Vue du centre de Poitiers depuis les Dunes

Poitiers, a journey through time

Get on board for a weekend that looks back to the past and forward to the future: head for Poitiers, city of art history and Futuroscope.

Notre Dame La Grande à Poitiers

Just 1¼ hours by train from Paris, Poitiers awaits for a weekend of exciting experiences that reach back to the past and forward into the future. The ‘City of 100 Bell Towers’ (your mission, should you choose to accept it: count them!) is a great place to visit on foot, but be prepared for some exercise, because you’ll be going uphill and downhill.

The journey through time begins on pedestrian-only streets with the Middle Ages and onwards to the Renaissance. The carved white limestone facades and half-timbered houses near the Church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande, one of the city’s many gems of Romanesque art, are testament to its rich history. After dusk, the illumination of the West Front in its original colours tells stories from the old and new Testaments with scenes announcing the coming of Jesus.

Eglise Notre-dame à Poitiers - Mise en lumière

In the former dining room of the Palace of the Counts of Poitou and Dukes of Aquitaine, now the public lobby of the law courts, I suddenly have a vision of my heroine Eleanor of Aquitaine listening to her favourite troubadour Bernard of Ventadour from the Limousin…. From the Cathedral to the Church of Sainte-Radegonde is just a very short walk. The Choir, raised to provide access to the crypt where the sanctified Princess Radegonde is laid to rest, attracts the eye with its frescoes; a foretaste of those in the Church of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Eglise Saint Jean de Montierneuf à Poitiers

In this rewinding of time, the fourth-century Baptistère Saint-Jean, reputed to be the oldest existing Christian building in France, is essential.

Tomorrow, it's off to Futuroscope and the machine that will propel you through time with the Raving Rabbids. Put on an animal costume and join Sid and his Ice Age friends, explore an extraordinary world as a mouse, scorpion or a chipmunk, and take a fast drive with Sébastien Loeb. Basically, immerse yourself in an entire world of unique and sensational experiences.

Tested specially for you: Hôtel de l’Europe

In the pedestrian-only streets of the city, just a 10-minute walk from the rail station, this hotel is ideally located for walking the city. Everything is easily accessible from here. Standard rooms have pleasant views over the small internal courtyard. The plus points are the excellent quality bed and bed linen, and the absolute peace and quiet. The delightful breakfast room opens onto a covered terrace overlooking the garden. The buffet breakfast is very generous, with homemade cake, fresh fruit, an excellent selection of teas, jams and Limousin cheeses!
www.hotel-europe-poitiers.com

Hôtel Mercure Poitiers

Address book:

Les Archives (restaurant, wine bar and tea room)
The restaurant of the Mercure Hotel occupies one of the most improbable locations: an ancient chapel. The tables are laid out in the nave flanked by immaculate white stone walls. The decorative style is restrained, but welcoming. Vegetarian menu from €26. Delicious and original. Tasting menu €27, full menu €39, very full menu €48
The room you should book: the one in the former chapel - it’s unique. Book well ahead for a very special experience.

www.lesarchives.fr

Le Rooftop: for a drink to music or a dinner with your head in the stars. The plus point for me (I have to say I just love rum babas) is the ‘Baba au Diplo” made with Diplomatico rum!

www.rooftop-poitiers.com

Le bonheur est dans le thé... I can vouch for it personally. The tea room is open every Saturday afternoon. I can’t resist the scones... obviously! Good to Know: outdoor terrace and lunchtime set menu with vegetarian option and vegan dessert available.

www.lebonheurestdanslethe.fr

Souvenir ideas: The Vienne Tourist Office Shop near Notre Dame La Grande. An excellent choice of local specialities: flavoured vinegars, local wines, Broyé de Poitou cakes in very pretty boxes, soaps, Montmorillon macaroons, handmade umbrellas, etc.

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Parc de Blossac

Terraced over the Clain valley, the Parc de Blossac is one of the most beautiful public spaces in France. Designed in the 18th century, different gardens are available for a visit full of surprises: French and English gardens, light and shade garden, the Grand Pré, the rock garden and the zoological park.

1 bis rue Léopold Thézard 86000 POITIERS
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
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Hôtel de l'Europe

Step through the porch of the Hotel de l'Europe*** and enter this former coaching inn with 87 elegant rooms of various categories. First, enjoy our lounge bar bathed in light before heading to our garden, ideal for a moment of respite.
From 7 am onwards, come and enjoy a good breakfast in the form of a buffet composed of local, home-made or organic products. Around the hotel, several restaurants will welcome you. If you come by car, a private parking lot awaits you.

39 rue Carnot 86000 POITIERS
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
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Hôtel Ibis Poitiers Centre

Hôtel Ibis Poitiers Centre: in the heart of downtown Poitiers.

The Ibis Poitiers Centre hotel, located in the historic and commercial heart of Poitiers, is an ideal stopover for a business or leisure stay. It offers 75 air-conditioned rooms with free WIFI access, a bar with snack bar, 14 private parking spaces (fee payable) and a 30 m² meeting room. Close to restaurants, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville terraces, pedestrian streets and historic monuments.
This establishment is ISO 14001 certified.

Take a virtual tour!

Poitiers, Ville d'Art et d'Histoire (City of Art and History), with the Chemins de Notre Dame, which take visitors on a free tour of Poitiers' historic treasures and old quarters.

15 rue du Petit Bonneveau 86000 POITIERS
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
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Hôtel Best Western Poitiers Centre le Grand Hôtel

Right in the historic heart of downtown Poitiers, this 4-star hotel offers 42 comfortable, spacious, bright rooms and 6 individually decorated suites, spread over 3 floors and accessible by elevator.
In-room amenities include courtesy tray, air conditioning, satellite TV, hairdryer, safe, and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.
A regional buffet breakfast is served in your room, in the dining room or on our sunny terrace in summer, from 7:00 to 10:30 a.m.
Other facilities: room service, elevator, rooms for people with reduced mobility (PRM), free luggage storage, internet point at reception with free access, lounge/bar at hotel reception, 2 seminar rooms of 50 m2 that can be converted into 1 large room of 100 m2.
The hotel has a 20-space garage and bicycle storage, and is close to the Hôtel de Ville public parking lot.

28 rue Carnot 86000 POITIERS
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
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Le 16 Carnot

16 rue Carnot 86000 POITIERS
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
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Église Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand

A stopover on the way to Compostela since the 12th century, the church of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand is located south of Poitiers, not far from the Parc de Blossac. Rebuilt in the 19th century, it retains the original massive pillars in the nave, a choir and an ambulatory from the Romanesque period. It stands on the presumed site of the tomb of Saint-Hilaire, the first bishop of Poitiers.
After admiring its four-apse chevet, you enter to discover its choir and its Romanesque transept of impressive height and great luminosity. You linger in its four chapels decorated with Romanesque wall paintings (11th century) representing a scene from the Apocalypse. And to learn more about Saint-Hilaire, you look at the capital dedicated to his death and the small crypt called confession, which houses his relics.

26 rue Saint-Hilaire 86000 POITIERS
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -
- Office de Tourisme de Poitiers -