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Practicalities
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From the
gare SNCF
, to get to the central place FranA§ois-I, go down rue Mousnier, right on rue Bayard, past the
PTT
and up rue du 14-Juillet. The square is dominated by an equestrian statue of the king rising from a bed of begonias. The
tourist office
is on rue du 14-Juillet at no. 16 (daily: July & Aug 9am-6.15pm; rest of year 9am-12.30pm & 2-6.15pm; tel 05.45.82.10.71, fax 05.45.82.34.47,
www.ville-cognac.fr
), where you can ask about visiting the various
chais
, the St-Gobain glassworks (30F/a?¬4.57) and river trips - upstream through the locks to Jarnac, where the late President Mitterrand's modest grave has become a place of pilgrimage for elderly left-wingers, is a particularly beautiful excursion.
As for rooms , the cheapest are at Le Cheval Blanc , 6-8 place Bayard (tel 05.45.82.09.55, fax 05.45.82.14.82; under 160F/a?¬24), with a simple inexpensive restaurant downstairs, and the Hotel St-Martin , 112 av Paul Firino-Martell (tel 05.45.35.01.29; 160-220F/a?¬24-34), whose restaurant serves a respectable 63F/a?¬9.60 dinner menu. For something a bit more comfort, try one of these: the characterful HA?tel d'Orleans , 25 rue d'AngoulA?me (tel 05.45.82.01.26, fax 05.45.82.20.33; 160-220F/a?¬24-34), in a calm pedestrianized street in the old part of town; La RA©sidence , 25 av Victor-Hugo (tel 05.45.36.62.40, fax 05.45.36.62.49; 220-300F/a?¬34-46), an attractive two-star with a clean modern interior; or L'A?tape , a little further out on the N141 at 2 av d'AngoulA?me (tel 05.45.32.16.15, fax 05.45.36.20.03; 220-300F/a?¬34-46). Upstream from the bridge, the oak woods of the Parc FranA§ois-I - where there's swimming in the river or a pool - stretch along the river bank to the Pont Chatenay and the town campsite (tel 05.45.32.13.32).
Eating
out shouldn't pose a problem. The relaxed and friendly
La Bonne Goule
, 42 allA©e de la Corderie (tel 05.45.82.06.37; closed Sun evening; from 60F/a?¬9.15), serves up excellent Charentais specialities at inexpensive prices, and there's a good list of local wines. Those after a dining experience will find it at
La BoA®te-A -Sel
, 68 av Victor-Hugo (tel 05.45.32.07.68; closed Mon), a seasoned restaurant with an emphasis on fresh natural produce; the good-value 75F/a?¬11.43 menu gets you a
plat
from the 102F/a?¬15.55
menu de marchA©
and a dessert or entrA©e; the excellent
menu des gourmets
will set you back 195F/a?¬29.73. There is also good brasserie fare to be had at the
Coq d'Or
on the central place FranA§ois-Ier (tel 05.45.82.02.56). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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