Royan

Royan's town center is ideally located between Grande Conche Beach and the marina, making it easy to enjoy shops, restaurants, and entertainment on foot. The heart of the town is centered around Place Charles-de-Gaulle, recently renovated in 2015 and often nicknamed "the red square" by Royan residents because of its red concrete slabs with gray mesh.

From here begins the Aristide Briand Boulevard, a large shopping street that leads directly to the Central Market, an emblematic building of the reconstruction of the 1950s, with a dual commercial and architectural purpose.

The seafront is a modernist architectural ensemble that follows the crescent shape of the beach, with its famous “U” shapes — these porticoes connect the sea side and the city side while ensuring the balance of the facades, shops below and apartments above.

Royan's architecture is unique—the town, classified as a City of Art and History, combines Belle Époque villa parks with modernist buildings inspired by Brazilian architects like Oscar Niemeyer, following the massive destruction of World War II.

The city center includes several quiet and very practical residential neighborhoods such as Champlain, des Gardes, des Tilleuls or Saint-Pierre, where you will find houses with gardens or small residences, located in the immediate vicinity of shops, the Romanesque church of Saint-Pierre or the beach.

The cultural and leisure offerings are varied: the Royan Museum, free for those under 18, traces the history of the city from the siege of 1622 to the reconstruction of the Trente Glorieuses, it offers exhibitions on Picasso, the Cordouan lighthouse and the local seaside development. Right next door, the Central Market, a vast circular hall from the 20th century, is a lively place all year round for fresh produce, oyster farming, entertainment and occasional markets.

Finally, in the immediate vicinity of the center, sites such as Planet Exotica, a vast botanical garden and animal park with more than 250 species, as well as water activities, a casino, thalassotherapy and karting, complete a rich and accessible tourist offer.