Top 10 Things to Do in Niort

Top 10 Things to Do in Niort

Niort is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. It is situated on the Sèvre river. It is furnished with houses dating from the medieval and renaissance eras giving it a richness in architecture that balances out the substantial amount of more recent development. Notably, Niort is an important center for local business and finance of France, a major administrative and commercial centre.Lets get into the top 10 things to do in Niort.

1. Old Niort

The old town is an amazing place to patter around and take in the old architecture. If you can get a hold of an itinerary of all the “hôtels particuliers” its such fun to get lost in the old streets that curl up two hills. You can treat your eyes on the sensational Maison de la Vierge, christened for its sculpture of Virgin and Child on one corner.

You will also come across l’Hôtel de Chaumont On Rue du Pont which goes back to the 15th century and is recognized as the birthplace of Françoise d’Aubigné, the second wife of Louis XIV.

2. Donjon de Niort

Donjon_Niort by Juliofsanguino – Wikimedia Commons

Henry II Plantagenet began its construction but it was completed by Richard the Lionheart. After his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Henry II tactically placed a remarkable castle where Henry could sustain a garrison and supplies of personnel and weapons.

It was fortified by a rectangular curtain wall and was damaged during the Wars of Religion. As from the 18th century, the castle then served as a prison

The central point of a colossal fortress now is two 12th-century keeps, linked by a smaller slate-topped building from the 1400s standing at 28 meters high.

3. Musée Bernard d’Agesci

Musée_Bernard_d’Agesci by Chatsam -Wikimedia Commons

Hailing from Niort, Bernard d’Agesci an 18th-century painter was about to become a member of the Académie in Paris just as it was suppressed during the Revolution. He then went back home to Niort and established the first library and opened a museum and botanical garden which did much cultural work in the town.

Naturally, this attraction is named in his honor. Having been opened in 2006, it is three museums in one with natural history and fine art wings inclusive of galleries about the history of education as it is set in a former girls’ school.

Exhibiting many excellent pieces like Parthenay ceramics, antique string instruments, regional goldsmithery, fossils and teaching paraphernalia from the 1900s, this is truly a place rich in the arts.

5. Château du Coudray-Salbart

Château_du_Coudray-Salbart by Eliane Promis – Wikimedia Commons

Château du Coudray-Salbart is a ruined 13th-century castle located Under 10 kilometres up the D743 from the center of Niort

The Lords of Parthenay, who were allies to the English King John deployed the castle in the 13th century, to guard the crossing of the Sèvre Niortaise River.

between 1978 and 2003,The castle was made the object of a preservation programme by volunteers of the REMPART who are a charitable group. Since 2000, it has changed ownership to  Communauté d’Agglomération de Niort and volunteers have been replaced by teams of professionals from 2005,

Its architecture is remarkable. Having never been altered, the castle supports spurs of almond wood, Ribbed vaults, gigantic fireplaces, arrow loops and a secret passageway running inside the walls.

6. Marais Poitevin

Marais_Poitevin by Nancy – ikimedia Commons

With the coverage of 970 square kilometres Niort is at the eastern edge of a magical region of marshland that translates to  “Poitou’s Marsh” or the “Marsh of the Poitou region. Sitting on a limestone plateau , the mash dates back from the Jurassic period.

It is a maze of islets crisscrossed by picturesque canals, wooden footbridges and lined with untouched ash. It is tagged Venise Verte meaning The Green Venice where you can slow down time and drift along the waterways on a boat or take a stroll as you explore the woodland.

7.Coulon

Marais-poitevin_boats by Tygers1083 – Wikimedia Commons

This village is the birth place of bibliographer Louis Perceau. It is Habitually referred to as the capital of Venise Vertelisted and listed as one of the “plus beaux villages de France”.

The sights here are amazing. The charming old houses accessorized with colorfully painted shatters will take your breath away but the star of this lovely village is “batais”. They are distinctive flat-bottomed boats that give you an amazing boat ride experience either paired with a guide or alone.

8. Les Halles de Niort

Niort_Halles_donjon Accrochoc at French Wikipedia – Transferred from fr.wikipedia to Commons.

Open every morning from Tuesday straight through to Sunday (and public holidays) this market gives you the most amazing shopping experience of food drinks and a divine farmers market courtesy of The merchants of Les Halles de Niort.

A lovely old building that is functional still today is metal and glass hall from 1869

The best time to call in is early on Saturday for market day when there are copious stalls outside rendering you spoilt for choice.

9. Église Notre-Dame

Église Notre-Dame By JLPC / Wikimedia Commons

Presented as a 15th century masterpiece completed in 1534, in flamboyant Gothic style, it came to replace an old Sainte-Marie church, which itself had succeeded a small pre-Romanesque church.

The display of both flamboyant Italian Gothic and the Renaissance art is simply breathtaking both inside and outside the church

10.Les Oiseaux du Marais Poitevin

Les Oiseaux du Marais Poitevin by marais-poitevin.com Google

It is here that you will discover the most clandestine labyrinth of the green cathedral of Green Venice. Sitting on an eight-hectare piece of wild marsh, a bird sanctuary, a presentation of 70 species of birds of the Poitevin Marsh and the domestic animals of Poitou.

An educational boat ride with knowledgeable guides will show you the oystercatchers, herons, ducks that live in semi- confinement in open enclosures under nets.

Afterwards you can make a stop at the petting zoo just to spend some time with domestic animals from the region like donkeys, mules and goats.