Angoulême
Angoulême is the capital of the Charente department. It lies about 135km north of Bordeaux in south west France.
Get in
By plane
Budget airline Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Angoulême-Brie Champniers airport, about 15km northeast of the town. The airport is also known as Angoulême Cognac.
From Paris, there is a train (TGV) that can bring you to Angoulême in 2h10 (from Gare Montparnasse that is also a Metro station)
Get around
You can get to Angoulême by the very frequent service from Paris Montparnasse, south towards Bordeaux, Libourne, Chalais, Arcachon and further south. You can get corail intercities, TER, and the very well-known TGV, renowned for its speed, and of course Teoz.
See
- The cathedral Saint Pierre
- The Saint Marial church
- The Herge Statue
- The green garden (Jardin vert)
- the court (Francois premier place)
- The market " Les halles"
- The view from the ramparts (which replaced the medieval city walls)
- The Hôtel de Ville' (Town Hall)
- The murs peints, walls painted with cartoons
- Centre International de la Bande Dessinée (Comic Strip Museum), 121 rue de Bordeaux (bus #3 or #5), ☏ +33 5 45 38 65 65, fax: +33 5 45 38 65 51. Sept–June Tues–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat & Sun 2–6pm; July & Aug open Mon and until 7pm. €5.
- Atelier-Musée du Papier (Paper making Museum), 134 rue de Bordeaux, ☏ +33 5 45 92 73 43. July & Aug Tues–Sat noon–6.30pm; Sept–June Tues–Sun 2–6pm. free.
- Art and Historical Museum, 1, Rue de Friedland, 16000 Angoulême, ☏ +33 05 45 95 79 88. free.
Do
- Angoulême International Comics Festival (Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême). January. The largest comics festival in Europe, held since 1974.
- Circuit des remparts : it is an old car race - in September
- Festival Musique Metisse -end may Worldwide music show
- Festival du film Francophone - end august - French language movie exhibition
- La Nef (Concert Hall)
Buy
Chocolat is the city speciality (the shape of the marguerite the real Angoulême symbol)
Eat
- Restaurant in the old Angoulême ("Vieil Angoulême") (lots of choice)
- For see food : Le Terminus in front of the train station
- For Meet : Le Boucher next to "Champs-de-mars",
- Local ambiance : Le Bruleau Charentais
- Young ambiance : Megane et Bastien
- For sushi : Sushi H at Gallery Champ-de-Mars
- For best quality : La Ruelle, Les artistes
Drink
- Cognac
- Pineau
- Local Cocktail : Cognac Schwepps
Sleep
Mercure Hotel
Connect
Go next
There are many places you can explore :
- Bordeaux (amazing architecture, wine, views, shops and pretty much the entire lot)
- Royan (1h30 by car) — famous seaside resort, closer sea access
- Chalais (amazing array of shops and spectacular French markets and architecture)
- La Rochelle (2h by car)
- Saintes (1h by car)
- Sarlat (2h by car)
- Poitiers (view points, restaurants and markets).