What should you definitely see, do and eat when you visit Angoulême? From the Plateau ramparts on the banks of the River Charente and the Comic Strip Museum to the city’s painted walls, and from the triangular Easter cakes known as cornuelles to Pineau des Charentes, this very incomplete list is just the beginning of a journey through history, illustration and fine food.
What to see
- Old Angoulême
- The City Hall
- The Cathedral of Saint Pierre
- The Church of Saint André
- The Comic Strip Museum
- The Le Nil Paper Museum
- The Les Halles market
- The banks of the River Charente
- Angoulême museum
- The Memorial to the Resistance and Deportation in the Loire
What to do
- Have a drink in the Place des Halles market square
- Walk the ramparts and admire the view
- Seek out the city’s many painted walls
- Take a river boat trip on the Charente
- Go shopping in the Les Halles market
- Get a coffee in the Place Francis Louvel (the square outside the Law Courts)
- Enjoy a performance at the theatre
- Attend the Comics Festival in January
- Attend the Musiques Métisses world music festival in June
- Attend the French Language Film Festival in August
What to eat & drink
- Pineau des Charentes
- Cognac
- Marguerites (chocolates)
- Duchesses d’Angoulême (caramelised brown nougat)
- The Charente snails known here as cagouilles
- Cornuelles triangular cakes (only during the Easter period)
- Lolmède macaroons
- Charente melon
- Chalais veal
- Barbezieux capon
- Cheeses: Taupinère, Carrément Charentais, Chabichou and Mothais sur feuille
- Charentes-Poitou butter (PDO)
- Galette Charentaise cake
- Noix Charentaise (pastry)
- Grillon Charentais paté
- Farcis Charentais stuffing
- Coffee from La Brûlerie des Valois
What to bring back
- Charentaise slippers
- Pineau
- Cognac
- Duceau chocolates
- Lolmède macaroons
- Coffee
Follow us, the editors of Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Tourisme.com as we show you around… our home.
From the peaks of the Pyrenees to the Marais Poitevin canals via the wharfs of Bordeaux, the beaches of the Atlantic to the shores of Lake Vassivière near Limoges, Nouvelle-Aquitaine is full of fascinating, entertaining stories that will amuse one and all.