Finding your way around Parthenay is easy. From the gare SNCF, avenue de Gaulle leads directly west to the central square, with the tourist office on the right-hand corner (Mon–Fri 8.30am–12.30pm & 2–6pm, Sat & Sun 2.30–6.30pm; tel 05.49.64.24.24, www.district-parthenay.fr). If you're after accommodation, you'll find the very reasonable Grand Hôtel, by the main square at 85 bd Meilleraye (tel 05.49.64.00.16; €40–55; restaurant from €8, closed Sat eve & Sun out of season). Another possibility is the fancier two-star Hôtel du Nord, 86 av de Gaulle, opposite the station (tel 05.49.94.29.11; €55–70; restaurant from €12.50, closed Sat). There's a hostel some way from the centre at 16 rue Blaise-Pascal (tel 05.49.95.46.89), with a central annexe at 115 bd Meilleraye: phone first and they will let you into the annexe. Campers have to head to the three-star site at LE TALLUD (tel 05.49.94.39.52; open all year), part of the huge Base de Loisirs riverbank recreation area, about 3km west of Parthenay on the D949.As for eating, Parthenay has the usual range of restaurants for a provincial town: Italian, Tunisian and Chinese, as well as traditional French. Best of the latter is Le Fin Gourmet, 28 rue Ganne (tel 05.49.64.04.53; closed Sun evening & Mon), where high-quality cuisine combines with a jovial atmosphere; it's affordable too, with menus from €13.72 to €28.20.
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