The principal towns of Charente-Maritime are all rather different from each other. The most southerly, Jonzac, is a brandy-distilling town and thermal spa. Saintes has a rich Roman heritage, particularly visible in the votive Arch of Germanicus and the arena. The abbaye aux Dames and the church of St-Eutrope are just two of the many elaborate ecclesiastical buildings in the town. Royan, on the northern bank of the Gironde estuary, is a glitzy young resort with fabulous beaches backed up by miles of pine forest. Thirty kilometres north of Royan, Rochefort is an appealing 17th-century naval town. It was built to order, on a grid pattern which lends the streets a slightly sober air, but the central place is the ideal location to sip a beer and people-watch. The former rope factory beside the river houses a maritime museum.
In the summer La Rochelle, also a historic port, is constantly in motion, with vacanciers eating, drinking and strolling along the old harbour, beneath towers and ramparts. The town has a very palpable history, it is also a vibrantly modern place. Its annual rock festival, the new marina and aquarium, plus its support for green public transport policies clearly show that it is not stuck in the past.
Smaller charentais towns and villages also have their own wide-ranging characters. Visit the haunting, disused naval base at Brouage, or the oyster beds of Fouras or Marennes. Also well worth a visit are the beautiful, sun-drenched islands of Oléron and Ré, and the smaller Aix, where Napoléon was imprisoned before being exiled to St Helena.
