Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image
Angoulême is the undisputed world capital of the comic strip, and this purpose-built museum complex on the banks of the Charente is the beating heart of that obsession. Spread across a converted paper mill and a sleek modern wing, it holds one of the largest collections of original comic-art in existence.
A Palace Built for the Ninth Art
The permanent collection traces the full arc of bande dessinée from 19th-century caricature through Hergé and Moebius to contemporary graphic novelists, with original inked pages displayed alongside concept art and editorial sketches.
The building itself is worth the visit: the 19th-century Moulin de Fleurac has been stitched to a glass-and-steel extension that frames postcard views over the Charente river below.
Every January the complex becomes the epicentre of the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée, when 200,000 fans descend and the entire city turns into an open-air gallery.
Beyond the Main Galleries
A sky-bridge connects the museum to the Musée du Papier — paper-making being Angoulême's other historic industry — so you can trace the full story from pulp to printed page in a single afternoon.
The museum shop stocks rare limited-edition prints and signed albums that you genuinely cannot find anywhere else in France, making it the best souvenir stop in the city.
Check the programme before you visit: the temporary exhibition spaces host blockbuster shows that rotate every few months, covering everyone from Will Eisner to Marjane Satrapi.
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