Poitevin marshlands
Marais poitevin Regional Natural Park, Pays de la Loire
The Poitevin marshlands, an ecologically rich environment due to the diversity of its natural habitats, are the largest wetlands on the Atlantic coast. Basked in gentle light, the marshlands offer peaceful living and timeless wellbeing, in tune with a protected natural environment.
© PNRMP
An iconic landscape of the Poitevin Marshlands Regional Natural Park, its wet marshes are also called the “Green Venice” for its plant-covered archways and duckweed which sometimes covers the waterways. This incredible maze of watercourses can be enjoyed via small, renovated harbours in the heart of golden-stoned and orange-tiled villages. Rowboats slowly glide through a tranquil silence, lulled by the rhythm of “pigouilles,” long poles used by boatmen. Bathed in light and water, this lush landscape invites contemplation. Long remained wild, the land is crisscrossed by canals that surround small prairies lined with tadpole-sculpted ash trees and poplars over grazing cattle. This aquatic labyrinth is a feast for the eyes. This unique manmade landscape is now protected, as many other little-known sites in the Poitevin marshlands. An invitation to explore the diversity of the other landscapes by bike and to roam the dried marshes by way of communal marshlands, all the way to the sea.