Page 399 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

Must See

Aerial view of Poitiers, Château du Clos de la Ribaudière
with its imposing Gothic LA PAIX 8 km (5 miles) CHA
AVENUE DE
cathedral in the distance BO U L E V A R D D E S R O C S GUESCLIN R. GUILLAUME V II SS E I GNE RUE D ES QUATRE ROUES
LE TROUBADO U R
PLACE DU
BOUL E VARD
Plantes
B O U L E V A R D D U G R A N D C E R F
4 " A V E N U E D E N A N T E S La Bo ivre RUE DES CARMÉLITES Jardin des Le Clain
Baptistère St-Jean PL. DE LA S. DRAULT VOIE ANDRÉ MALRAUX
LIBERTÉ
R. DU DR
Médiathéque
Gare
⌂ Rue Jean Jaurès § 05 49 Routière François Mitterrand LATTRE DE TASSIGNY
41 21 24 # Mid-Jun–Sep: Marché
BLVD MARÉCHAL
PL. C. DE
10am–12:30pm & 2–6pm Poitiers BOULEVARD SOLFÉRINO RUE DE LA MARNE Palais de GAULLE RUE DES FEUILLANTS
Gare de
daily; Oct–mid-Jun: 2–6pm BLVD DE VERDUN Justice Notre-Dame BOULEVARD
-la-Grande
Tue–Sun Musée de R. GAMBETTA R. JEAN GRAND RUE BAJON
Pont
This polygonal 4th-century ARTISTIDE Chièvres Hôtel de JAURES Espace Cathédrale Joubert
PL.
R. DE LA CATHEDRALE
St-Pierre
Ville
building is one of the oldest BRIAND RUE V. HUGO PLACE DU COMEDIE RUE DE R. A. ORILLARD Mendès
BLVD DU
RENAUDOT
Christian buildings in Western BLVD DE PONT ACHARD R. THÉOPHRASTE MAL LECLERC R. L. RENARD France PONT JOUBERT
L'ANCIENNE
Europe. Now a museum, its Baptistère
Musée St-Jean
displays include Romanesque Eglise St-Hilaire- RUE CAR NOT R. J. ALEXANDRE Sainte-Croix Pont
frescoes of both Christ and le-Grand Hôtel de BLVD A. FRANCE Neuf
l'Europe
the Emperor Constantine, and RUE GIROUARD
RUE ÉMILE DUCLAUX
BLOSSAC
some Merovingian sarcophagi. RUE L. RUE DE PL. BLVD F. ALBERT Pont
It also preserves an ancient R. DE LA TRANCHEE THÉZARD HENRI St-Cyprien
octagonal pool that was used BLVD DE TISON CHEMIN DES PRES ROY RUE LOUIS PASTE UR
for full-immersion baptisms Parc de
RUE DU BAS DES SABLES
Blossac
CH E MIN D E T I S O N
up until the eighth century. BLVD SOUS BLOSSAC Le Clain Îlot-Tison PROMENADE DES COURS 0 metres 400 400 N
0 yards
5 "=
Musée Sainte-Croix
7 "
⌂ 3 bis rue Jean Jaurès § 05 Espace Mendès France
49 41 07 53 # Hours vary,
call ahead ¢ Public hols ⌂ 1 pl de la Cathédrale SLEEP
# 9am–6:30pm Tue–Fri,
Musée Sainte-Croix exhibits 2–6:30pm Sat & Sun
pre historic, Gallo-Roman and ¢ 1 Jan; Sun in Jul–Aug Château du Clos
medi eval archaeology, and a ∑ emf.fr de la Ribaudière
wide range of paintings and A stately 18th-century
19th-century sculpture. Seven This museum contains a mansion with heated
bronzes by Camille Claudel are state-of-the-art planetarium, outdoor pool and
on show, including La Valse. with laser shows explaining alfresco dining on the
There is also a collection of the mysteries of the universe, stone terrace during
contemporary art. plus exhibitions. the summer months.
⌂ 10 rue du Champ de
Foire ∑ ribaudiere.com
6 8 ¡¡¡
Eglise St-Hilaire- Médiathèque François
le-Grand Mitterrand Hôtel de l’Europe
⌂ 26 rue Sainte Hilaire ⌂ 4 rue de l’Université A modern hotel in the
§ 05 49 41 21 57 # Apr– # 11am–7pm Tue–Sat heart of the city, with
Nov: 9am–7pm daily; Dec– ¢ Public hols ∑ bm- an on-site car park
Mar: 9am–5:30pm daily poitiers.fr and a good-value
breakfast buffet.
Fires and reconstructions have This modern building, located ⌂ 39 rue Sadi Carnot
made St-Hilaire a mosaic of in the histor ic quarter, is home ∑ defiplanet.com
different styles. With its ori- to the Maison du Moyen Age,
gins in the 6th century, the which displays a collec tion of ¡¡¡
church still preserves intact medieval manu scripts, maps
an 11th-century bell tower and engravings, and stages
and a 12th-century nave. temporary exhibitions.
399
398-399_EW_France.indd 399 29/01/2019 17:02