The leading English language magazine. Now covering Poitou-Charentes, Dordogne, Vendée and Haute-Vienne too!

Over three thousand years after it was first settled by man, Angoulême still presents a striking outline, rising assertively above its limestone ramparts to survey the vastness of the fertile plains of la Charente and l’Anguienne which surround it. Draw closer, though, and it soon becomes clear that this is in fact not one town but two: the historic ville haute – referred to locally as ‘le plateau’ – and the larger ville basse, home to the sprawl of the industrial and commercial activities which have made this the administrative capital of the Département de la Charente...

In the first of an occasional series on getting off the beaten track, Helen Millar extols the delights of Angoulême’s Victor Hugo, a quartier most people pass by...

Whilst the winter may bring crisp sunshine, it can equally bring damp and cold. But there’s no need to be cooped up in the house - instead get out and visit one of the many indoor attractions that the Poitou-Charentes has to offer...

Faced with brutal competition from larger stores many small shops have gone out of business over the years, unable to attract enough
customers. But, as we report, some individual shopkeepers in the region are bucking the trend and continuing to thrive....

If you’re looking for a special place to source decorations, the extraordinary Côté Art boutique in Angoulême is bound to fill you with inspiration... 

Every year foodies visit the capital town of the Charente to tickle their taste buds at the ‘Gastronomades’ festival