Bonnes combines Romanesque heritage with trails through forests, valleys and agricultural landscapes. This gives you different options for your stay: exploring the architecture of the Église Saint-André and Château de Touffou, or hiking with views of the surrounding nature and scenery.
Romanesque architecture and Château de Touffou
The Église Saint-André has preserved almost all of its Romanesque structure. Its façade, nave, tower bay and apse date from the 12th century. The church is classified as a Monument historique; this protection was established by a decree dated 11 August 1906. Its architectural features offer a concrete reference point for understanding the building’s Romanesque character.
Château de Touffou stands on the left bank of the Vienne. Its architecture brings together several periods: the keep features Romanesque and Gothic elements, while the Tour Saint-Jean and the west wing have Renaissance features. The château has partial protection as a Monument historique, with both classified and registered elements. A list published on 31 March 2018 included the Jardin du château de Touffou as a “Jardin remarquable”.
Hiking routes with different durations
The “Touffou, entre terre et Vienne” route is 17 kilometres long and rated easy. It takes about two hours by mountain bike and around three and a half hours on foot. This difference matters when planning your day: the time depends not only on the distance but also on your chosen mode of travel. Check the route details again before your trip.
The route passes behind Château de Touffou; you can also explore the arboretum, a biodiversity area. The trail runs through the Beaujean valley and the Les Saunières and Les Douces woods. It then reaches a plateau where arable farming alternates with livestock farming, before continuing towards the Vienne. A single outing thus takes you through forests and valleys as well as an agricultural landscape.
Bonnes also offers four hiking trails with an average duration of about three hours. This average includes breaks and sightseeing stops, so it cannot simply be equated with the walking time for the individual 17-kilometre route. The “La Vallée de Sanzelle” route offers a different experience: it follows shaded paths and leads to several hamlets with restored houses that have retained their authenticity.
Arboretum and the landscape of the Plateau de Bellefonds
The municipal arboretum is located at the entrance to Bonnes, between the road to Touffou and the banks of the Vienne. It features 15 native tree species and around 50 remarkable tree species. Each tree has an information board, making it possible to identify the different species directly in the arboretum.
Bonnes is part of the Plateau de Bellefonds Natura 2000 site. Here, fields and meadows alternate with copses, low hedges, ponds, wet hollows and remnants of heathland. This variety of landscapes contributes to the area’s biological and avifaunal diversity. An ornithological survey recorded a total of 133 bird species during fieldwork carried out between December 2011 and October 2012. These included 23 species of community interest listed in Annex I; the figures relate to those surveys.
Your stay and practical information
When looking for hotels in Bonnes, you can first decide what you would like to focus on during your trip: heritage, hiking, or the area’s trees and birdlife. The information about the trails helps you distinguish between the time required for different options. We recommend checking the details of the municipal walking routes again before your trip.
A carpooling point is available for all users in the car park at the Esplanade des fêtes. Check availability locally if you plan to use this option. This allows you to coordinate practical arrangements with the focus you want for your stay.
Discover more destinations: Romagne, Angles-Sur-L'anglin, Asnières-sur-Blour, Buxeuil, Les Trois-Moutiers, Usson-Du-Poitou, Curzay-Sur-Vonne, Bourg-Archambault
For the overview of the wider area: Vienne.
