 | St Fort sur Gironde Our local town ( 1 mile down the hill) has a very well stocked little Co-op, an ironmonger, pharmacy, baker, post office, bank, hairdresser and bar etc. as well as a lovely Romanesque church . There is also a market of local produce, three times a week, including fresh fish and oyster stalls.
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 | Port Maubert and Mortagne Our two nearest local fishing ports, (2 and 3 miles away respectively) offer a choice of restaurants and bars and are interesting places to stroll by the water's edge.
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| Royan A pleasant lively seaside resort with many good seafood restaurants around the harbour. There is a superb indoor market every morning. Also nearby the town is the La Palmyre Zoo. Every summer there is always something going on - music festivals, circuses, events. For those seeking more sea and nature - Grande Côte to the north west offers exhilarating Atlantic breakers.
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 | Oyster Farms
Visit the oyster growing area of Marennes, see how they have been cultivated over the years and learn how oysters from this area of France are exported all over the world.
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 | Talmont A pretty village overlooking the Atlantic, possessing many narrow lanes, lined with hollyhocks. It is a very good centre for buying local arts and crafts and has a fine Romanesque church in one of the most spectacular settings overlooking the waves.
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 | Wine Tasting
Blaye and Bourg are the nearest wine growing areas with an abundance of opportunities to taste and purchase local Bordeaux wines. Just a little further on to St. Emilion, Libourne and Bordeaux, you will be travelling through the vinefields of many famous wine names. Another trip is to cross the River Gironde on the car-ferry at Blaye to the world reknowned vineyards of Margaux, Rothchild, Pauillac and St. Estephe etc on the Medoc. You can then return to Civrac via the Point de Grave to Royan ferry.
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 | Cognac An interesting town and a visit to one of the distilleries is very worthwhile. The Remy Martin tour is particularly recommended. Wine and cognac is used to produce the local speciality drink, Pineau, an aperitif sold by many local farmers. Incidentally many of the grapevines around Civrac are used for the production of cognac.
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 | Saintes Remarkably this was the most important town of the 1st Century AD and you can visit the remains of this era including the Arch of Germanicus, the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre and remains of the Roman Baths, as well as the archaeological museum dedicated to Roman Gaul. There also are numerous splendid churches including Saint Eutrope and the gothic cathedral of Saint Pierre. Saintes also has a good shopping area and a daily market.
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 | Medoc and Blaye
Take a boat across the estuary to the wine area of the Medoc. There are plenty of chateaux to taste and buy wine and on the way back to Civrac, you can stop off and discover the town of Blaye and its imposing citadel.
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 | Bordeaux
The city itself boasts an air of 18th century elegance with its neoclassical architecture, wide avenues, and attractive public squares and parks. The principal shopping area is the pedestrianised Rue Porte Dijeaux. Check out the Galerie Bordelaise, a 19th century shopping arcade and the contempory art gallery or wander through the oasis of calm that is the Place Gambetta or the wonderfully landscaped Jardin Public.
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 | La Rochelle
With its many quayside seafood restaurants and street entertainment, the ancient walled town of La Rochelle makes an atmospheric place to eat in the summer evenings overlooking the harbour. It has many good shops, beaches and an aquarium and is also a very good stopping off point before visiting Fort Boyard and the Islands of Re, Oleron and Aix.
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 | Ile de Re, Ile d'Oleron, Ile d'Aix
Renown for the associations with Papillion and Napoleon, these attractive islands make for great day trips. Pretty villages and harbour towns with wonderful seafood restaurants, surrounded by lovely beaches.
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