Hostels in Poitou-Charentes

Poitou-Charentes is a former province in southwestern France; after the restructuring in 2016 it became of the largest regions. It lies on the coast, where many of its oceanside towns are oyster farming communities, and stretches inland to the foothills of the Massif Central. It’s the sunniest region outside of the Mediterranean provinces and has excellent soil for growing grapes; the grapes for Cognac and the local Pineau des Charentes are both grown here.

The quickest way to get here is to fly into one of the surrounding airports, like Bordeaux or Limoges, but you can also catch a high-speed train from Paris Austerlitz or Montparnasse. The region has a good rail network if you want to get to some of the smaller villages but you may find that having your own car is easier. Ask your hostel about good car hire companies in the bigger towns, La Rochelle or Poitiers, or from your arrival airport.

Hostel accommodation in this province is mostly found in the larger cities, like La Rochelle, Poitiers, Niort, or Angouleme. While travelling in France, especially rural France, its best to not assume that everyone can or will speak English, so its best to learn a little bit of French. The phrase for “youth hostel” is “auberge de jeunesse.”

This region of France is low-lying and very green, leading some to call it the Venice of France. There is a wonderful network of streams and rivers in the Le Marais Poitevin national park near Deux Sevres and Charente, where you can hire a canoe or kayak, go fishing, or bicycle along the trails. In nearby La Rochelle, don’t miss the medieval city walls, maritime museum, or aquarium. Further south along the coast, you can visit the walled 17th century town of Brouage, where the fortifications are unchanged, or Rochefort, one of the old port cities. This coast is popular with both fishermen and yachtsmen.

Inland, there are plenty of old castles and hill towns to see. Most of these also have small museums chronicling the town and provincial history. One of the more unique attractions is new, however. The Futuroscope is a theme park in the Vienne department; its most well-known for its high-tech cinemas. There is a nearby wildlife reserve with hundreds of monkeys - it may sound post-apocalyptic but its a unique park where you can view monkeys of all shapes and sizes.

Handwritten by local expert for Poitou-Charentes hostels Jakob Lombardi