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.

outdoors

Address: Esplanade André Malraux
Hours: de mai à septembre
Website: saintes-tourisme.fr (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Saintes, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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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
Arc de Germanicus
A triumphal arch built in 18 or 19 AD by Caius Julius Rufus, to celebrate emperor Tiberius, his son Drusus, and his nephew and adoptive son Germanicus. In Roman times it marked the eastern entrance to the city and was placed in the front of the bridge across Charente. When the quai was modernized in 1843-51, the arch was disassembled and rebuilt 15 m away at its current place. Some Roman inscriptions are still visible on the arch.
Do
Le Bernard Palissy II
A beautiful and comfortable cruise ship with 200 places. From the sun deck there are great views of the surroundings, and the sun deck has a bar and a covered lounge. There are morning, mid-day and afternoon cruises and the whole ship can also be rented for events like meetings or weddings.
summer months