Saintes and La Roche Courbon

by coach & on foot

This experience will first take you to the historic city of Saintes via the motorway. Discovering this superb centre of art and history is like travelling through time. The city was converted to Christianity in the very early days and became a community with a strong religious vocation.

On arrival, you will follow your guide for an interior visit to the majestic Saint-Pierre Cathedral, located in the old district. This impressive structure still bears the marks of a strange Gothic building project, interrupted by religious wars in the 18th century. Altered several times since the high Middle Ages, many traces of these different stages remain: Romanesque cupola, canonical room and 13th and 14th century cloister.

You will then have some free time to enjoy the variety of shops and cafes along the pedestrian streets in the incomparable atmosphere of the city.

Rejoining the coach, your journey continues through the picturesque countryside to the site known as ‘Sleeping Beauty’s Castle’ – La Roche Courbon, built around 1475. The name is derived from La Roche, the rock on which it is built, and the name of the family Courbon who lived here for more than three centuries. During the first half of the 17th century, Jean-Louis de Courbon transformed this defensive castle into an elegant residence that can still be seen and visited today.

Between the main building and the river, he created a typical French garden inspired by the style of Le Notre, the designer of the gardens of Versailles. The property remained unchanged until 1817, when it was sold and later abandoned. It was only in 1920 that Paul Chénereau, who was born in the region, decided to purchase and restore the property. The restoration of the gardens took from 1928 to 1936 and was achieved by the well-known gardener Ferdinand Duprat.

You will enjoy a guided walk around the castle, whose main rooms are all beautifully furnished and decorated. Among those not to be missed are the drawing-room, with painted wood panelling dating from 1662, the Louis XIII room with painted wood beams, and the kitchen.

After the inside visit, you will have free time to discover the gardens from which a terrace offers a stunning view of the Château, reflected in the smooth surface of the pool below, or maybe visit the gift shop for a souvenir of your time here.

Leaving Sleeping Beauty’s Castle behind, you will return to the port.