Île de Ré, Charente-Maritime

If you are searching for a good place to live in France, I would strongly recommend you consider both Charente and Charente-Maritime as a potential option. They don't often feature in the top places to consider when moving to France, but I think that they have a lot going for them. After the South of France, they are one of the sunniest places in France. The Atlantic coastline here is very pretty and not too spoilt with over-development. There are also lots of beautiful towns and villages to live in and the countryside is very lush and green. In addition to this, the region provides easy access to Paris (and Bordeaux) and it is just 5 hours drive to the ferry ports at St Malo & Cherbourg. The region also has two local airports, providing low cost flights to the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Switzerland.

Charente & Charente Maritime are also cheaper places to buy than Dordogne and in my opinion, they are also more interesting places to live, especially when you throw into the mix the beautiful island of Île de Ré and the port city of La Rochelle - both of which are pretty cool. The area is also home to Cognac brandy and there is a distinct local cuisine and gastronomy to discover.

Finally, with climate change really starting to become apparent in France over the last few years, the South of France will start to become too hot during the summer months. The Charente & Charente Maritime with its milder climate and long sunny days (without the high temperatures), will start to be seen as a better long term alternative.

In this article, I will refer to both of these areas as "The Charentes", mainly because it is quicker to write than "The Charente and Charente-Maritime". Also from a landscape perspective, they are both quite similar, with rolling hills, vineyards, and lush green landscapes. They also share a common climate and cuisine (La cuisine charentaise). 

Where are Charente & Charente-Maritime in France?

So if you are not familiar with the geography of France, let me explain where the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments are located. It goes something like this. Mainland France is split up into 13 regions (which are like states or provinces). Within each region, there are a number of counties or districts, which are called departments. The South-Western corner of France, along the Atlantic coast, is occupied by the region called Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which has its capital in Bordeaux. Within the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, there are 12 departments, of which Dordogne is probably the most well-known. Above Dordogne and towards the coast, there are 2 departments called (quite confusingly), Charente and Charente-Maritime.

I believe that there are 5 good reasons why the Charentes will become a top destination for people moving to France over the next 5-10 years:

• climate
• affordable housing
• excellent transport network
• destination towns
• rich gastronomy

The Charentes: perfect climate

Confolens, Charente, France

I really do feel that this area of France will become one of the top destinations for people moving to France over the next 10 years. We have lived in the South of France for the last 20 years and certainly over the last 5-6 years you can really see the practical effects of climate change. This is not just weather patterns. We now regularly have weeks from June to August where the temperatures exceed 40°C/104F. In the past, you may have had heatwaves like this every 3 years or so. I think in the next decade, the South of France may well begin to suffer as people realise it is simply becoming too hot to live there in the summer months.

So this is where the Charentes come into their own. The region is already the second most sunniest area of France (after Languedoc and Cote d'Azur), but without the soaring temperatures. During the summer, the average temperatures peak around 23-25°C. La Rochelle on average, experiences around 10 days per year where temperatures exceed 30°C. Compare this to Montpellier in South France, near to where we live, and there have been on average 29.5 days per year where temperatures have peaked above 30°C (the highest this year being 41°C). The overall average temperatures in Montpellier hover around 28-30°C, although average daytime temperatures for much of July and August are 32-34°C. 

In terms of sunshine, the Charentes enjoy around 2,331 hours per year (compared to around 2,500 annual hours for the Languedoc region in South France and just 1,995 hours per year in the Loire Valley in Central France) 

The Charentes are relatively dry, with just 400 mm of rain annually and around 100 days per year where precipitation fell. Compare this to Brittany, which experiences over 700mm of rainfall annually and Dordogne with 900mm (35 inches) per year; and you can see a clear difference.

The Charentes also enjoy very mild winters. Snow is very rare and it is not often that temperatures drop below freezing (the overall seasonal average is 5.7°C to 6.5°C, with average day time temperatures around 9°C to 10°C). Even if you go inland a few hundred kilometres (to the Correze department, south-east of Limoges) and winter temperatures hover around 0°C for much of January and February.

So with temperatures rising, the Charentes are perfectly placed to become one of the (not-so) hot destinations in France.

The Charentes: affordable housing

Rochefoucauld castle, Charente

Another important benefit of the Charentes, is that apart from a few hotspots, the property prices are still very affordable, certainly when compared to Dordogne or the Gironde (the area around the city of Bordeaux). In the Charente-Maritime department, the median sale price of property in 2025 (away from the coast) was €163,317 euros or €2,121 per m². By contrast, just over the border in the Charente department, house prices are even lower, with a median sale price of just €130,000 euros or €1 453 per m². In Dordogne, especially around Bergerac and Sarlat, property prices can get up to around €2,807-€3 429 per m² with the median sale price hitting €245,000. SOURCE: Seloger.com

You also have quite a diverse range of property to choose from, including old farmhouses (built in the traditional Longère style of the region), barn conversions, fix-a-uppers, townhouses and modern villas. The only thing I would say, is please don't buy a remote farmhouse with outbuildings with the idea of running a gite business or yoga retreat. There are so many of these in France and the market is already saturated. I think unless you have something exceptional to offer, then you are going to struggle to make ends meet if your sole revenue stream is from the property that you buy.

But for me it is not just about property prices, it is also about the geography and 'liveability' of the Charentes. To be slightly controversial, I think that Dordogne is a bit like Provence, in the sense that the areas are both over-marketed. There are some very interesting and stunningly beautiful parts to both regions, but there is a lot of 'empty space' in between. So when people talk about Dordogne, they are really talking about the area in the south of the Department, along the Dordogne river (taking in Sarlat, Monpazier, Bergerac and Eymet - which to be fair are all very pretty and charming places) and then a few other bright spots, like Brantôme and St Jean de Cole (in the centre of the department, just above Périgueux). After that, I am really struggling to suggest anywhere to be based in Dordogne.

Angoulême, capital city of Charente department

Last week I drove up to Cognac, with a couple of stop-overs in Dordogne en-route. For some reason my Sat Nav decided to take me on country roads rather than the highway, so I drove up through the Western side of Dordogne and into the Gironde department (above Bordeaux) and then through the southern part of Charente-Maritime. When I say I was travelling on country roads, I think that my Sat Nav thought I was on horseback. We were literally driving on single track roads and in some places just tracks. So I got to see a lot of the countryside. Some of it was pretty, with nice rolling hills. But there were a lot of boarded up houses and small villages where you didn't see another soul. This was definitely what the French refer to as the "empty France". It wasn't until we got up to Jonzac and the area around Cognac, that you started to see a bit of life.

So in summary, Dordogne isn't a single, homogeneous Chocolate-box paradise. Parts of it are pretty drab and not very interesting. Yes for sure, you are going to get a better bang for your buck in the Charentes, than Dordogne; but it is not just about that. If you choose the right areas to live, then you are also going to get a feeling that you are part of a living and breathing community. This is very important, because nobody wants to live where the local shop or restaurant has shut down. The Dordogne has for the last 70 years always been a retirement destination (and this has helped to off-set a once declining population). But what is noticeable, is that in recent years the demographic pattern has started to tip too far in that direction and it is now forecast that by 2040, inhabitants of Dordogne aged over 75 years old, will outnumber the number young people under 20 years. Which will cause many structural issues.

By contrast, whilst the Charentes have a slightly older population than the national average (which is not surprising given the location close to the coast), it is not as exaggerated as Dordogne. Around 30% of the population in the Charentes is aged over 60 years.

The Charentes: excellent transport network

Another attraction about the Charentes, is that the area benefits from an excellent transport network. There are two low cost airports at La Rochelle and Limoges providing quick access to the UK & Ireland. There are also TGV train services from Angoulême and La Rochelle that enable you to reach Paris in just over 2 hours. On top of that, the local roads are pretty decent, with the A10 (Bordeaux to Poitiers) and N10 (Angoulême to Poitiers) roads both dual carriageways. The ferry ports at Saint Malo and Cherbourg enable you to reach the Charentes in just over 5 hours.

The Charentes: rich gastronomy

When your region actually has a French phrase dedicated to your local ingredients and style of cooking, then you know that it has to be something special. La cuisine charentaise, is a broad term used to describe the excellent seafood, fabulous fruit & vegetables, high quality pork and fine dairy products like butter and cheeses. Added to this, you also have the Charentes two famous exports, Cognac brandy and the equally smooth Pineau de Charente, a liqueur wine produced by the blend of crushed grapes and cognac brandy.

The seafood of the Charentes includes the oysters from Marennes-Oléron; local mussels, which are either cooked under fine pine needles (a dish called L' éclade de moules) or served gratinée in a sauce made from crème fraîche, egg yolks and white wine (Mouclade); and a local fish soup, called velouté trembladais, which is a thick soup similar to a chowder, made from various fish, stock, tomato purée, white wine, spices and pure saffron.

In terms of meat, there are a lot of slow-cooked pork dishes, such as Les grillons de porc, where the pork is simmered slowly with fat, herbs and spices and is often served cold on country bread. Other specialties include, Le carré d'agneau du Poitou-Charentes, where a rack of lamb is cooked with a herb crust; and of course Escargots à la charentaise, where the local petits-gris snails are cooked in onions, garlic, butter, tomatoes and plenty of garlic.

The region also produces a lot of excellent cheese, especially goat's cheese such as the Chabichou du Poitou and the Bûche du Poitou, as well as the Mottin Charentais, a soft creamy cheese made from cow's milk. Another speciality is the creamy Charente butter. The fruit & vegetables from the Charente are especially prized by French Chefs, including the famous Chanterais melons, apricots, pears and apples. In terms of deserts, the most famous dish is the Galette Charentaise made from flour, eggs, butter & sugar, and often accompanied with cognac-flavoured ice cream

 The Charentes: interesting things to do

La Rochelle

Currently, the Charentes remain a largely French tourist destination, with over 79% of tourists visiting the region, coming from other parts of France. But even with this restricted market, the Charentes still boasted 52 million night stays in 2025 and tourism currently supports nearly 26,000 jobs in the Charentes. But with over 170km of beautiful coastline, the Charentes will undoubtedly increase its share of foreign tourists over the coming years.

The main city in the Charentes, is the port city of La Rochelle. In fact, I would say that it is one of my favourite cities in France, it is very pretty. La Rochelle is a university town, and it has a lovely harbour area, dotted with lots of restaurants and cafes. It has a real 'buzz' about the place. It is also a very big Rugby town with the local team Stade Rochelais enjoying a strong revival in recent years. The town holds an annual music festival in the summer, which is one of the biggest in France.

We recently spent a couple of nights in La Rochelle and we had a great time. It is a very friendly and safe place and there is a decent night-life and good shops and restaurants. There are lots of cobbled streets and old stone buildings, often built with arcades that extend out over the pavements. My only complaint about La Rochelle, is that in the 2 nights we were there, I never saw a pretty girl once. We must have gone to about 6-7 different bars over the 2 nights, but it was like a desert. There were lots of guys in the bars and my wife was 'people watching' quite a lot. Maybe that is why they are so passionate about their rugby in La Rochelle, it is the only distraction that they have!

Please don't do what I did and take a detour through the nearby town of Rochefort, thinking that it is going to be a smaller version of La Rochelle (charming port town). Yes it is a port (probably better to describe it as 'docks') and it is smaller than La Rochelle. But there the similarities end. It didn't help that it was raining, but this was not what I was expecting. Just a bit drab and down-at-heel.

Port Saint-Martin-de-Ré

Perhaps the other stand-out attraction in the Charentes, is the island of Île-de-Ré. Connected to La Rochelle by a 2.9km bridge, Ile de Ré is a popular summer holiday destination for well-to-do Parisiennes. The island is surrounded by sand dunes and leafy pine forests and whilst cars are permitted, the preference is given to cyclists with numerous cycle paths. This helps create a relaxed, slow-paced environment, where visitors can enjoy the numerous markets and beautiful beaches.

I would also give a shout out to Cognac as a good destination in the Charentes. It is a very rich town, on account of the local Cognac Brandy industry and it has that all important 'name recognition' - people may not know exactly where Cognac is located, but they will definitely have heard of it. It certainly lives up to its billing. It is a lively and interesting place, set on the banks of a river. We spent a night in Cognac and had a good walk around the town (which even on a Thursday night in November still had plenty of people bustling round the streets). We also had a fabulous meal here, which in our thinking, is a massive plus. Finally, any town which can hold an annual Fête de la Courge, dedicated to the humble pumpkin, has to get some welcome publicity.

I would also give a mention to Angoulême as well, which is the capital town of the Charente department. But I have to say, that I don't really know it at all. I have driven past it two or three times and it looks a pretty place, with the old town centre perched high up on a hill and the suburbs seem very green. But I have never really spent much time here. It was in the news recently, with a scandal over the International Comic Festival, but apart from that, I don't think that there is really enough going on to make it a destination town. Put it this way, I don't think anybody has ever died of over-excitement in Angoulême.

10 best places to live in the Charentes France

We recently spent a good few days driving all across the Charentes, from La Rochelle on the coast, over to Confolens in far North-East corner of Charente. We saw a lot of places and I have to say, we were very impressed. My overall sense was that it is very green, the people were very open and welcoming (and very proud to be Charentais(e)), there is plenty of space and quite a lot to do and see. I found it to be very genuine, with no real airs and graces. From our trip, I would highlight these 10 places as worth exploring as potential areas to live in the Charentes.

I will explain my logic for nominating each town/area below, but in general terms, my selection rationale is as follows:

• Pretty places - I have gone for towns which are not only pleasant to spend time in, but also attract other visitors, which helps ensure the restaurants, shops and hotels are kept busy.
• Hub towns - the areas highlighted are home to important local services for the surrounding area such as regional hospitals, medical facilities, administrative centres, etc.
• Economic activity - most of the areas I have highlighted are 'working towns' where the economy keeps going all year around. These are not just tourist villages (with the exception of Aubeterre) which are packed for 2 months of the summer and then empty for the rest of the year.
• International community - where possible I have tried to include places that do have a mixed Ex-Pat community (rather than totally dominated by English people, like in Dordogne-shire). Personally, I don't want to be stuck with other English people, but equally it is quite nice not to be totally isolated.

1. Royan - old French seaside town

Port de Royan, France

If you want to be based close to the coast in the Charentes, then Royan has to be your number one choice. Royan is located about 60km south of La Rochelle, on the mouth of the River Gironde as it meets the Atlantic. The town is famous for its 5 sandy beaches and it is popular for sailing, surfing, (both kite-surfing and windsurfing), as well as paddle boarding. It is not cheap to buy here, with prices only slightly less than La Rochelle - but if you want cheap, then try Rochefort! 

With its mild climate, Royan (or Royan-Atlantique to give is full name), was one of the first seaside resorts to be developed in France and it boasts some of the most impressive beaches and coastline in France. Royan has a reputation for having friendly inhabitants, great restaurants and markets full of life. The town has a permanent population of around 19,000 people, although with around 40% of the houses and apartments in the town being second homes or vacation rentals, the population can swell during the summer months to around 40,000.

Royan is a popular destination for retirees, both French and foreigners. The city centre, particularly around the central market, offers a lively urban atmosphere, with easy access to shops, restaurants, and public transport. The neighbourhood of Pontillac, which lies close to the Plage de Pontillac, seems to be one of the most sought-after districts in Rayon, with its chic boutiques, cafes and its famous stilted fishing huts. Similarly, the area in between the railway station and the Plage de Grande-Conche, which is referred to locally as, Le Parc, is also a very popular area. The slightly more residential district of Le Chay, close to the Plage de Chay, offers more houses as opposed to apartment buildings and property here is some of the most expensive in Royan.  

Plage de Pontillac, Royan

House prices in Royan, can vary enormously depending on the exact location. In some areas of Royan, prices rival those of the nearby Île de Ré, island, which has some of the most expensive real estate in France outside of Paris, Bordeaux and the Cote d'Azur. I just looked on Seloger, a French real estate platform and the range I could see was as follows:

• 1 bed apartment with balcony/terrace (30m2) - €100,000-€153,000
• 2 bed apartment with balcony/terrace (80m2) - €198,000-€323,000

There were also some modern apartments closer to the beach which seemed to be on sale for silly money. If you look at the data from www.notaires.fr, which is the official database of French conveyancing lawyers, what seems to be apparent, is that there are in effect 4 different zones in Royan. So whilst the average sale price of property in Royan as a whole are €3,910 per m² for an apartment and €3,924 per m² for a house (as at December 2025), the actual prices vary significantly by neighbourhood. There is the segment which runs from the town centre (Les Gardes) out to the coast (around the Conche de Foncille and Port du Chay) which is the most expensive part of Royan, where apartments can cost as much as €4,580 per m². So an 80m2 apartment could cost as much as €366,500. Similarly, the neighbourhood of Pontillac, although a bit cheaper, has experienced rising prices in recent years. In contrast, the neighbourhoods of Le Fief and La Garenne (which extend from the town centre, inland away from the coast), you can pick up small 1 bed apartments from as little as €98,000. Further inland, surrounding villages such as Cozes and Semussac, offer a cheaper, more rural lifestyle, where you can pick up property around €2,000–€2,200 per m². 

2. Jonzac - a stunningly beautiful town

Jonzac really is a beautiful town. We just happened upon it by accident, as we needed to buy petrol. What a find! The town is surrounded by vineyards. The 15th Century castle dominates the town and provides a very pleasing entrance into the historic centre behind its walls. There is also a very pretty river running through the middle of the Jonzac and the town is built up on either side of the river. What has really put Jonzac on the map however, was the discovery of hot springs deep down under the limestone hills in 1979. This led to the opening of a Spa resort in 1986 which now attracts over 17,000 visitors every year. The hot water (65°C) has also been used to provide a central district heating system for the town. But Jonzac is not just a tourist site, there is a real town living and breathing behind the old buildings.

Jonzac is located in the southern part of the Charente-Maritime department, 90km north of Bordeaux, 100km south-east of La Rochelle and 60km from the Atlantic coast. The town has a population of around 3,500 people, so it is not a massive town, but it does still come with 4-5 hotels, a dozen or so restaurants, several supermarkets, the full range of schools from 4-18 years of age, a local Hospital with an emergency department and a mainline railway station with trains to Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Nantes. On the edge of the town, there is a large recreational park built around a lagoon, “La Base de Loisirs”, which features a sandy beach, picnic areas, fishing lakes, walking routes, beach volleyball, a skate park, swimming lake, a children’s play area and a large indoor swimming pool complex with slides and lazy river.

Jonzac is the main administrative centre for the southern part of Charente-Maritime. It is also home to one of the largest producers of oak barrels (for wine and Cognac production). The local area is also well-known for producing walnuts and walnut oil.

The other thing about Jonzac, is that property prices are pretty reasonable. The Notaires database, records that the average sale price for property in Jonzac in the 3 months to January 2026, was €1,689 per m² for an apartment or €2,270 per m² for a house. So a 2 bed apartment of around 80m² will set you back around €135,000 euros and a 3 bed house (110m²) will be around €250,000 euros. Obviously, these are the average prices, but still, even for a house with character or an apartment with a terrace, you would probably find something for +€50k on top.

So all in all, I would say that Jonzac is a pretty decent bet if you are looking for a place to be based around in France. It has enough in the town to keep you occupied on a day-to-day basis, plus it is pretty enough that you will be happy to show it off to family and guests. Plus with the train station, it is very easy to go to La Rochelle or Bordeaux for the day.

3. Saintes - a lively old Roman town 

Roman monuments, Saintes

We were told by French friends to visit Saintes, before we made the trip up to the Charentes. Neither of them had ever been, but it just seems to be one of those places that is stuck in the French psyche, as a beautiful town. From what we saw of it, which admittedly was just on a drive through the town, it looks a really nice place, a lot bigger that I had imagined.

Saintes is a lovely old town that dates back to Roman times. The Romans left a host of monuments in the town, including an amphitheatre, temples and thermal baths. It is a good-sized town of just under 30,000 people. In addition to all the usual services and amenities you get in a town of this size, Saintes also has a very active cultural scene, with several museums, a theatre, cinemas and numerous festivals throughout the year. 

There is a biennial national survey in France carried out by an organisation called Villes et Villages Bon Vivre. The aim of the survey is to find the best towns and villages to live in France according to over 170 different quality of life factors. In 2025, Saintes was voted as the 2nd best medium-sized town to live in the Charente-Maritimes department and in the top 200 medium-sized towns in France. What particularly stood out for the survey organisers was:

"the good level of street safety in Saintes; its good schools; excellent health services; the pleasant living environment, with lots of green spaces on the banks of the Charente; a mild climate; easy access to 2 motorways which provide quick routes to the coast and cities in the region; and overall, the balance between cultural entertainment and tranquillity".

SOURCE: Villes et villages où il fait bon vivre 2025

As a relatively large town, Saintes is a good option if you don't want rural life and favour having all the services you need on your doorstep. But it is also pretty enough and has plenty of events and festivals going on through the year, that you will not be bored. 

4. Sainte-Jean-d'Angély - pretty medieval town

St Jean d'Angely, France

We were recently staying in Cognac, whilst we were visiting a couple of properties in the area. One of the Owners we met, suggested that we head to Saint-Jean-d'Angély for lunch. Well, what a great bit of advice that was. Saint-Jean is a very pretty town, with medieval half-timbered houses, a beautiful old clock town, a lovely market square and a stunning old Abbey. The first recorded mention of Saint Jean d'Angely is 817 AD, when a monastery was founded on the banks of the river. Unfortunately, the town was raided by Vikings in 860 AD, who killed a lot of the townsfolk and slit the throats of all the monks. It was another 150 years before a replacement monastery was set up, housed in the Abbaye Royale.

The town has a population of around 7,000 people (although it serves a wider population of 20,000 in the surrounding area) and it has a surprising range of shops and services. There is a regional hospital, a couple of supermarkets, dozens of restaurants and cafes, plenty of little boutiques, a couple of Vets, a sports centre and the full range of schools from 4-18 years.

Saint-Jean-d'Angély just has a really nice atmosphere. It is clearly a bit of a tourist spot, but not overly-so. It just came across to me as a really nice place to live. You have everything that you need on your doorstep and if you needed to go shopping, you have either Cognac or Saintes just down the road or La Rochelle (1 hour) if you need a wider range of shops. Like much of the Charentes, Saint-Jean-d'Angély has a very mild climate with over 2,250 hours of sunshine per year (by contrast Paris has 1,717 hours and Bordeaux, which is further south, has 2,070 hours). 

Property is surprisingly cheap to buy in Saint-Jean-d'Angély. The most recent data shows that apartments sell on average for around €1,783 per m² and houses for €1,482 per m². When you compare this against the average for the Charente-Maritime department of €3,973 per m² and €2,578 per m² (respectively), you get an appreciation for how reasonable real estate prices are in the town.

SOURCE: www.notaires.fr (December 2025)

Abbaye Royale, St Jean d'Angély abbey

We had one of our best meals of the whole trip in St-Jean-d'Angély. It was purely by chance. We arrived in the town at around 13.30, so we didn't have much time to choose a restaurant. We headed to the central square around the indoor market. There were several restaurants, but they were all pretty full. Then we stumbled on Le Petit Bouchon. We weren't even sure that it was open, but then we saw somebody leave, so we headed in. We hadn't got 3 steps into the restaurant, before the Owner bounded over and suggested a table. There were three things that immediately impressed me about the restaurant. 1.) on the menu board it said that the Menu du Jour was €17 euros for 2 courses and a glass of wine. 2.) the kitchen was open to the restaurant, so you could see the 3 chefs hard at work. 3.) The people in the restaurant were a complete mix. There were two plasterers in their overalls. There were 3 businessmen in suits. There were two young (-ish) women gossiping about something and laughing their heads off. There was an old French boy reading his Sud-Ouest newspaper and on a separate table, an immaculately dressed lady flicking through Marie-Claire.

My starter was probably the best soup I have eaten in 15 years (Velouté de Potimarron - Pumpkin soup with goat's cheese foam). For the main, my wife had a Butternut squash lasagne (which was absolutely delicious) and I had a tuna steak with the same foam as the soup. €34 euros, with 2 glasses of wine, thank you very much. We never post restaurant reviews, but we gave this place 5 stars on Trip Advisor before we had even put our knifves and forks down.

5. Cognac - prosperous Brandy producing town

I have just come back from a visit to Cognac and I have to say, I was very impressed. Cognac is a prosperous town, built on the back of the local Brandy production (with famous names such as Hennesy, Martell, Remy Martin, etc). It is a good sized town of about 20,000 people and sits on the banks of the Charente River.

I think what most impressed me as I drove around Cognac and its surrounding area, is that the local villages all seem to have 'life' in them and they are generally well-maintained. You don't seem to find too many boarded up properties. The wealth from the brandy production has obviously trickled out to the surrounding areas.

We stayed overnight in Cognac and we had time to wander around the town centre before we went for a meal. It was a Thursday evening in November, yet there were still plenty of people out in the bars, cafes and restaurants. Even though there is a modern shopping mall on the edge of the town, the centre of Cognac doesn't seem to have suffered the same fate as other towns which have become 'hollowed out' by the building of dedicated shopping centres. There are still plenty of shops, boutiques and craft stores in the town. The old town is especially pleasant to walk around, with beautiful half-timbered buildings, cobbled streets and fancy town houses.

Cognac has a good range of supermarkets, it has the full range of schools from 4-18 years of age and there is a large hospital complex. So all-in-all, Cognac is a good balance between having all the services you need on your doorstep, but within a pleasant relaxed environment. The local countryside is also very pretty, dominated as it is by vineyards, forests and undulating hills. It certainly was a very nice surprise.

Cognac farmhouse for long term rentals in Charente-Maritime

If you want to research Cognac and the surrounding area in more depth, then this pretty 3 bed farmhouse is a great rental option at €1250 per month + bills for an October to March rental and €1850 per month + bills for a 12 month rental period. See the property page for more details: Cognac farmhouse for rent. 

6. Jarnac - pretty market town & home of Courvoisier brandy

Situated along the banks of the Charente River, Jarnac is a pretty market town, located in between Cognac and Angoulême. The town has two claims to fame. It is home to the famous Courvoisier brand of Brandy and you can visit the Maison Courvoisier, for a tasing and guided tour of the winery. Jarnac, was also the birthplace of the former French President, François Mitterrand, and you can visit a museum dedicated to him as well as visit his grave in the town.

But my main reason for highlighting Jarnac, is that it is a prosperous little town, with a lovely old town with nice cobbled streets and a large river running through its centre. There is a nice walkway along the riverside, where you can see the old quays that were used to load barges with Brandy barrels, that were then transported along the Charente river to La Rochelle for export. The river is lined with old town houses and wine warehouses. Jarnac just has a nice relaxed atmosphere about it. It is a lot smaller than Cognac, with a local population of around 4,750 people.

We drove through Jarnac on a Sunday afternoon and it was just full of families walking to the local parks or stopping at one of the restaurants. Jarnac is very well-equipped, with a large Intermarché supermarket on the outskirts of the town and plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants in the centre. The town also has the full range of schools from 4-18 years. What caught my eye on the way in, was that it had a big sports complex on the outskirts, with a Rugby pitch, athletics ground and a modern AstroTurf football pitch. It even has a racecourse and a venue for live music and events. It seemed to me that there is more going on in Jarnac than other towns of a similar size that we passed through on our trip.

The other advantage of Jarnac (compared to nearby Cognac), is that property prices here tend to be a bit cheaper. There are some unbelievably cheap fixer-uppers in the centre of Jarnac (such as 3 bed stone built properties for under €120,000 euros) and I think if you had a budget of around €250,000-€300,000, you would have your pick of properties.

House prices seem to have fallen quite a bit since the peak of 2024 (by around -16% over the last 12 months), but this needs to be weighed up against a +24% increase in property prices over the last 5 years. The median price for a 3 bed property in the town at December 2025 stood at €1,448 per m2. So all in all, it is still very affordable.

Overall, I think that Jarnac has a lot going for it and it is certainly worth having a detail look at it if you are considering moving to France long term. We don't currently have any rental properties in Jarnac itself, but this nice 1 bed stone cottage is located near the village of Mons, which is about 20 mins to the north of Jarnac. The cottage can be rented for 3-4 months during the October to April period for €700 per month + bills. See the property page for more details: La Bois cottage Charente. 

7. Aubeterre-sur-Drônne - one of the prettiest villages in France

Aubterre-sur-Drônne, Charente [Photo courtesy of https://www.sudcharentetourisme.fr/aubeterre-sur-dronne/]

Aubeterre-sur-Drônne is officially classified as one of the 150 most beautiful villages in France (the only village in the Charente department to appear in the official list). The village is perched on hillside, overlooking the Dronne River. Since the 13th Century, the village has been an important stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain (but to be fair, the same can be said for half the villages in France!). But what makes Aubeterre-sur-Dronne that bit special, is the ancient cobbled streets, the white stone houses with terracotta roof tiles and the large underground church, which is actually carved into the limestone cliff beneath the medieval castle.

Aubeterre-sur-Dronne is located in the south-eastern corner of the Charente department, bordering the western edge of Dordogne. It is located in between Bordeaux (1 hour 30 mins), Angoulême (45 mins) and Périgueux (1 hour). Bergerac airport can be reached in just over 1 hour and Limoges airport is 1 hour 45 mins. The village only has around 430 full time residents, but it features around 15 shops and craft workshops and around 10 cafe-bars and restaurants.

The nearby towns of Ribérac (in Dordogne) and Chalais (in Charente) are both 20 mins from Aubeterre. Both towns have significant Ex-Pat populations, with people attracted by the cheaper property prices, the lush rolling hills and forests and the calm way of life. Ribérac is the larger town, with a population of around 4,000 people and interestingly, it has a significantly higher number of women residents than men. Given that nearly 45% of the population is above 60 years old, this might have more to do with demographics than anything more salacious. Chalais, which has around 1,000 inhabitants, was one of the most important sites of the Hundred Years War and its castle was one of the last English-held strongholds in France before its capture in 1453. The castle still stands above the town. Chalais also has the added advantage that it lies on the Angoulême to Bordeaux regional train line and you can reach the centre of Bordeaux in 55 mins.

This large stone farmhouse for long term rental is located just 2km from Aubeterre-sur-Dronne. The farmhouse comes with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a swimming pool and large garden. The property is available for long term rentals between October to June from €1500 per month + bills.

For more details, please visit the property page: Le Mauguillard house to rent near Aubeterre-sur-Drônne France. 

8. Rochefoucauld - with its famous Chateau

Château de La Rochefoucauld, Charente France

In the centre of the Charente department, just 20 mins north-east of Angoulême, the capital of the Charente department, lies one of the best preserved Renaissance chateaux in France, the stunning Château de La Rochefoucauld. The current Chateau was built on the site of an earlier 11th Century castle, which was destroyed in 1453, during the Hundred Years War. The present Chateau was built in 1520 and it remains the family seat of the House of La Rochefoucauld, one of the oldest noble families in France, with roots tracing back to 980 AD. One of the most prominent members of the La Rochefoucauld family, was François de La Rochefoucauld, the 2nd Duke of La Rochefoucauld, who was a famous military leader and philosopher of the 17th century. 

Surrounding the Chateau, lies the charming small town of La Rochefoucauld, which has a population of around 3,000 people. The town has lots of historic stone buildings, cobbled streets and scenic parks. The presence of the Château, which draws in thousands of visitors each year, helps maintain a higher number of shops, restaurants, cafes and amenities than you would normally expect in a town of its size.

La Rochefoucauld has good schools, a regional hospital and a couple of supermarkets, including a large E.Leclerc supermarket on the edge of the town. The E603 fast dual-carriageway passes by the town, which provides easy access down to Angoulême and up to Poitiers and across to Limoges. Limoges airport is just 55 mins drive and provides cheap all round flights to the UK.

The reason why I have selected to highlight La Rochefoucauld, instead of the nearby city of Angoulême, was largely influenced by a local property Owner we met on a trip up to the Charentes. During a conversation with her, she remarked that she couldn't remember the last time she was in Angoulême and she would only consider travelling down to the city if she had some administrative matter or she needed to go to the hospital. She said that if she was planning a shopping trip, she would go to La Rochelle, or up to Poitiers or Limoges, to make a 'day of it'. I asked her what was wrong with Angoulême? She said that there was nothing wrong with it at all, it is a pleasant enough town, but if she needed anything, she would pop into La Rochefoucauld because she knew everyone there and it was the most-friendly town she had ever lived near.

So I suppose in a nutshell, that is why La Rochefoucauld could be a good option if you are looking for a place to live in France. You will find that with France (as you will in other countries) - that dotted about the country, you just come across these little gems of places, that are unusually more open, friendly and hospitable than surrounding towns and villages. And if you find them (like we have with Pezenas in South France), you just need to grab the opportunity.

La Forge cottage for long term rentals in Charente France

If you are interested in a house-hunting trip in the area around Angoulême, then this cosy 2 bedroom cottage for long term rentals is located in the small village of Agris, just 10 mins from Chateau de Rochefoucauld. The cottage is available for long term rentals between October and March from €750 per month + bills. See the property page for more details: La Forge cottage. 

9. Ruffec - affordable place to buy

Ruffec market place, Charente France

 I am in two minds about Ruffec. We drove through it last summer and it is a pleasant enough town, with a good range of shops and supermarkets. We probably passed through prettier places on the way. Maybe I was expecting a bit more (and I am sure that the good people of Ruffec will now contact me to put me straight about what I am missing!!).

Ruffec is a decent sized market town (for rural France) which dates back to at least 995 AD. The population of the town itself is 3,500, but including the surrounding villages, it serves a base of around 7,000 people. It does have a good range of services, including supermarkets, a cinema, theatre, leisure centre, a college and Lycée, restaurants and shops. It is one of those places that originally attracted a lot of Ex-Pats during the 1990s and early 2000s, mainly because the house prices in the town and surrounding area were very good value (especially compared to Dordogne). And today, it seems to remain a popular place mainly because it has a lot of Ex-Pats living there. So it seems to be a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy - it gets mentioned often as a place to buy in France, because a lot of Ex-Pats have bought there. 

I think what worries me a little bit about Ruffec, is that if you look at it on the map, there are not a lot of places nearby. There are certainly no towns of a similar size or bigger within 30 mins drive. So Angoulême is a good 40 minute drive, Poitiers is just under an hour, Limoges airport is 1 hour 15 mins. So if you need a shop or a service (that is not provided in Ruffec) then you are always going to have a 1 hour 30 mins round trip to reach it. To a certain extent, you could also say the same thing about Jonzac (above) and Confolens (below), so maybe I am being a bit unfair to Ruffec.

Certainly, one massive plus about the town, is that it has its own train station with local train services to Poitiers and Angoulême, where you can pick up fast TGV trains to Paris and Bordeaux.

Verteuil-sur-Charente, close to Ruffec

There are also some very pretty places close to Ruffec, such as the riverside village of Verteuil-sur-Charente (above), Nanteuil-en-Vallée and the 12th Century Abbaye de Saint Amant de Boixe. 

In terms of house prices, property in and around Ruffec is still relatively cheap at around €1,238 per m² for houses and apartments more than 5 years old. This is just below the average for the whole of Charente as a whole (€1,337 per m2 at the end of Q4 2025) and the average for France as a whole in 2025 (€2,353 per m²). So you can see why people are drawn to the area. Basically, you can still pick up a mid-sized house (110m²) for around €140,000-160,000 euros and probably around the €200,000-220,000 euros mark if you want a garden and outdoor space. 

If you are interested in investigating Ruffec in more detail, we have these two cottages close-by that can be rented on a long term basis between October to May:

Le Poirier cottage for long term rentals France

Le Poirier is a beautiful 18th century barn-conversion, with original oak beams and exposed stone walls, that is perfect for house-hunting trips. The cottage comes with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a large open plan living room with wood burner. There is a nice sunny terrace in front of the cottage and there is plenty of private parking. Le Poirier can be rented from €750 per month between October to May. For more details please see the property advert: Poirier cottage France.

Le Perdrix cottage for long term rentals France

This 2 bed cottage is located just 20 mins from Ruffec. It is available for long term rentals between October and March from €750 per month + bills. See the property page for more details: Le Perdrix Cottage. 

10. Confolens - pretty riverside town

Confolens town, Charente France

Nestled in the heart of the Charente countryside, Confolens is a pretty riverside town of around 2,700 people. The town of Confolens lies on the Vienne river, where it joins with the smaller Goire river. There is 13th Century stone bridge across the river, which was once the fortified entrance to Confolens. The remains of a medieval castle (Château Saint-Germain-de-Confolens) still stand on higher ground above the town. 

The history of Confolens dates back to the 11th Century and an old Roman road passes close to the old part of the town. The city walls and several houses can trace their history to the 14th and 15th Centuries. The centre of the town is very pretty with lots of narrow cobbled streets and medieval half-timber buildings.

Confolens lies in the north of the Charente department, 70km from the larger towns of Angoulême, Limoges and Poitiers. Since the 18th Century it has served as an important administrative centre for the surrounding, largely agricultural, area. As a result, Confolens has more amenities than you would usually suspect, including a small regional hospital, a movie theatre, an open air swimming pool and a tennis & Padel club. The town has the full range of schools (a primary school, college and Lycée) and there are two supermarkets, a Lidl and Intermarché, both a short drive on the edge of the town. 

Confolens, Charente France [Photo courtesy of https://www.mairie-confolens.fr/]

Confolens is located within one of the sunniest areas of France and has proved to be a popular area for foreign house-buyers with around 10% of the population coming from the UK, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and North America. There is even a busy Fish & Chip shop in the town! One of the key attractions of Confolens to Ex-Pats, is that Limoges airport is just 40 mins drive. There are cheap Ryanair flights all year around to the UK (Manchester and London Stansted) and during the summer, there are additional flights to Leeds-Bradford airport, Bristol airport, and Nottingham airport.

It is still possible to pick up houses for refurbishment in the centre of Confolens for under €100,000 euros and a budget of around €250,000 euros will get you a nice 3-4 bed house with a large garden (that would be at least double the price if it was moved to our area of South France).

During the summer months, the town can get very busy, especially during the Festival de Folklore in August, which attracts musicians and artists from all over the world and features concerts at various venues throughout the town.

Pretty spots near Confolens include St-Germain-de-Confolens, Chassenon and the lakes of Haute-Charente, offering watersports and sandy beaches.

 Confolens house for long term rentals Charente France

If you are thinking of exploring Confolens in more detail, then this pretty 3 bedroom house with a large garden and parking is available for long term rentals between September to May from €900 per month + bills. More details can be found on the property page: Confolens house for long term Rentals

Moving to France in 2026 . . . ?

If you are thinking about moving to France, I would strongly suggest that you take a good hard look at the Charentes. I think that there are plenty of positives for living there and all the property Owners we met on our recent trip to the area, seemed very happy and were very keen to promote the area. As always, I would advise you not to jump in head first and buy a property, without 'test driving' the area first. I have seen people make that mistake so many times. Just because a property is incredibly cheap in terms of what you get for your money compared to back home, doesn't mean that it is the right property for you. In France, location really is king. You can have two villages side by side. One is open and friendly and the other is a bit cold and remote. That is just the way it is and you will only get to find that out if you are on the ground and experience it yourself (the friendly Real Estate agent certainly won't tell you). 

We make the process of renting a house in France very straightforward. We don't require a stack of paperwork like a lot of French rental agents. We simply ask for copies of your ID (passport) and some evidence of ability to pay the monthly rent (which could be a copy of your bank statement, employment contract, bank reference or copies of your current rental/home loan payments). You can secure the property by paying a 1 month deposit (which becomes your security deposit for the tenancy).  For more information about how to find a house for rent in France: