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Poitiers is a town on the Clain River in west central France.
It is a commune and the capital (préfecture) of the Vienne département and
of the Poitou-Charentes région.
The town is picturesque; and its streets are interesting for their remains of
ancient architecture, especially of the Romanesque period,
and the memories of great historical events.
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Poitiers
Heading south from Tours
on the Autoroute de l'Aquitaine, you'd hardly be tempted by the
cluster of towers and office blocks rising from the plain, which
is all you see of POITIERS . But approach more closely
and things look very different. Sitting on a hilltop overlooking
two rivers, Poitiers is a country town with a unique charm that
comes from a long and sometimes influential history - as the
seat of the dukes of Aquitaine, for instance - discernible in
the winding lines of the streets and the breadth of civic, domestic
and ecclesiastical architectural fashions represented in its
buildings. Its pedestrian precincts, restaurants and pavement
cafés - and some wonderful central gardens - make for
comfortable sightseeing.
The two poles of communal
life in Poitiers are the tree-lined place du Maréchal-Leclerc
, with its popular cafés and lively outdoor culture, and
place Charles-de-Gaulle to the north, where a big and bustling
food and clothes market takes place (Mon-Sat 7am-6pm, Sun 7.30am-1pm).
Between the two is a warren of prosperous streets - as far along
as the half-timbered medieval houses of rue de la Chaine - with
the rue Gambetta cutting north past the old Palais de Justice
, with a nineteenth-century facade that hides a much older core
(closed to the public at the time of writing; check with tourist
office for reopening date).
OTHER POPULAR DESTINATIONS IN FRANCE