Choses à faire
Out and About: Day Trips Near Charroux
Plan a day out from La Vieille Gorce and you’ll notice the pattern quickly: the closer something is, the smaller and quieter it tends to be, and the further you’re willing to drive, the bigger the day trip gets. Nothing here needs booking weeks in advance, which suits a relaxed self-catering or bed-and-breakfast stay far better than a schedule packed with fixed time slots.
5 min
Charroux
15–20 min
Civray
30 min
Val de Vienne
45–60 min
Further afield
5 min
Right on the doorstep
Charroux is five minutes from La Vieille Gorce and does a lot of work for such a small town. It grew up around an 8th-century abbey, once a stop on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, and what’s left of it, including the striking Charlemagne Tower, still anchors the town centre today. The main square has a handful of restaurants and bars (see our Food and Drink guide), and a weekly market worth timing your visit around if you can. It’s an easy half-day on its own: a walk around the old streets, a coffee on the square, a look inside the tower, and you’ve covered the essentials without driving anywhere else.
15–20 min
A change of scene
A larger market town with a wider choice of restaurants, bars and bigger supermarkets than Charroux alone, useful if you’re staying more than a couple of nights and want more variety.
30 min
For motorsport fans
One of France’s better-known motor racing circuits, at Le Vigeant, hosting national and international car and motorcycle events through the year. Public track days are available too, for anyone who’d rather drive the circuit than just watch it.
45–60 min
Worth the drive
The further attractions, but each one is genuinely worth the drive rather than a stretch to fill a day.
Chauvigny is known as the “town of five castles,” a ridge of ruined medieval fortifications above the Vienne river, with a birds-of-prey show in summer. A short drive away, the UNESCO-listed Abbey of Saint-Savin holds the largest surviving collection of Romanesque frescoes in Europe, from the 11th and 12th centuries. Most visitors combine the two into one day, starting with Chauvigny in the morning; the light inside the abbey is generally better earlier in the day, worth factoring in if photography matters to you.
A free-roaming primate park near Romagne, around 450 monkeys and apes across 22 hectares of woodland, no cages or fences. One of the more reliable family day trips in the region, worth allowing three to four hours.
One of France’s largest theme parks, near Poitiers, built around cinema, technology and simulator-based attractions rather than roller coasters. A genuine full-day commitment rather than a quick stop.
A medieval town in the neighbouring Charente, built where two rivers meet, with half-timbered houses along the water. Best known for France’s oldest international folk festival each August, when troupes from around the world perform on the riverbanks. Outside festival season it’s a quieter visit, a good pairing with Civray for a full day out.
Cycling Holidays in the Vienne
The lanes immediately around La Vieille Gorce are quiet, mostly flat, and well suited to cycling rather than just accommodating it. Bikes can be hired through Bike Hire Direct and delivered to the property, or bring your own. If a long ride means you’d rather not go hunting for a restaurant afterward, an evening meal can be arranged with advance notice.
Questions fréquemment posées
01. What is there to do near Charroux, Vienne?
Charroux itself has its abbey and Charlemagne Tower. Within an hour you can also reach La Vallée des Singes, Futuroscope, Chauvigny’s five castles, Saint-Savin’s UNESCO frescoes, and the Circuit du Val de Vienne.
02. How far is La Vallée des Singes from Charroux?
Around 45 to 50 minutes by car. It’s a free-roaming primate park with roughly 450 monkeys and apes, a popular day out for families staying in the area.
03. Is Chauvigny worth visiting from La Vieille Gorce?
Yes. The medieval town’s five castles are around 45 minutes away and are usually paired with a visit to the nearby Saint-Savin Abbey on the same day.
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