Natural features

Marais poitevin

France Deux-Sèvres Coulon

Marais poitevin
Photo: Gilbert Bochenek, CC BY 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The 'Green Venice': a maze of canals shaded by poplars and ash trees in the marshes west of Niort, best explored by flat-bottomed boat or canoe. The water is often covered with bright green duckweed.


Hire a boat with or without a guide from the villages of Coulon, Arçais or La Garette, or cycle along the towpaths.

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