Medieval town of Chauvigny

Park in the car park of the municipal swimming pool, at 11 Rue de la Maladrerie.

(S/E) Follow Rue de la Maladrerie back towards the bridge, keeping the swimming pool on your left. Join the D951A (Rue de Poitiers), follow it to the left and cross the bridge over the Vienne.

(1) At the end of the bridge, turn immediately right to follow the Vienne under the trees. At the end of the green space, first turn left then right to continue south on Avenue de la Vienne (D749). Pass under the aqueduct of the old railway line, then go past a roundabout, staying on the D749. Cross Rue Gilbert Bécaud on the left-hand side and arrive at a junction (calvary).

(2) Then turn right onto the small Rue de Lussac. The street soon gives way to a path. Head towards the banks of the Vienne and pass under the D951. Continue along the path, running parallel to the river, until you reach a cemetery and the church of Saint-Pierre-les-Églises.

(3) From the car park, turn left uphill and enter Saint-Pierre-les-Églises. Cross the D749 and continue straight ahead, slightly to the left, along the path. Join the D951 and follow it to the right until you reach the first roundabout. Then turn left to cross the D951 at the pedestrian crossing. Cross Rue de Montmorillon (D54) and follow it to the left (on the right-hand pavement).

(4) At the first junction, turn right and go uphill along Chemin des Grêles. On a flat section, turn right into a passage between the^3rd and^4th houses. You will come to the tarmac of Rue Louis Daquin: follow this street, which bends left twice in succession.
You will come to a roundabout; take the^first right and then immediately left onto Rue Max Pol Fouchet. Go downhill and continue straight ahead. At the next roundabout, take the road opposite, Chemin de la Caronnière. Take a small footbridge that crosses over the railway line.

(5) On the other side, turn right into Rue de Charaudoux, which starts alongside the railway line and then veers off to the left. Join Rue Jean Arnault and follow it to the right. At the roundabout, cross Rue de Saint-Savin (D951a) and follow it to the left. At the corner of a car park, take a path on the right running alongside a pond. Join Rue de la Puye and follow it to the right. After a few dozen metres, turn right into Rue de la Fontaine.

(6) After No. 15, climb the steps on the left between two walls (Chemin du Petit Lucet). Cross Rue de la Puye and continue straight ahead up the steps. At the top, turn right into Rue Saint-Pierre then immediately left into Rue des Puys. At the next junction, turn left into Impasse Saint-Martial. Cross a small car park on the right then turn left twice to follow Rue des Rampes.
Then take the ramp on the left, the Plan Saint-Pierre, which leads to the entrance of Saint-Pierre Church. Walk past the church on your left to reach Rue Saint-Pierre again.

(7) Then turn right. The street bends left in front of the ruined Château de Chauvigny and, from this bend, becomes Boulevard des Châteaux. Just a few metres past No. 21, go down a flight of steps on the left (not shown on maps). At the bottom, join Rue des Trois Rois and follow it to the right.
At the first junction, turn left into Rue du Moulin Saint-Just. At the end, opposite Notre-Dame Church, turn right into Rue du Marché. Walk past the town hall and continue straight ahead.

(1) Cross the bridge over the Vienne. Take the first right, Rue de la Maladrerie, and you’ll soon reach the swimming pool car park (S/E).

A fairly easy and peaceful walk, despite a few short stretches on local roads
The hardest part is the steep climb up the steps leading from Rue de la Fontaine to Rue Saint-Pierre.

During the walk, you can visit the chapel of Saint-Pierre-les-Églises with its Carolingian frescoes during the summer season. Open from 1 June 2019 to 15 September 2019 from 10am to 6pm, or by appointment. Its cemetery contains Merovingian tombs.
Chauvigny is also the venue for falconry displays held on the old ramparts. Gouzon’s keep is also open to visitors (archaeological exhibition). You can, of course, also visit the interiors of the churches of Saint-Pierre and Notre-Dame.