Variety in Angouleme

Angouleme City of Cathedral and Cartoons!

Once it was pottery and paper mills which made Angouleme famous but now it’s best known for it’s International Comic Strip festival and also the annual Vintage car race which takes place along the ramparts each September in this wonderful old fortified city that is Angouleme. The historic old town sits on a hill, below is the modern part.

To discover Angouleme for yourself take a walk along the ramparts. This is where you will eventually come upon the beautiful Cathedral of Saint-Pierre very much worth seeing. It was built in the 12th century and has been rebuilt 4 times since then. It has a terrific facade depicting the Last Judgement and inside there is a frieze showing the Battle of Zaragoza against the Moors.

Angouleme has been a part of the paper-making and printing industry since the 14th century. The comic strip museum is in a converted paper mill down by the river. Eating and drinking in Angouleme is a pleasure as there is a wide choice of restaurants to savour a relaxing lunch or evening meal.  Chocolates are hand-made in Angouleme which you can see and sample in the Chocolaterie Letuffe at Trois-Palis.

The Circuit des Ramparts motor racing event takes place on a Sunday in mid September. There is a fantastic gathering of Bugatti’s and other valuable vehicles driving at full tilt around the circuit with it’s hairpin bends and hill climbs.

If markets are your thing there is a fresh food market held most mornings and at the Place Victor Hugo there’s a market from Tuesdays to Sundays. On the second and fourth Thursday each month there is a market at the Place du Minage.