Tourist attractions Royan

This 33-acre zoo is set in the magnificent forests and dunes of La Palmyre. A marked trail, dotted with lakes and ponds, takes visitors past some 1 600 animals from every corner of the globe. Carnivores live next to small pandas and suricates. Parrot..

Leave the car at the point where the D25 from Royan ceases to follow the coastline and head into the woods to access a stony platform. The Gironde, Grave Point, Cordouan Lighthouse , Coubre Point and its lighthouse make for an impressive panorama...

Its Renaissance storeys separated by a balustrade from a Classical upper section give the lighthouse (67.5m) an impression of durability. A postern leads to a circular bastion protecting the building from the pounding ocean (it was here that the keep..

The majestic Royan sea-front is both residential and commercial and runs along the Grande Conche , in front of an immense 2km beach. The front ends at the port which is accessible to trawlermen and pleasure boats. On the front you can see the outlin..

This church in reinforced concrete covered in a layer of resin was built in 1958 by Guillaume Gillet and Hébrard. Note how the chevet seems to bow as you look up - an effect accentuated by the 65m-high bell-tower. On the left is a pyramid-shaped bapt..

The reception building is a fine modern-looking metallic structure that precedes the orchid hothouse (the world’s most beautiful varieties are presented in a tropical forest) and bonsai pavilion. The visit continues outside, where you can enjoy the s..

After the old Chay fort, the road overlooks several small beaches (Chay and Pignonnier) with views of the Gironde estuary and the Côte de Beauté, and ends at Conche de Pontaillac , the most popular beach in Royan. The plush villas above the beach ar..

Rebuilt three times since 1895 on account of shifting dunes, the Coubre Lighthouse stands imposingly on Coubre Point, marking the Gironde approaches. From the top (around 300 steps and a metal ladder!) there is a superb view of the Cordouan Lightho..

The design of the temple is quite austere. Be sure to have a look inside at the wood-panelled interior.

The covered market, with its great dome divided into concrete segments 50 metres in diameter, is worth seeing.

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Royan suffered greatly from the April 1945 bombings, so there is hardly anything left of the Victorian hotels, villas and chalets that once dotted the landscape of this spa town – except in this district where some Belle Époque and Art Nouveau villas..

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