La Rochelle, France + Add a trip

Automobiles

Angoulême is four and a half hours by road from Paris, seven hours from Calais. You can rent a car at Bordeaux airport, where Avis, Hertz and Europcar all have desks. Book car-hire pick-up at Poitiers rail station with Europcar (www.europcar.co.uk).

Planes

The region's smaller airports include Poitiers, Limoges and La Rochelle. For internal connecting flights, try Airlinair (www.airlinair.com) and Brit Air (www.britair.com). For direct flights from the UK, Bordeaux is less than two hours away from Angoulême, and BA and EasyJet can take you there from London.

Trains

Poitiers and Angoulême are on the TGV route from Paris to Bordeaux (www.tgv.com). UK travellers should take the Eurostar and connect at Lille (eurostar.co.uk).

Dialing

France: 33. South-west: 05 (drop the zero when ringing from abroad).

Reads

Maigret comes to La Rochelle in Georges Simenon's Le Voyageur de la Toussaint. Or pack mid-20th-century novels Claire or Les Destinées Sentimentales by local writer Jacques Chardonne, for light social commentary against a Charentais backdrop.

Do go / Don't Go

When schools break up for summer, the region's beaches fill with families; only go in July and August if you don't mind sharing with them. Autumn is a great time to visit: the Atlantic is as warmed by the summer sun as it will ever be, and the grape harvest (September to October) brings festivals.

Cuisine

Taxis

It should be easy to hunt down a cab in bigger towns such as La Rochelle, Rochefort and Angoulême. In villages, c'est pas évident, though your hotel should be able to organise one for you.

Tipping

A service charge is normally added to your bill (service compris) in restaurants and cafés but it's still customary to leave a small tip. For taxi drivers, add 10 percent to the metered charge.

Currency

Euro (€).

Packing

Riding boots - the region has many horse trails. A hip flask for your cognac. Deck shoes and a Breton top for mingling on the marina at La Rochelle.

Arts

At the comic-strip museum in Angoulême at 121 rue de Bordeaux (+33 (0)5 45 38 65 65), the geeky graphic genre is illuminated through drawings, magazines and frescoes. In Cognac, Camus is one of the last family-run cognac houses, and offers half-day 'blend your own' brandy masterclasses, as well as tours and tastings (+33 (0)5 45 32 72 96; www.camus.fr). King of the region's castles is Le Château de la Rochefoucauld (+33 (0)5 45 62 07 42; www.chateau-la-rochefoucauld.com). Take the guided tour for access to the vast libraries (18,000 volumes from the 18th and 19th centuries) and archives.

And...

Ile d'Oléron is France's second largest island, behind Corsica, and is home to some of the nation's most revered oyster farms, the Marennes-Oléron variety its pride and joy.

Shopping

There are night markets in summer in Saint-Martin-de-Ré, selling the usual arts/crafts/jewellery. In La Rochelle, follow your nose to Rue Marché to admire the fantastical, fragrant fruits of the sea. Nip into Chocolaterie Duceau at 18 place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville in Angoulême (+33 (0)5 45 95 06 42). Its artisans have been creating chocolates by hand since 1876, and their Marguerite sweets, made of dark chocolate with orange peel, have stood the test of time.

Viewpoint

Patrol the mediaeval ramparts in Angoulême, where 2km of ancient wall remain intact. Only a gilded frame could better the city views along the stretch between Rempart du Midi and Place Beaulieu.

Something

The first two hours are free when you hire a yellow bicycle in La Rochelle, which, in 1997, became the first city in France to instigate car-free days. Secure yours at Autoplus on Place de Verdun and Quai Valin (+33 (0)5 46 34 02 22).

January Angoulême hosts a festival of comic strips, with exhibitions, author Q&As and prize-giving (www.bdangouleme.com). July Les Franco Folies is La Rochelle's festival of French music, usually held mid-month and involving full-scale gigs, as well as acoustic performances (www.francofolies.fr). August-September The Grand Pavois, held at Port des Minimes at La Rochelle, is a boat show, first and foremost, with events around the exhibition including a 'night sail', a kind of son et lumière-meets-yachting spectacular (www.grand-pavois.com). September Bugattis, Jaguars, Bentleys, among assorted vintage and classic cars, vroom to the starting line for the spectacular Circuit Des Remparts in Angoulême. Expect car shows on the Saturday, and the race itself on the Sunday (www.circuit-des-remparts.com). October In the north of the region, Pamproux hosts the annual Festival des Vendanges. Locals celebrate the grape harvest with exhibitions, plays, concerts, comedy, dance and, of course, a glass or two. November Tastings and cookery classes draw the crowds to Angoulême's food festival, Gastronomades. Over three days, you'll get to sample regional produce and see Charentais chefs showcasing local fare (www.gastronomades.fr).