About the Area
Over our 6 years here, we have truly fallen in love with our village, Availles-Limouzine, the Vienne department, and the three main cities accessible to us.
Please find below some information about schools, hospitals, sights and tourism in the area – focussing on things that are useful for guests, as well as for a family that might choose to call this area home!
Availles has an excellent medical centre, with a physiotherapist, nurses, two doctors and two dentists. There is also a primary school, mechanic, a campsite, cafe, post office and a few shops.
Confolens
Confolens is a 15 minute drive from Availles, and offers a wide variety of services, cafés and restaurants.
There is a hospital with various services and an emergency department. Two supermarkets and a variety of hardware stores. Cafes and a market can be found on the central square, alongside a post office and shops.
Confolens also has a cinema, gym, pool hall, and various restaurants (including an English chip shop and an Asian restaurant).
Confolens hosts a world dance and music festival every August, where the streets come alive with troops of performers from all around the world!
L’isle Jourdain
L’isle Jourdain is also just 15 minutes from our doors. Similar to Confolens, it offers a wide variety of services and shops including garden centres, DIY hardware stores, cafés and restaurants.
Adventure Tourism
in the area
We have 4×4 adventures, bungee jumping and a zip-line at l’Isle-Jourdain, kayaking at many points along the Vienne and Charente Rivers, a velo-rail at Confolens, and the Val de Vienne speed racing circuit nearby.
Circuit Val de Vienne
Just a 10 minute drive from the gîtes is the motor racing circuit, Val de Vienne. A large number of events take place every year including historic, single-seater, GT cars and motorbikes. During the last weekend of May, this rural area transforms into a sea of red as “Ferrari weekend” takes place. Over 500 of Maranello’s finest creations gather to celebrate the famous manufacturer and is an important fund-raising for a cancer charity. The event also features air displays by the French airforce and a fireworks display. The gîte bookings for this weekend are guaranteed many years into the future.
Poitiers, Angoulême & Limoges
Highlights of our three nearest cities
Poitiers
Poitiers is a vibrant university city, known for its Romanesque architecture, lively cultural scene, and excellent transport connections.
It has a TGV station with direct trains to Paris (around 1 hr 20 min) and an airport offering seasonal flights to several UK destinations.
The city is also home to Futuroscope, one of France’s most popular theme parks, which draws millions of visitors annually – great for attracting family tourists to the wider region.
Poitiers has major hospital and clinic facilities for all medical issues.
Angoulême
Angoulême is the capital of the Charente department and well known for its historic ramparts, comic art scene, and international comic festival.
It offers a full range of services: a TGV station connecting to Bordeaux and Paris, large shopping zones, schools, and hospitals.
Its attractive city centre and riverside setting make it a popular day-trip destination for guests staying in the region, and it serves as a handy hub for sourcing supplies or managing administrative matters.
Limoges
Limoges is the administrative capital of the Haute-Vienne and famed for its porcelain production and medieval quarter.
The city has a regional airport with regular flights to the UK and other European destinations, and strong road links make it easily accessible.
Limoges offers excellent healthcare, large retail parks, universities, and cultural attractions, making it a dependable support city for rural gîte owners.
Tourism Nearby
- Saint‑Germain‑de‑Confolens Château – a short drive away, charming castle set in a small riverside village
- Oradour-sur-Glâne – the martyr village, memorialising a World War II tragedy
- The Medieval City of Chauvigny – a hilltop castle ruin with a birds of prey show
- Chateau de Rochechouart – a modern art museum in a 15th-century chateau
- Chateau de Rochefoucauld – the last bastion of the powerful Rochefoucauld family
- La Vallée Des Singes – a zoo with apes, monkeys & lemurs and walk-through enclosures
About Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the largest region in France, stretching from the Atlantic coast to the foothills of the Pyrenees and encompassing a wide diversity of landscapes, cultures, and opportunities.
This region is known for its rich rural heritage, sunny climate (especially in the south and west), and exceptional quality of life. From the vineyards of Bordeaux and the surf beaches of the Atlantic coast to the quiet river valleys and green hills of the interior, Nouvelle-Aquitaine offers something for every visitor. It’s a popular choice for second-home buyers, retirees, and lifestyle entrepreneurs – including those entering the gîte and rural tourism sector.
The region benefits from well-developed infrastructure: regional airports (like Limoges, Poitiers, and Bordeaux), fast TGV rail links, and a good road network. It’s also agriculturally strong, with a reputation for wine, cheese, duck, and local produce. For gîte business owners, Nouvelle-Aquitaine strikes a fantastic balance: tranquil and authentic rural living, but with enough seasonal tourism and cultural activity to support a viable business year after year.