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Nouvelle-Aquitaine · France
City of art and history on the banks of the Charente River, birthplace of Francis I and the capital of the brandy that bears his name, with a medieval centre, a public garden and museums.
In the photo: Charente River and tree-lined banks, in Cognac.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
Charente is a department in western France crossed by the river of the same name, which flows in slow bends between vineyards, pale-stone villages and old river ports. For centuries salt, wine and later brandy were transported down the river to the Atlantic.
Cognac lies on the left bank of the Charente. The town grew up around a castle and a port, and the future king Francis I was born there in 1494. The old centre, Vieux Cognac, rises from the river to the church of Saint Leodegar, with narrow streets, houses from the 15th to the 18th centuries and the Porte Saint-Jacques, which guarded the riverside entrance.
From the 17th century, distillation of the region’s white wines gave rise to cognac. Trading houses established themselves along the river, and the ageing warehouses darkened the walls with the fungus that feeds on brandy vapors. The appellation was recognised in 1936.
The town tells this story in two municipal museums: the Cognac knowledge museum, dedicated to the vineyard, distillation and trade, and the art and history museum, in a merchant’s mansion within the public garden. The garden, about 7 hectares, surrounds the town hall in the centre of town.
This destination brings together 1 city: Cognac.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Outlines: © IGN, ADMIN EXPRESS, Licence Ouverte 2.0. Adapted by Cidade Turismo.
✈ Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac (BOD), in Mérignac · 130 km to Cognac
The nearest international airport is Bordeaux–Mérignac, about 130 km away. Cognac station receives regional trains from Angoulême and Saintes; Angoulême has high-speed trains from Paris and Bordeaux. By car, Cognac is about 120 km from Bordeaux.
The local experience
Municipal museum dedicated to the history of cognac, from the vineyard to distillation, aging and trade, housed in the Perrin de Boussac mansion and a contemporary building near the Charente.
Old city gate on the banks of the Charente, with two round towers, the main remnant of Cognac’s medieval walls. Restored, it is open for guided tours with access to the terrace overlooking the river.
Main church of Cognac’s old town, with a 12th-century Romanesque façade, a Gothic rose window and a bell tower. Beside it, the former priory preserves a cloister.
English-style garden of about 7 hectares in the town centre, around the town hall, designed by Édouard André, with streams, bridges, a theatre of greenery and a bandstand. The museum of art and history is located within it.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
From May to September, with long days and temperatures between 20 °C and 28 °C; summers can be warm. Grape harvest takes place in September and October, and distillation runs from November to March. In winter, from December to February, it is cold and the weather is humid.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
A full day for the old centre, the Porte Saint-Jacques, the church of Saint Leodegar, the public garden and the two museums. With two days you’ll have time for boat rides on the Charente and for nearby villages such as Jarnac.
Cognac’s centre, between the public garden and Place François-Ier, puts the old town, the museums and the restaurants within walking distance. The streets near the river and the Porte Saint-Jacques are quieter at night. The station area, to the south, is convenient for train arrivals, about a 15-minute walk from the centre.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
The old centre, the Porte Saint-Jacques by the river, the church of Saint Leodegar, the public garden and the town’s two museums: the Cognac knowledge museum and the art and history museum.
For the town itself, no: the centre, the river and the museums are walkable. For the vineyards and the Charente villages, a car or a bicycle is helpful.
By regional train from Angoulême or Saintes. Angoulême has high-speed trains coming from Paris and Bordeaux.
King Francis I, in 1494, in the town’s castle on the banks of the Charente.
A brandy made from white wine, double-distilled in copper stills and aged in oak casks, with an appellation of origin since 1936. The drink has its own page in the Flavors of France section.
