Make a gladiator’s entrance into the amphitheatre
More commonly known as the Arènes de Saintes, the amphitheatre is the starting point for your journey through time. Located in the north of the town, this monument is the largest vestige of its past. Construction work was completed between 40 and 50 A.D. during the reign of Emperor Claudius. In those days, enormous audiences would gather to watch the gladiators combat.
Bonus: younger visitors can win a Top Gallo-Roman certificate by successfully completing the game in the tour leaflet.
Adult admission: €3. Under 18s go free. Tel: 05 46 97 73 85.
www.ville-saintes.fr
Slip on a monk’s habit and enter the crypt
The second stage of your timeless journey: the calm of the Romanesque church of St. Eutropius of Saintes. Listed by UNESCO as part of the pilgrims’ route to Santiago de Compostela, it is dedicated to the first evangelist and martyr of Saintes. A masterpiece of Saintongeais Romanesque art, the building still retains many of its Roman capitals and a beautiful series of windows.
Be sure not to miss out on visiting the crypt with its restrained, yet massive, architecture: it’s one of the largest and most beautiful anywhere in France.
Open free of charge from 9 am to 9 pm.
Rue Saint-Eutrope, 17100 SAINTES
+33 5 46 74 23 82
Saintes Tourism
Experiment with a musical journey through an 11th century abbey
Enter the Abbaye aux Dames for a highly original tour with Musicaventure. Here’s how it works... Equipped with headphones, the visitor embarks on a 12-stage journey to discover the amazing history of one the country’s largest nunneries: audio journeys, spatially engineered concepts, musical journeys and traditional audio guide...
Tours of the Abbey are free for children under 6. Standard admission: €8, concessions: €6.
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The Abbaye aux Dames offers you the opportunity to continue the experience by spending a night in a nun’s cell converted into a hotel room. An exceptional experience that will give you an intimate insight into the Abbey.
Take the 18th century helm
After a break for lunch in a town centre restaurant, it’s time to take to the water on a traditional Gabare. Discover the River Charente on board a traditional boat. A choice of cruises is available.
Our favourite is the children’s cruise. That’s because it’s a storytelling or pirate cruise.
Return to the 21st century with Terra Aventura
Test out the Terra Aventura 100% free geocaching mobile app to discover the town of Saintes in a completely unique way!
Terra Aventura takes you on an original and highly entertaining treasure hunt over a trail covering a few kilometres, during which you’ll discover the heritage of the town and some interesting stories about its history as you play.
It’s up to you to find the Poï’z! The Poï’z are the people who live in Terra Aventura.
As you play Terra Aventura, the Poï'Z Zabeth, the app will take you down unsuspected paths and lead you to points of interest, major historical sites and the most beautiful vantage points.
For more information:
www.terra-aventura.fr
For more information:
www.saintes-tourisme.fr
www.infiniment-charentes.com
Originally from the Paris region, Ange lived in Bordeaux for a few years before settling in La Rochelle in 2014. Fan of the Charente-Maritime region, she enjoys helping his readers, family and friends to discover all the riches of this beautiful region.