Geography and transport
Poitiers is both the administrative capital of the Poitou-Charentes region and the Vienna branch, covering a total area of 42 km2 and a height of 65 to 144 meters. Like you, Poitiers has all the transport connections you expect from a city of this size. The A10 motorway passes through the city, connecting it with Saintes in the south (140 km) and Tours in the north (102 km). Other main routes are: N147 (Limoges -128 km), N149 (Parthenay - 52 km) and RN10 to Angouleme (115 km). The city has a large railway station (Poitiers Gare), which has a TGV, TER and other SNCF services. Poitiers is a stop on two lines of the TGV, La Rochelle to Paris Montparnasse (1h40mins) and Bordeaux to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (2h20mins). To the west of the city is Poitiers Biard Airport, offering services in the UK (abbreviated in winter), as well as charter flights in the summer. The Klein River passes through the city, and the Boyver River also passes by.
climate
The climate in Poitiers is governed by the Atlantic Ocean. The average summer temperature ranges from 23 ° C to 26 ° C (from 11 ° C to 13 ° C), and in winter it decreases to 8 ° C to 9 ° C (from 2 ° C to 3 ° C). The moistened month is usually October with 54 mm, and the driest month is March with 26 mm. Poitiers is part of a zone that receives over 2000 hours of sunshine a year.
tourism
Poitiers is a historic city with many impressive buildings and monuments. The most important is Eglise St Hilaire le Grand, a church of the 12th century, a stop for pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela, the site is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Notre Dame de la Grande is also a 12th century church, located opposite the tourist office in the city center, with its detailed Romanesque façade. Every night in the summer Polychromy illuminates the facade of the church with the accompaniment after sunset. Baptiste St Jean is considered the oldest Christian building in France (around 360AD), and next to it is the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Pierre.
Le Musee Saint Croix features archaeological artifacts, while the Rupert de Civres Museum houses a collection of jewelry and furniture from the 17th to the 19th century, as well as a collection of paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The city has identified three separate tours to help visitors see key sites that are marked with colored lines painted on the streets. Each route takes about 1h30mins, blue, yellow and red tours take you on an often hilly, but interesting city tour. In the vicinity of Poitiers there are numerous parks and gardens, such as Jardin aux Insectes, Jardin des Sens and Parc Floral de la Roseraie with 465 varieties of roses. Parc de Blossac is a 9th-century 18th-century park with landscaped gardens, a grotto, a small zoo and a garden. There are botanical and rose gardens and playgrounds for children. In Biarda, the Grottes de la Noree are the only natural caves open to the public in the department of Vienne, with 150 m of cameras to explore. The site is an important bat shelter. The city has a huge program of social and cultural events throughout the year.
Next to the Jaunay clan is the high-tech Parc Futuroscope, a landmark in the regions that explores multimedia and moving picture capabilities.
equipment
Poitiers is a young and vibrant university city, as well as a huge selection of restaurants, cafes and bars with excellent shops both in the city center and in the surrounding areas, where there are several halls and industrial parks. There are many sports facilities, where teams for rugby, handball and volleyball are played at a high level. There are good facilities for tennis, and in the center of Aquatique de la Pepiniere there are many pools, spas, waterfalls and a water slide of 76 meters. The population of large Poitiers is about 120,000 people, and there are additional facilities around the city. Mignaloux Beauvoir has an ice-skating rink, ten-finger bowling and a golf course. Hotel St Cyr has a large lake for relaxing with water sports.
Poitiers has a huge university hospital (CHU), which recently invested in new biofields, new facilities and support networks aimed at supporting research in the field of biotechnology, and helping biopreneurs in developing companies in the most advanced fields of science.
economy
Poitiers is part of an economic zone with the same name, which has an unemployment rate of 7.9%, compared with a regional rate of 8.6% and a national indicator of 9.1% (INSEE 2006). While the university hospital and regional and departmental administration are easily the largest employers in the city, large companies include Rocade Distribution (Leclerc) with 455 employees, Sorgieres (electricity and gas) with 331 employees, SCAP (Chrysler and Peugeot) with 296 employees, and SEFI (industrial supplier) with 241 employees.
education
In Poitiers there are 22 public kindergartens (plus 6 private), 19 primary schools (plus 7 private), 8 secondary schools (college) (plus 3 private) and 10 colleges (lyceum) (plus 4 private). The city is also home to the University of Poitiers, founded in 1431, and at the center of higher education in Poitou-Charentes.
Basic statistics
Population: 89200 (INSEE 2007)
Postal Code: 86000
Rail Link: Yes (TER and TGV)
Nearest Airport: Poitiers Biard - (8km / 5mi - 13mins)
Nearest channel: Caen (370km / 230mi - 3h27mins)
Nearest Beach: Aytre (141km / 88mi - 1h34mins)
Trade: restaurants, shops, cafes
Economics: university, services, trade
To visit: Eglise St Hilaire le Grand (12th century church)
Events: Polychromy (every night in summer)
