Montguyon is a small town in south west France about 60km north east of Bordeaux. It is at the extreme southern end of Charente Maritime and is less than 10km from the departments of Charente, Gironde and Dordogne. The town has under 2000 inhabitants but is the administrative centre of a commune with 14 villages and some 8000 inhabitants. This makes the town a more significant centre than its own population would suggest.

It is an old town although the area has only been known as Montguyon in (historically) recent times. Before that it was known as the parish of Vassiac which, as with other places in this area ending in -ac, has its origins in Roman times. On the hill above the town is a dolmen which dates from an even earlier civilisation (2500BC). The church of St Vincent de Vassiac dates from the 12th century and is one of over 100 from the same period in the Haute-Saintonge. It also has a castle from the 11th century at which Jean Comte D'Orleans (not to be confused with Jeanne, Maid of Orleans aka Joan of Arc) defeated the English in 1451.

Today the area's economy is based primarily on agriculture and forestry with a large factory in St Martin D'Ary (the opposite bank of the river Mouzon) producing wood products. Although the town is only 20km from the major wine areas of St Emilion and Pomerol, most of the grapes grown here go to make cognac, the town of that name being only 30km away.

There is a primary school and a small college although secondary children travel to Jonzac, the arrondissement centre. The town has doctors, pharmacies, banks, a supermarket, a hardware store and a builders merchant along with many other local shops giving access to everything you need for day-to-day living. There is even a small market several times a month.

There is a good airport an hour away at Merignac (Bordeaux) and the TGV passes close by with stops at Angouleme and Bordeaux. The RN10 trunk route from Angouleme to Bordeaux which carries much of the heavy transport from Europe to Spain and Portugal is only 7 km away. This all gives good access without the penalties of heavy traffic.

It is just 50 km from the Atlantic coast and under 100m above sea level. This gives it a very equitable climate without the extreme cold found further inland and higher up, or the heat and winds found further south. In fact the climate is reckoned to be amongst the best in France.

Although not a primary tourist area, there is plenty of accommodation in chambres d'hôtes and gîtes and it makes a good centre for touring this peaceful and picturesque part of France. There are also campsites in the area. On the outskirts of Montguyon there is a recreational lake (Beauvallon), the water is very clean for swimming and boating. There is also a restaurant, snack bar and a children's play area.

To further attract visitors, there are medieval son et lumière events in August. It is also the home of the Mondiofolk World Folklore Festival which is now in its 30th year.