Angoulême City Guide

Angoulême is the capital city of the Charente department in south-west France. This beautiful walled city is home of the comic strip (bande dessinée), and the Angoulême International Comics Festival every year. This Angoulême city guide will give you some of the highlights to discover and hopefully entice you to this beautiful part of the world one day.

Fun fact: In 1524, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano named the new territory he discovered in the americas, New Angoulême, as a tribute to the king of France. New Angoulême later became New Amsterdam… and then New York! Can you imagine if the name had stuck?

Parking – We like to park at the Les Halles underground carpark. If you get there before 12, it’s usually easy to find a park.

Where to stay in Angoulême

Angouleme Hotels

The centre of Angoulême is on a great big plateau, so you really don’t want to be outside the old city walls if you can help it – the hills are steep. The Mercure Angoulême is our favourite spot – right opposite the covered market and near the restaurants. If you’re looking for a quieter spot, still in the centre city, the Villa Côté Plateau apart-hotel is a great option for a longer visit.

Booking.com

Sights to see in Angoulême

The Tourism Office & Town Hall

The first thing to do when exploring a new city is to visit the tourism office. The advantage to the tourism office in Angoulême is that it is in the spectacular town hall building. This building is a piecemeal design made up of an old 13/14th century keep and 15th century tower from the Count of Angoulême’s castle. It was pulled skilfully together by the acclaimed architect Paul Abadie in 1868. Monsieur Abadie was the genius behind Sacré-Cœur in Paris, and the Périgueux Cathedral.

Don’t forget to pick up your map of Angoulême, which shows where you can discover the street art in the city.

Tour of the Ramparts

After visiting the tourist office, I would recommend walk around the ramparts of the city. Due the strategic position of ancient Angoulême, high above the surrounding landscape, it was besieged frequently. Nowadays the ramparts offer beautiful views across the outer suburbs and a glimpse into the besieged past of the city.

Love a city break? Why not visit the captivating city of Biarritz?

Angoulême Cathedral & Churches

Like all cities in France, the religious buildings in Angoulême are a sight to behold. The 12th century Romanesque-style Angoulême Cathedral is famed for its intricate facade, three domes, and square tower. Although its the ostentatious Église Notre-Dame d’Obézine, with its extraordinary multi-height location, that I find most impressive.

Église Notre-Dame d’Obézine is built mid-way down the hill from the ramparts, and has access at one level, and further access down the hill via the crypt. Building started in 1895, but the spire wasn’t added until 1960.

Street Art

Known as the ‘City of the Image’ or ‘Capital of Cartoons’, street art is everywhere in Angoulême. Collect your map of the street art around the city from the tourist office and enjoy your discoveries as you wander the town. From full sized murals to small comic-style characters painted on the sides of buildings, there is street art everywhere in Angoulême.

It is one of the joys of visiting the city, discovering a new piece each time we go. The city is now building a reputation for other creative endeavours – film production, video game creation and more!

Angoulême Paper Museum & Museum of the Comic Strip

These two museums are just north of the old town, down the hill at the Charente River. The Angoulême Paper Museum showcases the cities history as a paper producer from the 16th century. The location on the river was home to many paper mills.

On the north side of the river is the beautiful Museum of the Comic Strip. This spacious museum is dedicated to the history of comic strips and has over 11,000 examples from across the comic strip tradition.

“From the pioneers (Töpffer, Christophe, Pinchon, Forton in Europe; Frost, McCay, Swinnerton in the U.S….) to the current comics masters via the classics of the Franco-Belgian tradition and the masters of the American golden-age tradition, the whole western world’s rich comics history is revealed. Specific showcases highlight great authors (Saint-Ogan, Franquin, Eisner, Schulz…) and a few heroes (Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Tintin…)”

http://www.citebd.org

Where to Eat in Angoulême

The pedestrianised streets of the old town, from Les Halles Central (covered) Market, west towards Église Saint-André d’Angoulême, offer a huge selection of restaurant options. Our favourites include Le Chat Noir (24 Rue de Genève) on the square at Les Halles, which is great for people-watching, and Au Jardin de Kashmir (15-17 Rue Raymond Audour) for yummy curries.

Le Lion Rouge near the Palais du Justice is also fantastic.

The bars around Les Halles offer a wonderful spot from which to people-watch. As well as great menus du jours. Being a university town, it bustles with young people, and this keeps the prices down. The square opposite the Palais du Justice comes alive in the summer months, as the surrounding cafés take over the square.

Shopping in Angoulême

Angoulême has an extensive pedestrianised shopping district, heading east from Les Halles & the Hôtel de Ville. A bust of Hergé, the famous creator of the Tin Tin comics, welcomes you to this area. Follow Rue Hergé all the way along to Galeries Lafayette and the shopping mall to find all of the usual high street brands.

The Connection to New York

To honour the connection to New York, the council renamed one of the grandest promenades in the city of Angoulême, Place New York in 1956. This plaza leads down to the ramparts, and to a statue of Sadi Carnot. Monsieur Carnot was the President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894.

While you’re in the area, spend a day (at least) in Bordeaux!

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