Four to five days covers the coast and the river towns without feeling rushed — a couple of nights near La Rochelle or Rochefort, then inland toward Cognac and Angoulême.
Discover Local Charentes: What to Do Around Mercure Charentes
At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Charentes, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?
Charentes in 5 picks
Cognac
The town gave its name to the spirit, and the big houses — Hennessy, Rémy Martin, Martell — line the Charente river with cellars you can actually walk through. Ask about the 'part des anges,' the share of every barrel that evaporates into the air each year; it's why the cellar roofs turn black with fungus over time.
Angoulême
Perched on a rocky plateau with ramparts you can walk in full, Angoulême has been France's comic-strip capital since the 1970s. Murals of characters like Lucky Luke and Corto Maltese cover building walls across town, and the city hosts a major comics festival every January.
La Rochelle
Two stone towers — Saint-Nicolas and the Chain Tower — still guard the entrance to the old port. The harbourfront is young and lively at night, and the aquarium is one of the largest in Europe if you're travelling with kids.
Île de Ré
Connected to La Rochelle by a toll bridge, this low, flat island is built for cycling — whitewashed villages, salt marshes, and oyster beds you'll pass on two wheels rather than four. Order a plate of the local oysters wherever you stop for lunch.
Rochefort
Home to the Corderie Royale, a 374-metre former rope-making hall built for the French navy — one of the longest buildings of its kind in Europe. Moored nearby is L'Hermione, a full-scale replica of the frigate that carried Lafayette to America.
FAQ
It's easily done from La Rochelle, but an overnight stay lets you see the island at its quietest — early morning on the salt marshes, before the day-trippers arrive.
A car is the most flexible option for reaching the vineyards and smaller river towns, though La Rochelle, Rochefort and Saintes are all connected by train.
Where to sleep
See our Mercure hotels across Charentes, ideally placed to explore these picks.