Poitiers

Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The center is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque period; Poitiers is associated with great historical events from the Late medieval era.

Poitiers' tourist industry has greatly benefited from the opening of the Futuroscope in nearby Chasseneuil-du-Poitou. The city center is visited in complement to the theme-park and benefits from a larger proportion of European tourists, notably from the United Kingdom. There are a lot of tourist sites to visit near Poitiers, beside Futuroscope.

Poitiers has a railway station on the TGV Atlantique line between Paris and Bordeaux. The station is in the valley to the west of the old town centre. Services run to Angoulême, Limoges and La Rochelle in addition to Paris and Bordeaux. The direct TGV puts Poitiers 1h40 from Paris' Gare Montparnasse.