.

www.parc-marais-poitevin.fr 
www.marais-poitevin.fr