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Angouleme and the towns and countryside around it along the Charente River provide much to do and see. My approach has always been to investigate things in depth rather than trying to see every site available. Also meeting and talking to the locals gives a better feel for the locale. Once again quality is better than quantity.
Upon arriving in Angouleme simply take a walk around the town, in particular the old town on the plateau, to get a feel for the environment. I found a nice coffee shop on my walks and met an interesting young couple who engaged me in a discussion. They were both fluent in English which facilitated our discussion due to my limited French. Of course I found that in reading menus, signs, and getting around, my French vocabulary was growing.
One of the great things about Angouleme is that the sites and places of interest in the Upper Town are easily accessible on foot. Besides the town hall there are many interesting things to see. The Michelin Green Guide for France’s Atlantic Coast has a map of the Upper Town and has routing for one or more walking tours and is well worth having with you since it covers this whole region of France.
One way to walk is around the fortifications that surround the Upper Town. There are beautiful views from the North Ramparts of the Charente River and bridge. You should check out the Cathedrale St. Pierre and the St-Andre Church. Check out the Place Beaulieu, the esplanade at the end of a promontory, where a school replaced the old Benedictine Abbey. Near here I found an excellent sandwich shop that was catering to the students and availed myself of a great ham and cheese baguette for lunch.
Besides the Comic Museum and Center where the conference was held there are other interesting museums, such as the Fine Arts Museum, the Archeology Society Museum, the Poitou-Charente Contemporary Art Collection in the Hotel St-Simon, and the Museum of Paper in an old paper mill.
One of my favorite discoveries was Letuffe - a chocolaterie par excellence. Located at 10 Place Francis Louvel, this chocolate shop is a must in a visit to Angouleme. A British couple that I met there who are retired and living in the region informed me that this was the best chocolate shop in southwest France. I see no reason not to agree. The selection of chocolates and pastries there is truly amazing. They have a coffee (expresso) shop upstairs where a group of us relaxed and had a pastry and a cup of expresso.
There is a good selection of restaurants and cafes to choose from at affordable prices. I didn’t encounter any disappointments in any of the food or beverages that I enjoyed while in Angouleme.
Additionally there are many other towns and places to see nearby if time permits. In fact the conference offered a day trip to Cognac where we toured the Hennessey Cognac facility. I will reserve this for another article.
October 25, 2023
