Royan, symbol of 1950s town planning and seaside pleasures
Bombardments in 1945 left Royan 85% destroyed, but after the war, the seaside town became a ‘laboratory for research into town planning’. Great architects like Le Corbusier and Niemeyer helped rebuild the town in modern style.
The seafront, its cycle track and La Grande Conche Beach, the church of Notre-Dame by Guillaume Gillet (1955/1958), the central market and the station all contributed to making Royan the most ‘50s’ town in France. Since 2010, it has been recognized for its cultural riches as a Ville d’Art et d’Histoire.
Custom route
Custom route
1 Royan / Talmont-sur-Gironde / Mortagne-sur-Gironde
Past Royan’s port, this stage begins at Royan’s Grande Conche Beach. Head along the seafront on a lovely shaded cycle path. The cycle route then threads between tracks and quiet roads to Meschers-sur-Gironde before reaching Talmont-sur-Gironde, an astonishing look-out post onto the estuary and part of the association of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Caillaud Cliff and the square fishing nets suspended above the waters add to the atmosphere. The stage continues via quiet, sometimes steep roads and tracks to Mortagne-sur-Gironde, a port well protected from the temperamental Gironde.