Irais: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

History

The Église Saint-Paul d'Irais was rebuilt in the 15th century and fortified during the Hundred Years' War. In 1569, a fire caused by Protestants destroyed the top of the tower. The upper part of the bell tower was rebuilt around 1607.

Renting a holiday apartment in Irais can be part of planning your stay.

Nature

The Massif d'Irais covers 122.59 hectares. The ZNIEFF “Plaine d'Oiron à Thénezay” covers 58% of the municipality of Irais, while the ZICO “Plaines de Saint-Jouin et d'Assais-les-Jumeaux” covers 41% of the municipality. The municipality of Irais also contains 0.57 hectares of wetlands.

The ZNIEFF “Plaine d'Oiron à Thénezay” is a type 2 continental ecological inventory area covering 16,016.69 hectares. It makes a significant contribution to preserving French populations of the Little Bustard, Montagu's Harrier, Hen Harrier and Great Bustard. It is also an important resting and wintering area, particularly for the European Golden Plover.

Townscape

The centre of Irais is laid out in a star shape around a central square. Property boundaries made of limestone walls provide views of the gardens.

Hiking and cycling

The hiking event “L'Iraisienne” took place in Irais on 14 November 2021 for its fifth edition; another edition is also designated “Rando pédestre L’iraisienne NMR 8”.

In the vicinity of Irais, there is the easy route “Les sentiers du Thouarsais – Saint-Généroux”, with a stated distance of 3.2 km. Also nearby is the cycling route “Le Thouet à vélo”, loop “La plaine, entre Dive et Thouet”, with a moderate difficulty level and a stated distance of 5.7 km.

Geographical location

Thouars SNCF railway station is 14.8 km from Irais.

Other places in the region: Saint-Vincent-La-Châtre, Xaintray, Cherveux, Châtillon-Sur-Thouet, Sainte-Néomaye, La Coudre, Beaulieu-sous-Parthenay, Celles-Sur-Belle

The Deux-Sèvres region: Deux-Sèvres.