Planning a trip to Poitiers

Getting There — Frequent rail service is available from Paris, Bordeaux, and La Rochelle. Around 15 high-speed TGV trains arrive daily from Paris’s Gare Montparnasse (average trip time: 90 min.; 39€ one-way), with high-speed rail link cutting times by 20 min. Another 14 TGVs arrive daily from Bordeaux (trip time: 1.75 hr.; 16€ one-way), and 12 regular trains arrive from La Rochelle (trip time: 1.75 hr.; 17€one-way). For train information, visit www.sncf-connect.com or call tel. 36-35. Bus service from Poitiers is so badly scheduled that it’s virtually nonexistent. If you’re driving, Poitiers is located on the A10 highway; from Paris, follow A10 south through Orléans and Tours, and on to Poitiers.

Visitor Information — The Office de Tourisme is at 45 pl. Charles de Gaulle (www.ot-poitiers.fr; tel. 05-49-41-21-24).

Special Events — The liveliest time to visit is from mid-June to mid-September during Poitiers l’Eté, a festival of free live jazz, theater, opera, rock, and fireworks. Free concerts and theater pieces, both in and out of the streets, take place at various parks and churches around the city. Check with the tourist office for schedules.