The Marais Poitevin, nicknamed \”The Green Venice\” – Road Trip in France #24
After the Little Venice in Colmar and the Venice of the Perigord in Brantôme, here we are at the “Green Venice” in the Marais Poitevin
Note: this blog article is part of the “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22 and #23
Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Diary
The Marais Poitevin is composed of three sets: the maritime marsh, the dry marsh, the wet marsh.
It is the wet marsh (the green Venice) that we visit today. These areas are developed to dry out the marshes with fertile soil and to control variations related to rainfall.
In the past, duckweed used to cover the area, giving a permanent green carpet on the water, hence its name “Green Venice”. Now the duckweed is gone, proof that the water is less polluted.
To visit the Marais mouillé, we opted for a boat trip near Coulon with a guide (Embarcadère Cardinaud). But the locals tell us that a departure from the pier of the Green Venice might have been more quiet.
All Parisians seem to meet here, because out of the 10 tourists on the boat, 100% come from the Paris region ahahah, including the guide who comes to work here every summer.
Sorry but this article will be short because I didn’t retain anything from the explanations in the guide. We especially had a good time, quiet and cool.
The landscapes are very similar, what amused us a lot was to see the other tourists who had opted for an individual boat (without a guide), struggling and trying to race with us. At one moment, they try to paddle super fast to overtake us shouting victory, then they are quickly tired and let themselves be overtaken.
When we pass them, they sulk… and get yelled at by their wives who blame them for taking a boat instead of opting for a boat with a guide… We see other situations too funny, like a gentleman who takes care of his manicure while his wife and daughter are paddling while panting behind… or other tourists who are against all the other boats, without wondering, at any time, if they aren’t getting lost, up to tourists who can’t move forward and ask us if the guide can take them on our boat.
People watching is just as entertaining as nature.
Here, there is no current, and the boats are quite hard to maneuver. It isn’t like canoeing in the Dordogne or Ardèche. I strongly recommend that you choose a boat with a guide so you don’t get tired. Instead, the guides use a huge stick to push it into the mud and move the boat forward, something that tourists aren’t equipped with. Moreover, there are very few indications, there is a risk of getting lost.
At one moment, we see a dozen cows, quiet, on a super green and super vast ground. They are brought here by boat (because the area is inaccessible to cars), and stay there for a few months, the time to feed on fresh and organic herbs. The guide tells us that it is really necessary to be there to see them: they are all crazy with joy, in “open bar” mode.
In short, we spent more time laughing and breathing pure oxygen than learning new things.
We thought we had laughed enough for the whole day, but nay.
We dine in a Cambodian restaurant Restaurant Angkor & Angkor in La Creche (Google Maps link), run by Sothy (Cambodian) and her husband (French). We eat on the spot and discuss with the restaurant owners. They are funny, but so funny. I laughed all evening.
It’s too hard to tell you jokes here because out of context and Sothy’s repartee, it doesn’t make sense. But we had a great time.
Sothy’s restaurant is right next to our accommodation, the Villa Camille (link Booking). I recommend both addresses.
The rest of our trip is over here
Part 2: Practical Tips
Useful links
- 4 weeks Road Trip in France by car: program & detailed plans here
- These points of interest are part of the +800 tourist places in France that we recommend. To access free Google Maps of the 800 places in question, click here
- More info about our car rental at Leclerc (5€/day + 8cts per km) here
Budget
- Accommodation: the Villa Camille, 68€/night, breakfast included (link Booking)
- Boat at the Marais Poitevin : count between 17€ and 19€/person for a guided tour of 1h30. We left with Embarcadère Cardinaud, a little further back and a little more quiet
- Restaurant Angkor & Angkor : 15€/person approx
