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| Described by Fançois 1 as "the prettiest
brook in my kingdom ", the Charente is one of France’s most beautiful river
navigations.
At Cognac, where museums, history, gastronomy and industry are all devoted to its eponymous nectar, the renowned Hennessy cellars dominate the two round turrets of the Porte Saint Jacques which leads to the old town and the chateau. The Charente first becomes navigable at Angouleme, where the historic town, with its cathedral and magnificently restored old houses, stands on a rocky spur above the valley. |
The town today is famous for its strip cartoon
festival.
Jarnac, birthplace of François Mitterand, is also famous for its old buildings, and for its distilleries. As you follow the course of the river, past old mills and snipe-filled watermeadows edged with trees, Saintes comes into view, with its gallo-roman arenas and its Abbaye aux Dames, a jewel of romanesque art, while at Rochefort one scents the salt of the ocean in the air. |
With a length of 170 km and just 21 locks,
of which 18 are unmanned, the tranquil Charente is a delight to cruise
on board your Pénichette.
ACCESS
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| Cruise suggestions:
Cruises – Out and Back From Cognac One week :
Cognac, Saintes, St Savinien
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Ten / eleven days :
Cognac, Jarnac, Angoulême, Saintes 186 km, 38 locks, 4h30 / day Two weeks :
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Travel and hotel information
h2olidays, Port
de Plaisance, 21170, Saint Jean de Losne, France