Vars among hiking trails, the Charente and heritage

Vars offers several specific highlights to help you plan your trip: hiking trails, the Charente riverbank gardens at Logis du Portal, and historic landmarks. You can choose between a signposted circular route, an extensive hike, and places connected with water, gardens, or architectural history. If you are looking for a hotel in Vars, these local attractions and activities can help guide your excursion planning.

Hiking trails and views

The Sentier de la Diligence is a signposted circular route marked in yellow. Two possible starting points are Puy Delan on Route de Vars (D11) and the village of Les Couziers. You can use either of these named places as a reference point for your planning. The trail also follows a section of a Roman road, giving the circular route a historical connection. This means you can identify the Diligence route by both its starting points and its historic stretch.

By contrast, the Sentier des Ramoneurs is an extensive hike through natural areas and forests. It leads to an elevated viewpoint near Beaumont, with views of Angoulême, Mansle, and the hills of Champniers. The trails therefore have different features to consider: the marked circular route and two possible starting points for the Diligence, and the extensive hike and viewpoint on the Ramoneurs.

The Charente and its gardens

The Baignade du Portal site is open to visitors free of charge all year round. In summer, the beach is supervised; check the seasonal bathing supervision arrangements before your trip. The Baignade du Portal can also be reached by canoe or kayak. For a summer visit, bathing supervision is therefore the seasonal consideration, while free access applies throughout the year.

The gardens of Logis du Portal lie on the banks of the Charente and can be explored along a 2.5-hectare promenade. The grounds include an herb garden and a permaculture vegetable garden. The gardens offer a different focus from the hiking trails: their location on the Charente and the promenade complement two distinct types of garden. If you do not want to plan your trip solely around hiking, the gardens provide a separate point of interest.

Historic traces in Vars

Logis du Portal is listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments because of the architectural quality of the estate and the particular interest of its portals. Vars was once the summer residence of the bishops of Angoulême. These connections place the heritage in two contexts: a specific estate and the town’s former role.

The Fontaine de Langanne also provides a precise historical date: it dates from the 13th century and has been fully restored. Nine church windows in Vars are dated 1899. These dates refer to different landmarks and offer further specific points of reference for the town’s cultural history.

Discover more destinations: Baignes-Sainte-Radegonde, Gondeville, Bonnes, Luxé, Condéon, Juillé, Yviers, Rivières

For the overview of the wider area: Charente.