Coulon and Green Venice
A legendary gateway to the Marais Poitevin, Coulon lines up its white houses along the Sèvre Niortaise and holds several boat landings. You board a flat-bottomed boat propelled by a pole and glide silently between duckweed under a canopy of leaves. A peaceful date, almost out of time, ideal to let the conversation find its own pace.
Arçais and marsh cycling
A few kilometres away, Arçais, a picturesque village lined with bridges and locks, is one of the finest starting points for cycling in the marsh. The paths follow the canals and the wet meadows where the local Maraîchine cows graze. Stop to taste an angélique, a local liqueur, or a smoked eel in a waterside guinguette.
Zoodyssée and Port Boinot
In the Chizé forest, Zoodyssée presents European wildlife — wolves, bisons, bears — in a natural setting. Back in town, Port Boinot has become the Sunday meeting point of families and couples: terraces, lawns by the Sèvre and events. On Lyad, people from Niort share their favourite routes; a chance to find someone to paddle between the ash trees with.
Date ideas
- Marais Poitevin
- Coulon
- Green Venice
- Arçais
- Niort angelica
- Zoodyssée
- Port Boinot
- Chauray