Built on a hill, Poitiers is a picturesque medium-sized medieval city, the regional capital and home to a large student population. Recently renovated, the city centre has given pedestrians priority; students are able to access almost everything on foot or by bike but regular bus services are also available.

Poitiers has been a university town since 1431 and welcomes around 25,000 students each year (representing nearly 1/4 of the total population) including more than 4,000 international students! In 2011, Poitiers was ranked 1st amongst towns with a population under 250,000 for good studying conditions.