Parks and the outdoors in Saintes

11 parks, gardens, beaches and walks in and around Saintes.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Do
Canoe and rowing boat rental
Canoes can be rented for half a day to take a relaxed trip on the Charente and admire the city and its surroundings from the river. It's very pleasant when the weather is good. A journey of 20 km will take about 7-8 hours, a journey of 12 km about 4 hours.
See
Fernand-Chapsal public gardens
Jardin public Fernand-Chapsal
Formerly known as Parc Bassompierre, the garden on the Charente river offers great views to the old town and the cathedral. It's divided into a French and an English garden, and has a music kiosk and a playground for children.
free
Do
Golf Louis-Rouyer-Guillet
Founded in 1953, it's the oldest golf course in Poitou-Charentes. It's the heart of a park 40 hectares in size, and includes an 18 hole course, a practice course, a restaurant and the ruins of a Roman aqueduct.
Do
La Gabare de Saintes
Wooden ferry taking passengers on 1.5 hour-long river cruises where you can enjoy the landscapes and the city views in a relaxed way.
de mai à septembre
See
National stud farm of Saintes
Haras National de Saintes
In a forested park of 9 hectares in size, until 2019 you could experience living 19th century heritage in the form of horse breeding. In 2019 the place was sold to an advertising entrepreneur who plans to convert the buildings into a headquarters for southwestern France, but they'll also house a restaurant, rentable space for startup businesses and apartments. As such you can just admire the buildings from a distance.
free
See
Parc des Arènes
A green walk next to the amphitheater, connected to the rest of Saint-Eutrope by a pastoral path named Vallon des Arènes.
free
See
Place Bassompierre
A square built in 1843 and named after 17th century bishop Louis de Bassompierre. It's a kind of an esplanade in front of the Fernand-Chapsal gardens where the Germanicus arc was reassembled in 1851. On the square there's a statue of 16th century potter Bernard Palissy who pioneered the Palissy ware ceramics style. The square is a venue for different events and a departure place for river tour boats.
See
Rue Alsace-Lorraine
An important pedestrian and shopping street, with more than half of the old town's shops. As such it's a great place to just walk around and do window shopping; or to make some side trips along the alleys. Most façades date from the 17th and 18th centuries though there are still some medieval houses left.
See
Rue Victor-Hugo
Another major shopping street in the old town, also known as the Grand’Rue (big street). It follows the routing of an old Roman street. It's pedestrianized and lined with palms and flowers. Looking towards the Charente river along the street, you can see the Germanicus arc. There's a great variety of businesses on this street from perfume shops and hotels to crêperies and art galleries.
Do Not mapped
National day
Fête nationale
The national day is celebrated with a military parade through Saintes by the Air Force who have a base just outside the city as well as a popular ball at night in the Fernand-Chapsal gardens.
14 July
Do
Skate Park
One of the biggest skateparks in the region.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Saintes (CC BY-SA 4.0).