What to see in Saintes, from Arc de Germanicus on
Of the 19 places to visit in and around Saintes, 12 are châteaux or heritage sites. Look within 5 km of its centre and the list grows by 3 beyond the 16 in Saintes. 9 of those in town are listed historic monuments. A short walk covers 12, all within 1 km. Day-trippers head 10 km out to Château de Taillebourg.
Saintes’ big names
Behind Arc de Germanicus on the list are a cathedral, an archaeological site and a monastery.
Archaeological siteAmphithéâtre de Saintesin town
Monastery or conventAbbaye aux Dames de Saintesin townArt galleryArt galleryMusée archéologique de Saintesin town
MuseumMusée de l'Échevinage de Saintesin townBest known first: by how many Wikipedia and sister-site articles cover each place (Wikidata’s count). It isn’t a ranking of how good they are.
Plotted on the map
Most of the 3 close by lie to the southeast.
The first 20 on the list, numbered as below. The shape is the commune of Saintes; the orange dot is its centre. © OpenStreetMap contributors · commune boundary: IGN
Kind by kind
Count 12 châteaux or heritage sites and 4 museums or galleries.
Dark: in Saintes. Light: in the communes within 5 km of its centre.
Place after place
After the 16 in town come 3 more within 5 km of its centre.
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Saintes
Cathedral located in Charente-Maritime, in France.
Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes
Abbey located in Charente-Maritime, in France.
Couvent des Jacobins de Saintes
Convent located in Charente-Maritime, in France.
11The 16 places in Saintes first, then those within 5 km of its centre.
Around the region
Château de Taillebourg, at 10 km, heads the 12.
MuseumConservatoire du Bégonia32 km northwest, in Rochefort
GardenPlanet Exotica32 km southwest, in RoyanArchaeological siteArchaeological siteTemple du moulin du Fâ30 km southwest, in BarzanChâteauChâteauFort Lupin39 km northwest, in Saint-Nazaire-sur-Charente
MuseumMusée national de la Marine de Rochefort33 km northwest, in RochefortPlaces within 40 km of Saintes with an article in both French and English Wikipedia, nearest first.
Before a day out in Saintes
What is there to see in Saintes?
The first on our list in Saintes are Arc de Germanicus, Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Saintes, Amphithéâtre de Saintes and Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes. We list 16 places in town. Another 3 are within 5 km of the centre.
Are there museums in or near Saintes?
4 museums and galleries in town or within 5 km, including Musée archéologique de Saintes, Musée de l'Échevinage de Saintes, Musée du Présidial de Saintes and Musée Dupuy-Mestreau.
Which places in Saintes are listed historic monuments?
9 places on this page in Saintes are listed or registered historic monuments (Mérimée), including Arc de Germanicus, Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Saintes, Amphithéâtre de Saintes and Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes.
What well-known places are within a day out of Saintes?
The nearest with articles in both French and English Wikipedia: Château de Taillebourg (10 km), Château de la Roche-Courbon (15 km), Château de Cognac (24 km), Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sablonceaux (19 km).
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap and Wikidata: named museums, galleries, châteaux, abbeys, gardens, zoos, theme parks and other visitor attractions whose mapped point lies inside the commune of Saintes, then those in the communes within 5 km of its centre, and well-known places within 40 km. Houses, ruins and gardens need a sign they’re open to visitors; places marked private, closed or disused are left out. The historic-monument link is the Culture ministry’s Mérimée record. A place that isn’t mapped isn’t listed, so this isn’t everything there is to see.
Sources: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0: descriptions, websites, Wikipedia articles), the Culture ministry’s Mérimée database (Licence Ouverte 2.0), IGN commune boundaries. Distances are from the commune’s centre point.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (7)
- Amphithéâtre de Saintes: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée de l'Échevinage de Saintes: G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée Dupuy-Mestreau: Juliofsanguino, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Conservatoire du Bégonia: Marion1000, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Planet Exotica: Louis-Dominique 1er Spatiens, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée national de la Marine de Rochefort: yoyo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.