Marais de Saintes & Vallée de la Charente Greenway
Stretching south and west from the city, the Charente valley opens into a network of watermeadows, oxbow lakes and reed-fringed marshes that form one of the most important wetland corridors in western France — and a dedicated cycling greenway lets you explore it all at a gentle pace without a car. Great white egrets, kingfishers and grey herons are practically guaranteed sightings.
The greenway route
The Voie Verte de la Charente runs along a former railway track from Saintes south-west toward Rochefort, covering roughly 35 kilometres of flat, traffic-free tarmac through poplar groves, past stone-arched bridges and alongside the slow green loops of the river. The section closest to Saintes, between the city and Port-d'Envaux, is especially rich in birdlife and takes about two hours at a relaxed pace.
Hire bikes from Vélo & Oxygen in the city centre (Rue de la Préfecture), which offers standard, electric and cargo bikes with helmets and panniers. Electric bikes make the round trip effortless even in summer heat.
Wildlife and best seasons
Spring (April–May) brings breeding herons and the extraordinary sight of thousands of migratory waders resting on the flooded meadows. Late summer reveals the marais at their most golden, with sunflowers turning on the upland edges and dragonflies massing above the ditches.
Pack binoculars and look for the European roller — a vivid turquoise and chestnut bird that nests in old riverside willows and is increasingly rare in France but reliably spotted here in June and July.
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