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Travel guide
Saintes and the Saintonge
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to July, and September
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Welcome
Saintes and the Saintonge, in a few days
Saintes has two thousand years of history on the banks of the Charente: the Arch of Germanicus, an amphitheatre for some 15,000 spectators, the crypt of Saint-Eutrope on the Way of St James and the Abbaye aux Dames, now a music centre. Around it lie the Romanesque churches of the Saintonge and the pineau vineyards.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Arch of Germanicus free · about 30 minA two-bay Roman arch from AD 18 or 19 that marked the end of the Agrippan road from Lyon, dedicated to Tiberius, Drusus and Germanicus.
- Afternoon · Saintes Archaeological Museum · about 45 minOne of the richest collections of Roman sculpture in western France: friezes, capitals and gravestones recovered from the 3rd-century walls.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Logis Hôtel Auréa€95 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Charente quays free · about 45 minPlane-lined quays between the old town on the left bank and the Arch of Germanicus on the right, with a footbridge and merchants' houses.
- Afternoon · Saint-Pierre Cathedral free · about 30 minA cathedral with a huge unfinished porch tower capped by a small dome, sacked in 1568 and rebuilt from 1585, hence its plain nave.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Le Relais du Bois Saint-Georges€180 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Abbaye aux Dames · about 1 hFounded in 1047 by the Count of Anjou and his wife, with a white Romanesque church and a bell tower shaped like a pine cone.
- Afternoon · Basilica of Saint-Eutrope free · about 30 minConsecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096, a major stop on the Way of St James, UNESCO-listed since 1998 and visited on two levels.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Logis Hôtel Auréa€95 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Roman amphitheatre · about 45 minOne of the oldest in Gaul, begun under Tiberius and built into a valley side, which helped it survive; it held some 15,000.
- Afternoon · Pilgrims' Hospital, Pons free · about 45 minAbout 20 km south of Saintes, one of the few surviving pilgrims' hospitals on the Way of St James, its porch carved with pilgrims' graffiti.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Le Relais du Bois Saint-Georges€180 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €85 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to July, and September
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/saintes
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.