A short route between Jonzac and the West Indies

The car park is situated at Place Saint-Exupéry or the adjacent Rue du Lycée.

(S/E) Leave the car park and take Rue de Guiffier, which heads east at the junction at the southern end of Place Saint-Exupéry. This street takes its first bend to the right. Continue until you reach the second bend to the right. There, take the zigzagging staircase that descends to the left towards the Seugne. Cross the first branch of the river, then walk along the wooden walkways until you cross a second branch of the Seugne.

(1) About thirty metres past the river, at a junction of paths, take the one on the left. The path soon joins the Seugne and runs alongside it on the left-hand side before crossing it once more via a bridge and running alongside it again, but this time on the right-hand side. After a short ‘S’-bend in the path through the Plaine du Roquet behind the secondary school, continue straight on towards the town of Jonzac and its castle. The route crosses the Seugne once more and heads towards the Place du Château.

(2) Before reaching the houses lining the square, turn left onto a path that runs alongside them on the south side, leading to the Medieval Garden. About one hundred and twenty metres further on, turn right into a narrow lane that opens out at the junction of Place du Château and Rue James Sclafer. Turn right to walk across Place du Château, taking the Allée des Charmilles towards the castle gate flanked by its two beautiful towers. Continue straight on along Rue du Château, which passes through the castle between the two towers. Admire the architecture of the castle, now occupied by Jonzac Town Hall on the left-hand side and the district sub-prefecture on the right.

At the junction of Rue du Docteur Laporte and Avenue Joffre, turn left onto Rue du Docteur Laporte and follow it to Place du Château. Turn left at the start of the square, walk past the Tourist Office and turn right onto the medieval Rue de Champagnac. Walk along it, enjoying the lovely views of the old houses. It leads onto Rue Sadi Carnot.

(3) Turn left into this street. Just as the street bends to the left, opposite the Familia cinema, continue along Rue Saint-Gervais on the right. At the junction with Rue Saint-Protais, keep right onto Rue Saint-Gervais. Continue to Rue de l’Église, turn left, then, about twenty metres further on, cross the square and the forecourt of the Church of Saints Gervais and Protais before reaching Place du Marché. Walk along the south side of the market halls to reach the junction of Rue Saint-Protais and Place du Marché.

(4) Carry on straight ahead into Rue de Verdun. At the end of the street, turn right into Rue Sadi Carnot, which soon crosses the Seugne and continues as Rue des Carmes. At the next junction, go straight ahead along Rue Ruibert Gatineau for approximately fifty metres.

(5) Walk past the house on the left to reach the Ateliers de la Corderie, home to artists and craftspeople working using traditional methods. Continue along the path heading east towards the secondary school. In front of the school, turn right to walk between the school on the left and the motorhome park on the right, thus returning to the car park (S/E).

The route follows good paths and the town’s streets. Nevertheless, it is best to wear suitable footwear.

This walk presents no difficulty in terms of finding your way. In addition, it is advisable to follow the directions in the description and on the map, whilst also paying close attention to the landscape. The waypoints, with their GPS coordinates and the distance from the starting point, are helpful for walkers exploring the route for the first time.

Hike completed by the author on¹ June 2026

Jonzac
Jonzac Castle.

The historic centre
The historic centre of Jonzac has been the focus of particular attention. Restoration work has been carried out on the medieval alleyways of Champagnac and the Galeries Noires, whilst the castle esplanade and the main squares have been beautified.
The Baltard-style market halls are among the most remarkable markets in Charente-Maritime. They stand alongside the Romanesque church, whose artfully designed forecourt evokes the Merovingian cemetery unearthed in 2009; the play of light that enhances the forecourt and façade has been recognised by the guide ‘Cent plus Beaux Détours de France’. Also not to be missed – day or night – is the former convent of the Carmelite Friars to the west of the town, now a cultural centre; it is next to the beautiful Haute Saintonge media library and leads to the Maison des Artistes. Finally, there is the Protestant church.

The Moulins des Antilles in Jonzac, each less than a 5-minute walk from its car park.

Preserved natural areas
The Seugne
This tributary of the Charente flows peacefully through Jonzac; it is so perfectly integrated into the urban landscape that one no longer even realises it is the town’s main thoroughfare and the source of its charm.
On its banks, old tanneries can still be seen, remnants of a time when the industries linked to the Seugne flourished: those of the tanners and weavers, which once enabled the town to achieve its economic boom.

The Jonzac region offers a wide variety of landscapes. At the foot of the castle, the Seugne valley boasts a unique flora and fauna: wet meadows, ash groves, alder groves, pollarded trees, ribbon-leaved willows, water irises…

The Mail de Seugne Arboretum.

The Parc Floral
Situated behind the Antilles de Jonzac, it offers a space for relaxation in the open air. Here you can admire plants from all over the world.
Some are in full sun, others sheltered by large arbour-like structures. Succulents, green plants, flowering plants, and more…

The Tropical Greenhouse at Les Antilles de Jonzac.

The Jardin des Douves, known as the Medieval Garden.
It was created in 2014 by the Friends of Jonzac.

Exhibition Centre.
It is situated below the castle, behind the Jean Hyppolite Sixth Form College.
It is a meadow where benches have been installed so that visitors can enjoy the surroundings; footpaths and cycle paths have also been laid out there.

Sources: the town’s official website and the Jonzac Tourist Office

Les Ateliers de la Corderie
In Jonzac’s former rope-making workshop, at 25 Rue Ruibet-Gatineau, a number of craft workshops have set up shop. Several artisans work with a variety of materials using traditional methods. You can watch them as they create their pieces, ask for advice, buy their work and sometimes even try your hand at their craft. Indeed, many of them offer the chance to share their expertise through workshops and introductory sessions. Some of them even hold the “Creative Tourism Friendly” label.