Places to visit
Cognac (10mins)
The birthplace of Francois 1 and of course, the finest cognac brandy. There are numerous places of interest for both.The historic old town is a delight to explore, (Cognac Country ). The major Cognac houses, Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin, Courvoisier, Hine, Camus, Otard all welcome guests & conduct excellent themed tours.
Jarnac (20mins)
Only 8 miles east of Cognac, Francois Mitterrand was born here and has a museum containing all the gifts that he was given by heads of state. Courvoisier is based here too.
Angoulême (45mins)
The home of the art of the comic strip. A fortified city, you can walk the ramparts, watch classic car racing (see festivals), have family fun at the Nautilis water park, cruise to the paper mill at Fleurac or the chocolate factory.
Other places of interest include
Saintes (25mins),
Rochefort (1hr),
Royan (1hr),
Il de Re (1hr30mins),
Ile de l’Oleron (1hr45mins),
Bordeaux (1hr30mins),
Futuroscope at Poitiers (1hr30mins),
Le Grand Parc at Puy du Fou (2hrs15mins)
St. Emilion (1hr30mins),
Pons (25mins),
St. Jean-d'Angély (30mins)
Beaches
Royan has lovely sandy beaches, Châtelaillon has the largest and safest beach in the region, Ile de Re has sheltered sandy beaches.
Zoo
Zoo de la Palmyre, 9 miles north west of Royan.
Tel: 05 46 22 46 06.
Aquarium
La Rochelle (1hr10mins) with fantastic shark tank.
Tel: 05 46 34 00 00
Unusual trades
Barrel making at Villeneuve de Chassors, bottle making at St. Gobain, Chateaubernard, book at the tourist office in Cognac.
Tel: 05 45 82 10 71
Paper making at Fleurac (45mins), 6 miles south west of Angoulême.
Tel: 05 45 91 50 69.
Chocolate making course at the Letuffe chocolate factory or just go for a tasting, 4 miles west of Angoulême,
Tel: 05 45 91 05 21
Cognac (10mins)
The birthplace of Francois 1 and of course, the finest cognac brandy. There are numerous places of interest for both.The historic old town is a delight to explore, (Cognac Country ). The major Cognac houses, Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin, Courvoisier, Hine, Camus, Otard all welcome guests & conduct excellent themed tours.
Jarnac (20mins)
Only 8 miles east of Cognac, Francois Mitterrand was born here and has a museum containing all the gifts that he was given by heads of state. Courvoisier is based here too.
Angoulême (45mins)
The home of the art of the comic strip. A fortified city, you can walk the ramparts, watch classic car racing (see festivals), have family fun at the Nautilis water park, cruise to the paper mill at Fleurac or the chocolate factory.
Other places of interest include
Saintes (25mins),
Rochefort (1hr),
Royan (1hr),
Il de Re (1hr30mins),
Ile de l’Oleron (1hr45mins),
Bordeaux (1hr30mins),
Futuroscope at Poitiers (1hr30mins),
Le Grand Parc at Puy du Fou (2hrs15mins)
St. Emilion (1hr30mins),
Pons (25mins),
St. Jean-d'Angély (30mins)
Beaches
Royan has lovely sandy beaches, Châtelaillon has the largest and safest beach in the region, Ile de Re has sheltered sandy beaches.
Zoo
Zoo de la Palmyre, 9 miles north west of Royan.
Tel: 05 46 22 46 06.
Aquarium
La Rochelle (1hr10mins) with fantastic shark tank.
Tel: 05 46 34 00 00
Unusual trades
Barrel making at Villeneuve de Chassors, bottle making at St. Gobain, Chateaubernard, book at the tourist office in Cognac.
Tel: 05 45 82 10 71
Paper making at Fleurac (45mins), 6 miles south west of Angoulême.
Tel: 05 45 91 50 69.
Chocolate making course at the Letuffe chocolate factory or just go for a tasting, 4 miles west of Angoulême,
Tel: 05 45 91 05 21
