Briouze
The Marais du Grand Hazé in Briouze is designated as a Natura 2000 site. It is a 200-hectare wetland consisting of ponds, peat bogs, reed beds and peaty woodland.
The area is the most important breeding site for birds in the Orne département; 170 bird species have been recorded there.
For some stays in Briouze, the priority is to rent a holiday apartment.
Nature
The Grand Hazé site includes an ornithological observatory. Near this area, there is also a 1.8 km botanical educational trail where visitors can discover trees, hedges and the bocage landscape.
On 13 August 2026, access to this observatory was temporarily prohibited, while the discovery trail remained open.
Trails
The Sentier du Breuil is a 4 km hiking trail that is open year-round. The Boucle du marais is a 6.7 km circular hiking route that is open from 15 April to 15 October.
The Circuit Saint-Gervais–Briouze hiking trail can be followed from the church in Briouze, although the description starts at the Chapelle Saint-Gervais. It offers a viewpoint overlooking Briouze and the Marais.
The voie verte between Briouze and Bagnoles-de-l’Orne follows a former railway line.
At Briouze railway station, there are bicycle boxes where bicycles can be safely stored during a visit to the area on foot; the boxes are locked with a personal padlock or bicycle lock.
Culture
The Chapelle Saint-Gervais is a Romanesque granite building with a Romanesque portal framed by flat buttresses.
Guillaume de Briouze had the chapel built between 1080 and 1093; it originally had the shape of a Latin cross.
The Romanesque portal was reassembled in 1867 and has four columns with sculpted capitals.
