Marais Poitevin — Green Venice Boat Tour

The Marais Poitevin — known as the Venise Verte (Green Venice) — is a vast network of willow-fringed canals, flooded meadows, and medieval water-meadow farmland spread across the Deux-Sèvres department, roughly 140 km south of Nantes. The drive from Nantes via the N137 south toward La Rochelle then the D10 east to the village of Coulon takes about 1 hour 40 minutes; there is no practical public transport connection, making a car essential for a day trip. Coulon, the most visited entry point, sits at the western edge of the marais mouillé (the wet marsh) and is the hub for flat-bottomed boat rentals available from several operators along the Port de Coulon from around €15 per person per hour. Traditional boats called plates are punted or paddled along canals overhung by poplars, willows, and ash trees whose roots trail in the shallow water; the effect of dappled light filtering through the canopy in spring and early summer is extraordinary. The best way to experience the marais is on a guided tour (1.5–2 hours) with a local guide who explains the ecology, the traditional agriculture of the area — including cows and horses ferried between islands by boat — and identifies the herons, kingfishers, egrets, and occasionally otters that inhabit the channels. Coulon village itself has a small Maison du Marais Poitevin providing context on the wetland ecosystem, a handful of restaurants serving local specialties including mogettes (white beans with butter) and eel dishes, and several picturesque streets of low stone cottages. Morning visits see mist rising from the canals before tourist boats fill the channels; afternoons are livelier and warmer. A cycling route along the canal towpaths connects Coulon with neighbouring villages and offers an alternative way to cover more of the landscape.