The Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle & Île de Ré

August 20, 2014

Last summer, my family and I made a 4-night excursion to The Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle & Île de Ré as a detour on the way from Paris out to Brittany.

Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-4Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-5Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-6Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-7
Top: the Marais Poitevin; bottom left: Brouage; bottom right: La Rochelle

Combining the Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle and Île de Ré makes for a great variety of countryside and city and various landscapes and architectures.

Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-8Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-9 Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-10Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-11
Île de Ré

For those of you not yet familiar with the Marais Poitevin (“The Green Venice” or la Venise Verte), it’s an area of marshland a short drive inland from La Rochelle accessible by an intricate network of canals that can be explored only by rowboats.

Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-12Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-13Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-14Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-15
Top left: the Abbey near La Flotte; top right: church in Ars-en-Ré;
bottom left: Île de Ré; bottom right: Brouage

Click here to see our full Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle & Île de Ré Itinerary. Keep in mind that we traveled by car, but you could easily take a train to La Rochelle and rent a car there.

Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-16Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-2Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re-3Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle, Ile de Re
Top left: La Rochelle; top right: Coulon;
bottom left: Ars-en-Ré resident; bottom right: Coulon

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