In the heart of Vals de Saintonge, Saint-Jean-d’Angély has a handful of trumps to make your family visit a success. Cultural activities, sports, entertainment
In the heart of Vals de Saintonge, Saint-Jean-d’Angély has a handful of trumps to make your family visit a success. Cultural activities, sports, entertainment … the whole family will find something to really enjoy, notably sharing time together. If you’re looking for a family weekend in Charente-Maritime – here’s the perfect solution!
Day 1 – Discovering Saint-Jean on foot
Where are the barrels? What a strange question … but that’s what will help you find your way around Saint-Jean-d’Angély, the 4km Tèrra Aventura trail. Tèrra Aventura is a treasure hunt and once you’ve downloaded the free app onto your smartphone, you have a fun expedition of about two hours that enables you to answer the clues at your own pace. The goal is to find the cache to start or enhance your collection of Poïz.
Zechopp, relax, it’s probably time to think about a snack or lunch perhaps. Don’t forget to go shopping in the market every Wednesday and Saturday morning!
The gardens of Saint-Jean-d’Angély
Nature is at the gates of the town. Nestled in a meander of the Boutonne, the town is in total harmony with the river that feeds a stretch of water ideal for your midday break. Head for the Bernouët lake where tables, benches and toilets make this a perfect picnic spot.
Here you’ll find a skate-park, a mini-golf, a play area, ping-pong tables and a stretch of water with a family fishing area and various nautical activities: kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle, pedalos. The “Angérien Kayak Club”, a member of the “École Française de Canoë-Kayak” rents craft for 1 or 2 hours or half-days to enable visitors to get the most from the lake. Such a trip could well make you want to come back for a moonlit evening expedition (Au fil de la lune) every Friday in July and August, bookable at the Tourist Office.
Whether you’re young or old, sporty or not, everyone will appreciate the green setting and the revitalising aspect of the lake before wandering back to town via the chemin du Puychérand.
Historic Saint-Jean-d’Angély
Saint-Jean-d’Angély has an historic centre with medieval streets and little squares, 17th and 18th century townhouses, majestic buildings like the Musée des Cordeliers, classified as a Musée de France. This museum is home to an exceptional wealth of objects linked to the epic expeditions undertaken by André Citroën in Africa and Asia during the 1920s and 1930s.
While the museum recounts tales of faraway, it is also home to local temporary exhibitions such as “The odyssey of Angérien cognac”. And for your children, games books (Petits Aventuriers) enable them to discover the collections in a fun way as well as in workshops. And if you think of yourself as a Sherlock Homes, sign up with your family for the escape game!
What else is there to do at Saint-Jean-d’Angély? A giant Cluedo via the Visite Patrimoine Saint-Jean-d’Angély app, perfect for a family to spend a thrilling afternoon. Go looking for clues to find the tooth of the relic of St John the Baptist … We’re not going to tell you any more but it’s a truly testing experience! To get to know Saint-Jean-d’Angély better, follow the visit “À la recherche du port” and you will help the bargee Jules get out of prison and find the port of Saint-Jean!
The end of the afternoon is already in sight and the light is particularly shimmering, with golden reflections on the city. To really appreciate this and to gain a magnificent panorama of the surroundings, you need to climb the numerous steps to the top of the Abbatiale’s towers. On summer Fridays, Le Jardin des Tours is an artistic interactive setting for children and families with games, virtual visits, meetings with clowns, painters, ceramists …
Adjoining the towers, the Abbaye Royale, with its classical, majestic façade, is accredited as a UNESCO World Heritage because of its link to the Ways of Saint-James of Compostella. And since the spring of 2021, it is home to a Micro-Folie, an area for creativity that will enable you to explore a virtual gallery of great works of art from the grand French museums.
And so a lovely day draws to a peaceful close, with the family enjoying dinner outdoors.
Day 2 – Taking the family off the beaten track
The programme this second day is based around activities near Saint-Jean-d’Angély that all the family can enjoy.
If you’ve not yet had the time to enjoy the charms of the Boutonne valley, it’s not too late to book a canoe trip or try your hand at fishing. To help you in this latter task the “Pêcheurs Angériens” club offer initiation lessons for beginners. And whatever the weather, you can have a fun time at the Atlantys water sports centre. If it should rain, you’ll find warmth and comfort and during the hot weather, it’s perfect for a refreshing break.
In the countryside
Another visit for your diary: a guided, thought-provoking tour of the garden at Pomone, La Fayolle, 7km from Saint-Jean-d’Angély. The creators of the site, Catherine and Jean-Yves are peerless gardeners and have achieved a long-standing dream – bringing together the cultivation of a wide variety of fruit and the telling of unusual, juicy tales during the visit. Pomone, goddess of fruit and fruit-trees, was the inspiration for their collections, through their travels, of an astonishing range of edible fruit from across the globe. The garden enjoys the status of “Jardin remarquable”. The exotic and delightful visit lasts over an hour.
You can have a picnic at the leisure centre of Antezant-la-Chapelle, 11km distant, in a green setting by the Boutonne that is enjoyed by families and nature-lovers. Relaxation guaranteed, with a fitness trail, children’s games, restaurant and snack-bar.
And in the afternoon, digest your meal on a stroll through the charming Bois d’Essouvert (7km). Botanic information on the species present in this delightful, preserved area. You may be lucky enough to spot deer, boar or squirrels …
Your appetite restored, have dinner in the restaurant at Migré, just 13km away.
Don’t forget! The “Carte Famille Val’Idées” gives special offers and suggestions for those participating in the programme: leisure activities, sites to visit, local producers and restaurants in Vals de Saintonge. Valid until 31st December 2021, it can be purchased in any Vals de Saintonge Tourist Office for just 5€ per person over 15 years of age.