Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes

With a wealth of historical monuments, the Deux-sèvres located the Poitevin marsh with its canals offering trips to traditional boats.

The Celles sur Belle Royal Abbey and the Oiron Renaissance Chateau are amongst the must see places of the Deux-Sèvres.

A myriad of canals, dykes & rivers have opened up opportunities for tourism - the Ecomusee at Marais Breton proving a popular stop off.
Local specialities are eels, snails and angelica - all products that stem from the marshes.

Les Deux-Sevres was once known for its silver mines particularly in Melle. Nowadays, Melle is known for its churches, in particular St-Hilaire built alongside the river. Another impressive church is at Parthenay, a Roman legacy of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.

The climate is mild, the annual temperature averaging 11 degrees Celsius.
The département remains rural: three-quarters of the area consists of arable land. Wheat and oats are the main products grown, as well as potatoes, apples, and walnuts. Niort is the center for growing vegetables andangelica. Some beetroot is grown in the district of Melle. Vineyards are numerous in the north (Vins du Haut-Poitou), and there are some in the south. The département is also well known for the breeding of cattle, mules, and horses. The Parthenais breed of cattle is named after the town of Parthenay in the north of the département. Also, dairy products are collected in sizeable quantities (butter in Echiré, goats cheese).

Nowadays, Niort, with 60,000 inhabitants, is an important commercial and administrative center; in particular it is one of the main financial centers in France (fourth in rank after Paris, Lyon and Lille).

The département has two railway stations on the TGV route between Paris and La Rochelle (Niort and Saint-Maixent), with a journey from Niort to Paris taking 2h15.

The nearest commercial airports are at Poitiers (Poitiers - Biard Airport), La Rochelle (La Rochelle - Île de Ré Airport) and Nantes (Nantes Atlantique Airport).

• Coulon - take a boat trip around the marshes starting at Coulon. Here you'll see water lilies, irises, poplars and beeches and a variety of birds.
• St-Maixent-L'Ecole - visit the Gothic wonder of the abbey church, a reconstruction of a building destroyed during the Wars of Religion.
• East of Thouars - see the Chateau d'Oiron, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture now home to modern art exhibitions.
• Bird Reserve at Marais Poitevin - the Parc Ornithologique at the Marais Poitevin is a great starting point for the trails in the marshes where you'll uncover some 70 bird species.