The best traffic-free bike rides around Cersay

The Church of Saint-Généroux is a site well worth a visit during a hike. It dates back to the 10th century and is considered one of the oldest churches in France, as it features pre-Romanesque architecture found nowhere else. The church is located on the banks of the Thouet River. You can also admire the Romanesque bridge (13th century).

The contemporary art center of national interest, La Chapelle Jeanne d’Arc de Thouars, is today a leading venue for contemporary art in the western region. Along with the Château d’Oiron and the Syndicat Mixte de la Vallée du Thouet, which runs a program of public commissions for contemporary works, the art center's work is carried out in partnership across the entire territory of the Pays Thouarsais community of communes and, more broadly, in the northern part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Within the region, the art center is a recognized player in the Astre plastic and visual arts network. Developing an artistic project that takes into account its geographical location and its architectural envelope, a neo-Gothic chapel, the art center maintains a privileged relationship with the heritage of Thouars. Guest artists, hosted for residencies or exhibitions, appropriate the chapel space by creating an original work designed for the venue. They also bring their perspective to the city, urban planning, landscape, and rural areas of the Thouars region and the Thouet Valley. Since 1993, nearly a hundred artists have been invited for residencies or exhibition projects. In recent years, the art center has paid particular attention to emerging artists from art schools, particularly those from the regional Le Grand Huit network. In addition to its programming, the art center also engages in outreach activities in the form of off-site exhibitions, workshops, and events (meetings, lectures, and workshops). A mobile device, La Mar(g)elle, was created in 2015 by the artist Marie-Ange Guilleminot to offer interventions in partner locations, particularly within schools and structures in the social and medical sectors. For its educational action, the art center benefits from the action of the municipal art school of Thouars, to which it is connected within the visual arts department of the City of Thouars.

Things to See & Do Ramparts: With approximately 30 semicircular towers, the granite walls symbolize medieval urban robustness. Ruined Castle: All that remains of the castle is a round tower (perhaps the keep) and sections of walls restored since the 1980s. Panoramic Walk: The rampart path offers splendid views of the Thouet Valley and the Saint-Paul district.

History & Architecture Medieval Construction: Built in the early 13th century under the aegis of John Lackland, the citadel rests on a natural promontory reinforced by three defensive walls, towers, and ramparts. Castle and Bastion: Its original, isolated castle included towers such as the Powder Tower and the Harcourt Tower. In the 15th century, Arthur de Richemont added the bastille and an artillery boulevard. Citadel Gate (or Clock Gate): The gatehouse is flanked by two almond-shaped towers and topped with a clock tower. A granite staircase provides access to the guardroom and the patrol path.

The citadel of Parthenay, nicknamed the "little Carcassonne of the West", is one of the city's heritage jewels, perched on a rocky spur overlooking the bend of the Thouet River.

Dating from the 13th century, at the foot of the city ramparts, this bridge ultimately offers the best view of the Château de Thouars.

This bridge allows you to cross the Thouet and reach Saint Jacques De Thouars. The view there is magnificent! There is a good hill to climb after the bridge, be careful when choosing the pinion!

Without the characteristic wings - which used to capture the power of the wind to set the heavy millstones in motion - the once proud windmill, which was certainly impressive at the time, is missing an essential architectural element. From a distance, the observer can see its modern successors: within sight of the former windmill, the slender towers and turbine blades of a modern wind farm, which is used to generate electricity, rise into the sky.