The gare SNCF is on rue Mazagran and has bicycles for rental – note that the station has no consigne automatique, charging a hefty €4.57 for each piece of left luggage. Buses leave from the gare routière, just off place de la Brèche on rue Viala. The excellent tourist office on place de la Poste (July–Sept Mon–Fri 9.30am–7pm, Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–1pm; Oct–June Mon–Fri 9.30–6pm, Sat 9.30am–noon; tel 05.49.24.18.79) has plenty of information about walking itineraries around the Marais, and offers a free room reservation service (tel 05.49.24.98.92); for more rustic accommodation in the Marais itself, contact Relais des Gîtes Ruraux, at 15 rue Thiers (tel 05.49.24.00.42).There's the usual crop of hotels close to the station, including the Terminus, 82 rue de la Gare (tel 05.49.24.00.38, fax 05.49.24.94.38; €30–40), which is a decent budget option. More centrally, the St-Jean, 21 av St-Jean-d'Angély (tel 05.49.79.20.76, fax 05.49.35.03.27; €30–40), is another good bet for cheap, comfortable rooms, while several more upmarket hotels cluster on avenue de Paris, including Le Paris, at no. 12 (tel 05.49.24.93.78, fax 05.49.28.27.57, www.groupcitotel.com; €40–70), and the three-star Grand Hôtel, at no. 32 (tel 05.49.24.22.21, fax 05.49.24.42.41; €55–70). The three-star campsite, De Noron (tel 05.49.79.05.06; closed Oct–Jan), is on boulevard S.-Allende next door to the stadium; bus #6 from place de la Brèche. Two restaurants to head for are Les Quatre Saisons on 247 av de La Rochelle (tel 05.49.79.41.06; closed Sun), for traditional Marais Poitevin specialities (menus from €8.99), and, for lunches, Sucrée Salée, at 2 rue du Temple (tel 05.49.24.77.16), which specializes in tarts and crumbles à l'anglaise (from €10.52).
| 