If you want to find out more about the area, or to plan places to go during your holiday, there are many leaflets, books and maps available. We've listed here some of those we've found the most useful, together with where you can get them from.

Firstly, local Tourist Boards publish a range of leaflets etc. Some of the best we've found are :

(940kb)	La Rochelle summary brochures (12 pages in choice of 12 languages)
(770kb)	La Rochelle full brochure (20 pages in French)
click here	Poitou Charentes Region excellent tourist brochure to order (not available to download)
click here	Charente Maritime Department excellent tourist map to order (not available to download)

We'd also recommend the following books and maps. All are available from www.amazon.co.uk (and many other places) apart from those for whom different suppliers are noted :

Books about France, that include chapters on the Poitou-Charente :

	The Rough Guide to France , published by Rough Guides (ISBN 1-85828-415-5) [Great text, including on culture/alternative places etc, but not many piccies]
	Eyewitness Travel Guides : France, published by Dorling Kindersley (ISBN 0-7513-0037-3) [Wonderful piccies and illustrations, but text is a bit "stiff" whilst informative]

Books/Supplements specifically about the area :

	Michelin Green Guide to the Atlantic Coast (ISBN 2-06-138002-6). [Covers the whole area from Nantes in the North to Biarritz in the South]
	Wonderful Charente-Maritime by Christian Gensbeitel & Marylise Ortiz, published by Editions Ouest-France (ISBN 2.7373.0731.7). Available from www.amazon.fr - search books using "Charente". [Even if you don't buy anything else, if you want a great photographic guide to the area - buy this]
	Aimer la Gironde (anglais) by Bouchard & Larivière, published by Editions Ouest-France (ISBN 2.7373.0384.2). Available from www.amazon.fr - search books using "Gironde". [A similar book to the above, but covering Bordeaux and the Gironde]
	Living France magazine : Issue 114 (October 2001). Contains an excellent photographic supplement on the Charente and Charente Maritime. Available from www.livingfrance.com or phone (UK) 01234 713203 or fax 01234711507.

Maps :

	Michelin 233 : Poitou Charentes 1:200000, 1cm:2km (ISBN 2-06-700233-3) [Large scale map covering from Poitiers in the North to Bordeaux in the South, identifying places of interest and cross referring to the Michelin Red Guide]
	IGN Serie Bleue 15330, 1:25000 Mirambeau, published by Institut Geographique National (IGN). Available from www.amazon.fr - search books using "serie bleue mirambeau" [Very small scale map showing all the local hamlets/villages and roads/tracks in the immediate area - great for those first few days when you get lost, or if you want to go for a walk !]

Walking/Cycling Guide :

Promenades & Randonnees En Haute Saintogne (Zone 2), published by Comite Departemental de Randonnee Pedestre (ISBN 2-9506274-1-2). Available from http://rando17.online.fr ("le topo-guide de la haute Saintonge zone 2"). [Great if you're a keen walker/cyclist. Contains 80 different routes in the area, on individual route-cards. In French, but a map's a map !]