At the entrance to the island, facing the mainland and the Moëze-Oléron nature reserve, take advantage of camping at Château d’Oléron to visit an important oyster-farming port in the Marennes basin. Fortified by Vauban during the Wars of Religion, Château d’Oléron became the residence of the governors of Oléron under Richelieu. It was during this period that its Vauban citadel was built, on the site of the Château des Ducs d’Aquitaine.Oyster farming, already practiced in the 17ᵉ century, really took off in the basin during the 19ᵉ century, with the start of “claire” refining.
Château-d’Oléron citadel
The citadel on theisland of Oleron is a sight not to be missed. Its star-shaped structure can be seen from the sky as you fly over the island.
The citadel was built in 1630 by Richelieu, then enlarged and fortified by Vauban until 1700 as part of a set of fortifications along the Charente coast designed to protect the Rochefort arsenal. In the 20ᵉ century, it was used as a prison until the Second World War. Bombed by enemy armies, it remained abandoned for a long time before being restored and opened to visitors.
The site is open to the public and offers beautiful views of the Charente channel, the oyster port and the island bridge. Temporary exhibitions are held in the arsenal and powder magazine. A visit to the citadel is part of a pleasant discovery tour offered by the tourist office through Château-d’Oléron, from the narrow streets of the historic center to the fortifications and the oyster and yachting harbour. Guided tours are also available during the school vacations, as well as nocturnes with dramatized historical visits in July and August.
A stroll along the harbour
An important oyster transit site since the 17ᵉ century, Château-d’Oléron, a seaside resort in the Charente-Maritime department of Poitou-Charentes, is today one of the key oyster ports in the Marennes-Oléron basin.Former salt marshes were transformed in the 19ᵉ century into maturing basins for oysters from claires, which owe their particular taste and unique hue to the blue navicule, a microscopic algae.
Château-d’Oléron’s oyster farmers can be found in the port and on the Ors channel, just inside the citadel. The longest oyster-farming channel on the island at 1,500 meters, it is lined with colorful oyster huts that form a picturesque backdrop. Many are home to the studios of artists and craftsmen in a variety of artistic and artisanal trades: cutlery, painting and sculpture, metalwork, ceramics and woodworking. A veritable artists’ village that opens its doors to the public along the water’s edge.
Swimming in Château-d’Oléron
In theprotected environment of the Moëze-Oléron reserve, the Citadelle beach on the wild coast is a family beach, appreciated by parents with young children for its low waves and absence of dangerous currents. Fishing is forbidden here, and surfing is often done at the whim of the tides.
Nearby, the La Phibie lake offers a saltwater swimming area that can be used even at low tide, and is accessible to people with reduced mobility thanks to a tiralo and a duckboard path laid out on the sand.
In summer, swimming is supervised from late morning to late afternoon.
Visit Château-d’Oléron by tourist train
The ideal way to enjoy a family outing and discover the must-see sites of the city of Oléron, the Petit Train du Château takes you to the citadel, its fortified gates and ramparts, the picturesque streets of the historic center, and the oyster port. In all, a 5-kilometer circuit is covered in around 35 minutes, with fascinating commentaries punctuated by historical anecdotes.
Stroll through the market
Around the covered market, the streets of Château-d’Oléron come alive every day in summer, and from Tuesday to Saturday the rest of the year, with a market of local produce, and on Sundays, a fairground market. For an evening stroll, there’s nothing like the Château-d’Oléron night markets, held on Wednesdays in the narrow streets of the town center and on Fridays on the port.
Other visits
During your vacation in Pays Marennes-Oléron, on the Atlantic coast, don’t miss visits to Saint-Georges-d’Oléron, Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, Saint Dénis d’Oléron, Dolus-d’Oléron, the large seaside village of Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, Fort Boyard, and walks and rides on the cycle paths along the Atlantic ocean and sandy beaches and through a beautiful pine forest.
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oléron
Cycle paths on the Ile d’Oléron
Château-d’Oléron Citadel
Le Marais aux oiseaux
Boyardville
Port des Salines
Port de la Cotinière
Chassiron lighthouse
Fort Boyard
The beaches of Ile Oléron
Campsite Saint-Denis-d’Oléron
Camping La Brée-les-Bains
Camping Saint-Georges-d’Oléron
Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron campsite
Boyardville Campsite
Camping Dolus-d’Oléron
Camping Saint-Trojan-les-Bains
Camping Le Grand-Village-Plage
