The town and area | Maison Rouge Chambre

Saint Jean d'Angély and the area

St Jean d'Angély is a thriving town with many diversions - cinemas, shops, museums, swimming pools, and a popular market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. There are a wide choice of cafés, bars and restaurants offering a variety of cuisines for you to enjoy.

Being located right in the heart of the Charente Maritime region gives the historic town the advantage for visiting nearby towns such as Fouras, Saint Georges de Didonne, Cognac, Saintes, Rochefort and La Rochelle.

The local market

The twice weekly market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings is both inside and outside. Try regional delicacies, local honey, find handmade items and caft gifts. There is also a fantastic selection of fresh sea food, fuit an vegetables and of course cheese. The local drink is Pineau and it's very good!

Restaurants and cafés

There is a choice of restaurants and cafés in and around the town. Tastes including vegetarian, tapas, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, crepes, pizza and a selection of delicious french restaurants.

By the river

The town is by the beautiful river Boutonne creating picturesque settings for walks and activities.

There are shaded walks and picnic tables. Fishing, kayaking, music concerts and brocantes, ariverside restaurant, mini golf and free parking.

Along the riverside are lovely old houses some whose original use was to store cognac and pineau as it arrived by barge down the river.

Events and festivals

Regular events and activities happen in the town. Musical concerts, modern, classical as well as jazz and opera. There is an art museum in the abbey and art exhibitions in the town throughout the year.

The popular International and French Motocross.

Nearby beaches

Beautiful Atlantic coastal beaches not far away -

Fouras 40 minutes

Chátelaillon-Plage 45 minutes

Royan 50 minutes

St George de Didonne 45 minutes

Ile de Ré in one hour.

Santiego de Compostela - the Way of Saint James

Saint Jean d'Angély is part of the ancient Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.

Depending in which country you begin from, the route finishes in Galicia Cathedral in Spain.

A hugely popular trail about 500m / 805km length. People come from all over the world to walk part or all of it, It can take many weeks.

The Abbaye Royal

In the town centre you cannot miss the abbey's striking twin bell towers. Next to them is the rebuilt 17th century Abbaye Royal. The building is now multifunctional and part of the building is an art museum.

This really is an interesting building with a history. Built in 817 to house the relic of St John the Baptist's skull, brought back from Alexandria. Benedictine monks lived in the abbey and it was first plundered in by the Vikings in 1010. The current abbey is 17th century. Take a visit to find our more.

Historic town centre

The heart of St Jean d'Angély is medieval, with interesting buildings still in use, dating from the 12th century. There are also many buildings, including the Marie, in the wonderful 18th Maison de Maître style, with the high slated rooftops, ornate attic windows and grand appearance.