Angoulême
The hilltop city that became the world capital of comics — between Romanesque ramparts, painted murals and the Charentais art of living.
Discover Angoulême
Seven gateways into a human-scale city with an outsized heritage.
Capital of Comics
Why the ninth art planted its flag on the Charente plateau — and never took it down.
Read →Romanesque heritage
Saint-Pierre cathedral's carved façade, the ramparts and the medieval upper town.
Explore →Circuit des Remparts
Every September, vintage cars roar around the old town's ramparts.
Discover →Gastronomy
Charentais galette, snails, AOP butter, and Cognac & Pineau next door.
Taste →Getting here & around
Paris–Angoulême TGV in 2 h, the A10, Möbius buses: every route leads to the plateau.
Plan →Itineraries
24 hours, a weekend, or with kids: ready-made routes so you miss nothing.
Follow →A city drawn in ink
Since 1974, Angoulême and comics have been inseparable. The International Comics Festival turned a provincial prefecture into a global gathering of artists, publishers and readers.
Year-round, the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l'image, the Magelis cluster and around two dozen painted walls keep the spirit alive. Comics breathe from every street corner.
Note: after the cancelled 2026 edition and the free “Grand Off”, the Festival returns in the first quarter of 2027, run by the Morgane group (Francofolies, Printemps de Bourges). Official dates to come.
The landmarks
Tap a marker to locate the major sights on the plateau and along the Charente.
The calendar of highlights
A dense cultural season, from winter's comics festival to late-summer francophone cinema.
Comics Festival
Europe's flagship comics gathering takes over the entire city.
Musiques Métisses
A world-music festival, a pioneer of African scenes in France.
Francophone Film Festival
Premieres and stars of francophone cinema at summer's end.
Circuit des Remparts
A vintage-car race on a legendary urban circuit running since 1939.
At the table
A generous regional cuisine, between the Cognac vineyards, marshes and market gardens.
Explore everything
Over 45 bilingual themed pages covering everything about Angoulême and its region.
Discover
Comics & image
- Capital of comics08
- Comics Festival (FIBD)09
- Comics museum (CIBDI)10
- Painted walls11
- Magelis & image hub12
Heritage
Culture & events
- Circuit des Remparts21
- Francophone Film Festival22
- Music festivals23
- Events calendar24
- Theatres & stages25
- L'Alpha media library26