Eurostar to Poitiers

Poitiers is a beautiful town in the Loire Valley in France, just a short hop away from the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. It has a rich and interesting history, as well as some stunning areas of natural beauty surrounding it. Poitiers is one of the connection destinations available on the Eurostar, so it’s never been easier to get to.

About Poitiers

Poitiers was the birth place of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was the last descendant of the dukes of Aquitaine and the counts of Poitou. It was also the place of many a great battle: in 732, Abd-ar Rahman’s army was overpowered by that of Charles Martel. Poitiers dates back to the Roman era. Built by Romans, you’ll find a vast array of churches in the Romanesque style around every corner. The most impressive of all of these is the Church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande. The exterior carvings are a gorgeous example of Roman architecture at its best, and if you visit the Church on an evening during the summer months, you’ll find it lit up. Another wonderful church worth visiting in the area is the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre.

Just around the corner form here, you’ll also find the Sainte-Croix Museum. It’s a great place to spend an afternoon, taking in the interesting collections of fine and contemporary art, as well as examples of archaeology. And if you’re into the arts scene, you might like to time your visit for autumn. The Expressifs festival occurs during autumn and celebrates street art.

If it’s the wide outdoors you long for during your holidays, Poitiers is perfectly placed for a day trip to the Marais Poitevin marshlands. They are only an hour and a half away from town. It’s an incredible place to visit, and has been preserved and praised for its outstanding natural beauty. The best way to explore the area is to get on a boat and float around the canals and villages at a leisurely pace. And, interestingly, the mashes were written about by Rabelais, who claimed that the marshes came into existence after the creature ‘Gargantua’ spent an evening drinking heavily and vomiting profusely!

Poitiers by Eurostar Trains

You can get to Poitiers on one of the Eurostar’s connection services. This means you'll have to change trains at some point. Eurostar trains depart from St Pancras International, a very easy-to-get-to destination in London. With speeds of 186 miles per hour, it's an easy journey. Your simplest option of connection services after getting on the train at London is to change at Paris Gare du Nord, but you’ll have to take a taxi or get on the metro to catch a connection train from Gare de Montparnasse. If you take the Metro, hop on line four heading to Porte d'Orléans. Once you’re at Gare de Montparnasse, there are a number of TGV services that will take you all the way to Poitiers. All in all, if you travel from London, you can expect the journey time to be about five and a half hours.

Visit the official Eurostar web site to book your train tickets to Poitiers.