Aquitaine
Clement weather
Bordered along the whole of its west coast by the Atlantic Ocean, Aquitaine is bathed in a mild oceanic climate with the influence of the Gulf Stream.The 2,200 sunshine hours per year make the Bordeaux region similar to the Mediterranean. Along with rainfall that is well distributed over the year, this sunshine is one of the elements which favour vine-growing in Aquitaine. Mild temperatures all year round, enough rain to provide a green, floral environment, plenty of sunshine to enjoy the delights of the beach in spring, summer and autumn, as well as walking in the mountains or in the wooded valleys…
History
It is remarkable how the history of Aquitaine has followed – and sometimes preceded! – the history of France. A visit to Aquitaine takes you to an encounter with France’s ancestors…
Prehistory and Ancient Times Starting with the most distant of our ancestors. The Vézère Valley in the Dordogne is quite simply considered as the cradle of humanity, as homo erectus settled here 400,000 years ago! The painted caves, shelters and sites tell us the story of the daily life of prehistoric man.
What about the famous Gauls? In the 3rd century BC their tribes mixed with the peoples of Aquitaine. The Petrucores founded Périgueux, and the Bituriges Vivisques founded Bordeaux... Together they occupied South West France – from the Loire to the Rhone and the Mediterranean.
In 56 BC, Rome conquered the region. The Romans settled without too much conflict – indeed they brought with them the benefits of their civilisation. The roads were constructed, town plans traced, and rich villas built. The first vines were planted, too – "biturica" in Latin.
The fall of Rome (in 476 in Constantinople) and the start of the Middle Ages. Aquitaine suffered the Vandal and Visigoth invasions, the sieges of the armies of Clovis (6th century) to build a free kingdom, and then the battles to keep it in the face of more independence-minded peoples such as the Vascons (or Gascons) in the Pyrenees.
From Carolingian Aquitaine… And in 719, the Pyrenees were crossed by the Muslim armies, who got as far as Poitiers before being stopped by the army of Charles Martel in 732. Under the Carolingians and Charlemagne, a more closely united Aquitaine began to take shape.
The period also saw the emergence of the Catholic Church from the 4th century onwards, and many of those born in Aquitaine at the time will have taken part in building bishops’ palaces, monasteries and abbeys. Places of worship such as churches and basilicas were also constructed for the people: Saint Front in Périgueux, Saint Pierre and Sainte Eulalie in Bordeaux. This development continued with the construction of a series of routes pointing pilgrims along their way to Compostella.
In the 10th and 11th centuries, the region was divided once again, this time between the Duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony, before being reunited within a vast, single State forming the dowry of Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, newly divorced from King Louis VII of France. She went on to marry Henry II Plantagenet, future King of England, in 1152.
… to English Aquitaine Then came the era of the Anglo-Gascon princes (12th-15th centuries) as the struggle for possession of Aquitaine – often referred to as Guyenne, by phonetic alteration – opposed the crowns of England and France during the Hundred Years War (1334-1453). The war came to a close with the victory of the French at Castillon-la-Bataille, on 17 July 1453.
Chateau Bonaguil, Lot-et-Garonne Those were hard times for the people of Aquitaine: armies left a wake of destruction, epidemic and famine behind them as in-fighting between powerful feudal lords intensified. Many of the region’s castles date from this stormy era: Beynac in Perigord, Roquetaillade in the Gironde, Bonaguil in the Lot-et-Garonne and Montaner in Béarn, to name but a few.
But the war was not waged continuously and the period was also marked by a certain form of prosperity. It saw the development of a growing urban population in fortified new towns, referred to as bastides, and also the spread of the French language in the region’s towns and castles. It was also a time of growing trade and saw the first successes of Bordeaux wines. No fewer than 100,000 casks (or 85 million litres!) of wine were exported to England in 1308.
From the Wars of Religion of the 16th century… The Kingdom of France still suffered from instability, however, and it was to combat this that the Parliament of Bordeaux was created in 1462. One of its members was Michel de Montaigne, the famous author of the Essays. This did not prevent one part of the region attracting much attention, however…
The Kingdom of Navarre, under the Albret family, was not only a centre of Protestantism in the region, but also the home of King Henri IV of France. Born a Protestant and married initially to Catholic Marguerite of Valois, Henri of Navarre was to convert to Catholicism in 1589 to accede to the throne (he is quoted as having said “Paris is well worth a Mass”) and bring an end to the wars of religion between Catholics and Protestants with the Edict of Nantes (1598).
And what were the people of Aquitaine up to in the 17th century?
If they belonged to the nobility, they may have been lucky enough to attend the wedding of King Louis XIII and Anne of Austria in 1615, or that of their son Louis XIV and Marie-Thérèse, the Spanish Infanta, in Saint-Jean-de-Luz in 1660.
For those of more modest origins, they will certainly have been taking part in the violent popular uprisings against royal taxation. Aquitaine has always had a strongly independent streak, making it a very fertile breeding-ground for such revolts.
… to the commercial expansion of the 18th century Among the region’s more notable inhabitants in later times, the traders of Bordeaux and its region were among the most fortunate, with the 18th century seeing the port city reach its peak and establish itself lastingly as the leading city in Aquitaine. Its magnificent architecture from the period bears testimony to the city’s golden age.
The traders imported exotic goods (coffee, chocolate, cotton…) and exported the region’s produce to the Hanseatic ports, to America and to Russia. And there were even those who were convinced of the virtues of equality by their compatriot Montesquieu and may not have taken part in the notorious slave trade.
These were times of such new ideas, giving rise to the French Revolution. After early disturbances, Aquitaine quietened down fairly quickly… From this time on, the region seems to have preferred to watch the major events of history from afar.
The 19th century saw many changes: Napoleon and his Empire, two Restorations of the Bourbon princes and then Empire again with Napoleon III…
The previously dynamic economy of Aquitaine was hit hard, first of all by the blockades and requisitions of the Napoleonic Wars, then by growing English domination of maritime trade, and lastly because the industrial revolution did not gain a firm foothold in the region.
But things were not all so bad for the people of Aquitaine! The people of the Landes were benefiting from the transformation of the region’s marshlands into one of the largest forests in Europe, and the hub of the local economy. In Perigord, they were playing their role in the construction of the railroads (Bordeaux-Paris 1848). Basques and Béarnais, meanwhile, were seeing the arrival of the first tourists coming to enjoy the benefits of spa towns and seaside resorts, led by Eugenie – the wife of Napoleon III.
The 20th century, our grandparents and two world wars…
The outstanding dates in history before we reach our present century were without a doubt those of the two world wars. In 1914, Bordeaux played host to the French government for a few days. And in 1940, in the wake of the capitulation of France, Charles De Gaulle flew to England from the airport of Bordeaux in Mérignac, on 16 June.
Turbomeca aircraft
In the period between the wars, Aquitaine developed a passion for all things aeronautical. Aviator Hélène Boucher practised her flying skills in Mont-de-Marsan, the famous aircraft La Croix du Sud, flown by Mermoz, came out of the factory in Biscarrosse, and the Société Nationale de Construction Aéronautique du Sud-Ouest, later to become Dassault, developed its activities with eight factories at its peak in 1940.
Today, aerospace is still one of the key sectors in the region, employing many in Aquitaine. Other dynamic sectors are agriculture, wine, the food industry and wood, along with tourism and the tertiary sector in general.
Perhaps some of the region’s 21st-century inhabitants will be lucky enough to become webmasters here at the Regional Tourist Board.
Aquitaine, made for holidays
France’s third-biggest region with a surface area of 41,308 km2, Aquitaine is famous – among other things – for its vast protected natural spaces. Towns occupy 17% of the territory, with 70% of the 2,988,395 inhabitants living in urban areas. There are therefore many rural areas offering a great variety of landscapes.
The Aquitaine coast has been carefully safeguarded against excessive urbanisation. Between the region’s famous seaside resorts, there are 250 km of coastline offering sandy beaches for surfing, relaxing, or enjoying a thalassotherapy session.
Between the Atlantic coast to the west and the Quercy hills to the east, the Landes plains form a triangle of 14,000 km2 with the Pointe de Grave, Bayonne and Nérac as its three points. Its flat terrain makes it ideal for cycling
Ocean currents and winds have little by little formed a long fringe of sand dunes along the ocean shore, against which the freshwater of many waterways came to a stop.
Lake, windsurfing
The result today is a host of large lakes , a paradise for yachts and… migratory birds!
Mountains
Pyrenees mountainBut that’s not all: Aquitaine also offers a superb playground for hikers, skiers, white-water enthusiasts or lovers of breathtaking views.
The Pyrenees form France’s natural border with Spain. In Aquitaine, they are mainly the Pyrénées Atlantiques, climbing slowly away from the ocean through the Basque Country and the Béarn region.
The Pyrenees National Park is a particularly well-preserved haven for you to observe the flora and fauna on a hike or from the Artouste train. The forests of Green Périgord in the Dordogne or the Regional Nature Park of the Landes de Gascogne – the biggest forest in Europe! - Iraty and Les Arbailles in the Basque Country…
You can already smell the pine and the moss, you can see the truffles, cèpe mushrooms and chestnuts, you can imagine picnics or rides on horseback… Not forgetting some ideal spots for naturist holidays.
Aquitaine, a land of convivial traditions Vine, Gironde
The South West is famous for its festivities and its warm welcome. The region’s tradition can be seen in various ways: the fêtes of course, but also the sports, crafts and legends.
Food-lovers rest assured, a whole chapter is dedicated to the delights of the table, from regional specialities to cookery lessons, recipes and festivals, starred restaurants, markets, Gourmet Routes and museums.
The wine region also has its own chapter – the winegrowing tradition being the founding factor of the heritage, and the life, in Aquitaine.
Discover the traditions of Aquitaine. After the red and white come the typical colours of green and white: the green of pastures and the white of sheep fleeces....
Traditional games and sports [+]
Bulls, Force basque, Basque Pelota, Rugby, Skittles...
Arts, crafts and workshops [+]
Aquitaine is full of men and women of talent who perpetuate ancestral skills through their art and their creations....
Sites not to be missed
There are a great many places to visit in Aquitaine which you will find in the pages of this website. Here are a few that are not to be missed…
Cordouan Lighthouse, GirondeOne of the very few lighthouses to be listed as a historic monument, and the last lighthouse in the sea still to have a keeper, this 68-metre giant keeps watch over sailors 7 kilometres off the Gironde Estuary. The elder statesman of European lighthouses, it was built in 1584, but watchtowers had been in this place since the Middle Ages. From the King’s apartment to the lantern room and Notre-Dame chapel, you can visit this “Versailles of the Sea” with its 311 steps. Sailings from Le Verdon, at the northernmost point of the Médoc
Bordeaux It is a condensed version of the history of France that you can find in the city's streets and museums, from the remains of the Palais Gallien, a Gallo-Roman amphitheatre, to the very contemporary exhibitions of the CAPC. Pont de Pierre bridge by night, Bordeaux, Gironde
The 18th-century façades along the quaysides and the architecture in general in the large city centre offer exceptional sights to admire on walks.
On 28 June 2007, the UNESCO committee accepted (among other things) the Bordeaux candidature and included the city on its World Heritage list. The listed zone covers the area inside the inner ring-road, up to the Garonne River inclusive. It stretches over 1,810 hectares, or almost half the surface area of the city.
The gateway to a wine region bearing the world’s most prestigious names, Bordeaux offers all the delights of a city - museums, restaurants, shopping, bars, operas… - with the beach and the mountains just down the road…
Saint-Emilion Its monolithic church is a medieval jewel in the crown of a town listed as World Heritage by UNESCO.
http://www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com
The Dune du Pyla and the Bay of Arcachon
There is the sea of course, because Aquitaine has 250 kilometres of Atlantic coastline. In the northern half of this huge beach there is a natural curiosity, the Bay of Arcachon. This bay forms an interior sea of 1500 hectares, the shores of which are dotted with seaside resorts and oyster-fishing ports.
Pyla Dune, Gironde
Just a short bike ride away, there is another giant. Not made of stone like the lighthouse but instead made of sand: the Dune du Pyla. Standing 104 metres high, it is Europe’s tallest dune.
If you climb it – a task made easier by the steps – you will be rewarded by an unobstructed view over the ocean and the Bay on one side, and the Landes forest on the other.
The “cabanes tchanquées" and Bird Island
Shacks on stilts in the Bay of Arcachon, Gironde. These shacks on stilts out at sea and the bird reserve are sites really worth a visit in the Bay of Arcachon, as are Arguin Sandbank, Cap Ferret and the Leyre Delta.
Château de Bonaguil, Lot-et-GaronneIn Lot-et-Garonne, Bonaguil is a fortified castle built in the 13th century and constantly improved up to the 18th century and the Vauban fortifications.
Listed as a historic monument since 1861, it is one of the “major sites” in Aquitaine.
Remarkably well preserved with imposing proportions and traces of the entire history of military techniques, this castle is an essential visit in the region.
Monpazier One of the finest fortified towns in Périgord, listed as “One of France’s Loveliest Villages”.
La Roque-Gageac Listed as “One of France’s Loveliest Villages”, set between the Dordogne River and the cliff face. As you face the river you can see several castles at the same time. Sarlat, DordogneCinema festival, music festival, truffle market… Sarlat offers all the charms of Perigord, combining tradition and dynamism.
And the prehistoric sites of the Valley of Humanity are only 10 kilometres away.
There are a great many places to visit in Aquitaine which you will find in the pages of this website. Here are a few that are not to be missed…
Lascaux II
A replica of Lascaux Cave, the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistory”, an archaeological and artistic wonder, painted 20000 BC.
Saint-Front Cathedral
An ancient, medieval and Renaissance city, Old Périgueux is overlooked by the Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral.
Gardens of Marqueyssac
Hanging 130 metres above the Dordogne, they offer an exceptional view.
Rivers and canals
There is a rich history of boatmen in the region. The Garonne, the Dordogne, the smaller rivers and the canals are tourist itineraries nowadays.
La Vézère, river in the Dordogne
You can sail down them in boats - without a licence - and take in a thousand villages and landscapes offering a rich heritage and friendly encounters with people in each area.
It’s almost official: time does go more slowly on the canals of the Midi!
The Baïse River in Nérac
The Baïse is a charming river on which you can discover the Lot-et-Garonne in a boat.
The eco-museum in Marquèze
Marquèze Eco-museum, LandesIn the Landes area where the villages were very far from each other, the inhabitants used to group together in areas called “airials”. In these hamlets, the baker, the shepherd and other craftsmen lived in an autarchy.
The Eco-museum plunges you into the daily life of these people in the almost deserted Landes of the 19th century.
The little train that you take to see the place will delight children – of all ages…
Pau Capital of Béarn, where Henry IV of France was born in the castle facing the Pyrenees.
Biarritz
Formerly a small whale-fishing port, then an imperial town, Biarritz is now Europe’s surfing capital.
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Saint Jean de Luz, Pyrénées-AtlantiquesThe town and its Place Louis XIV are very popular among painters
… and surfers, of course.
The Basque ledge and Abbadia
After Anglet, the succession of sandy beaches comes to and end, giving way to a coastline made up of cliffs, creeks and bays.
The Basque ledge near Hendaye is a protected natural area where the fauna – particularly migratory birds – and the flora – local and exotic species – have found refuge.Domaine d’Abbadia is owned by the Coastline Conservatory and combines natural sciences, history and architecture, with a castle designed by Viollet-Le-Duc and a breathtaking view!
A popular tourist area
Ocean, beach, pine trees
Meeting tourists in Aquitaine…
A survey was conducted between May and September 2004 with the aim of getting to know tourists in Aquitaine a little better.
These five months account for 72% of tourist overnight stays, and July and August alone account for 51% of visitors.
Let’s build an identikit picture of one of the 8,350,000 visitors in this period... Or more precisely, the 52% of them who stayed in paying accommodation (hotel, campsite, tourist residence, gîte, furnished apartment, etc.).
French tourists first. Out of 10 overnight stays in Aquitaine, 8 are spent by French visitors. Two come from Ile de France, two from Midi-Pyrénées, two from Aquitaine – one of the advantages of living in a huge region is that you can go on holiday there! – and two from other regions in France. The remaining two come from abroad.
22% of foreign visitors. Where do they come from, exactly? From the United Kingdom mainly (25%), then the Netherlands (21%), Germany (17%), Belgium-Luxembourg (10.7%), and Spain (10.6%).
The average stay lasts 7.7 nights. This is slightly higher than the national average, probably because Aquitaine is mainly a destination for the long summer holidays.
Breakdown of foreign tourists, The reasons for its attraction
Aquitaine is associated first and foremost with the sea. The Atlantic Ocean is the region’s prime factor of attraction – cited in 44% of replies. Other replies included “the climate” with 32%, “relaxing” 31% and “discovering a city” 24%.
Camping the most popular way. The gentle Aquitaine climate is ideal for camping, offering beautiful sunny days and warm nights.
With more than 20% of tourist nights, camping or caravanning takes the top spot in accommodation, ahead of furnished apartments (13%) and hotels (7%).
Coastal areas the most popular places. The coastal areas receive the most visitors, although green tourism, the castles of the Dordogne and the Lot-et-Garonne are increasingly popular.
Landscape in Lot-et-Garonne
Worthy of note: 21% of overnight stays are by holidaymakers who are travelling over the whole region. There is so much to see and do…
Family before friends…
Not many holidaymakers come alone (4%). Most people come with their family (47%, plus 15% with family and friends). Couples represent 21% of visitors.
This fits with the age brackets of visitors: the 35-49 bracket is the biggest (40%) ahead of the 50-64 (22%) and the 25-34 (21%).
Whoever you are and wherever you are from, we wish you a wonderful stay in the land of holidays that is Aquitaine!
Celebrities in Aquitaine
Michel de Montaigne
Royalty, sportspeople, singers, writers…
Names which ring a bell and snatches of history…
Aquitaine is a land where illustrious women and men were born or lived – some in houses that can be visited today, sometimes as part of a themed tour.
Born in the region
First of all, a queen: Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. In 1137, she married Louis VII, future King of France, in Saint André Cathedral in Bordeaux. They divorced twelve years later and Eleanor remarried with Henri Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and duke of Normandy and future King Henry II of England. Their third child was to earn the name Richard the Lionheart.
Castle of Henri IV, Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Then there were the Kings. The Château de Pau and more generally the region of Béarn – not to say the whole of Gascony – are strongly marked by the imprint of Henri IV, King of France and Navarre, born in Pau in 1553.
Another son of Pau was to become King – but of Sweden in this case - in 1818, after serving in the armies of Napoleon: Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. The family home has become a museum.
We stay in the Pyrenees with the Musketeers… Did you know that Athos and Aramits are actually villages in Béarn? They gave their names to two of the musketeers immortalised by Alexandre Dumas.
François MauriacOn the subject of writers, here are three more. Have you heard of the “three M’s”? Montaigne (1533-1593), Mayor of Bordeaux and author of the Essays, Montesquieu (1689-1755) who wrote his masterpiece The Spirit of Laws at his home, Château de La Brède, and lastly, Mauriac (1885-1970) who regularly stayed at Domaine de Malagar.
Leaping forward in time, we come to the 20th century with Maurice Ravel, composer of the internationally famous Bolero. He was born in 1914 in Ciboure, close to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The house where he was born had already played host to a celebrity in the person of Cardinal Mazarin, for the wedding of Louis XIV and Marie-Thérèse of Spain.
A musician who has written all his own songs and had a whole host of hit albums is Francis Cabrel, who has never left his birthplace, the village of Astaffort, in the Lot-et-Garonne.
Serge BlancoWho else? A Pope (Bertrand de Got, future Clement V, Pope from 1305 to 1314), a sculptor (Charles Despiau from Mont-de-Marsan), a French President (Armand Fallières, the centenary of whose election is celebrated in 2006), rugby players (the Moga brothers, Serge Blanco, Pierre Albaladejo), footballers (Christophe Dugarry and Bixente Lizarazu), a lord, diplomat and excellent hunter (Gaston Fébus, 1331-1391), an architect (Jean Nouvel, designer among other things of the new Vésunna Museum in Périgueux), an opera singer (Béatrice Uria-Monzon was born in Agen), a yachtsman (Titouan Lamazou is from Béarn), cartoonists (Jacques Faizant and Jean-Jacques Sempé), a poet (Francis Jammes from Orthez), a sociologist (Pierre Bourdieu), etc… Celebrities in Aquitaine
Cro Magnon
Lived in the region
Ladies first… and not just any ladies! The famous actress Sarah Bernhardt was bowled over by the charm of the Bay of Arcachon. She lived in Andernos from 1915 until her death in 1923.
The no less famous Josephine Baker fulfilled a childhood dream by buying a castle, that of Milandes, to provide a home for her twelve adopted children. You can visit the castle along with the exhibition on this music-hall queen.
Other residences of famous people that you can visit: Château de Malromé in the Entre-deux-Mers, where the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec spent the last months of his short life; and the Villa Arnaga in Cambo-les-Bains in the foothills of the Pyrenees, presenting the life of Edmond Rostand, the Marseille-born writer of Basque adoption.
There is also Luis Mariano, who restored and extended a farm in Arcangues, near Anglet and Biarritz, as well as the yachtsman Yves Parlier, who prepares his round-the-world races in the Bay of Arcachon.
Lastly, we salute the memory of a rather special being who lived in the Vézère Valley and is the oldest known inhabitant of Aquitaine: Cro-Magnon. The name of this homo sapiens comes from the Cro-Magnon shelter, where the remains of his bones were found.
Eugenie de Montijo
Loved the region
The variety of charms of Aquitaine has attracted many personalities.
Agatha Christie came to the Pyrenees as a child. Throughout her life she kept vivid memories of her holiday here.
Another writer with childhood memories was Marguerite Donnadieu who, when she published her first novel, took the surname of Duras, from the name of a village close to her father’s family house.
An Empress, Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, regularly came to Biarritz and the Landes area to make the most of the virtues of the seawater. Saint-Loubouer in the Landes was renamed Eugénie-les-Bains in 1861, and the Empress presided over the inauguration.
Let’s stay in the Landes with François Mitterrand. The Bergerie de Latché, close to Soustons Lake, was a haven of peace and quiet for the French President.
Before him, the Duke of Westminster had a house on the shores of the Etang d’Aureilhan. Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin were fond of visiting him there…
Not forgetting Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky in Biarritz, Jean Cocteau in Le Piquey near Cap Ferret, Francisco Goya in Bordeaux… and, of course, you!
A never-ending coastline
Just one figure will tell you a lot: 250 kilometres of ocean coastline! Aquitaine has quite simply Europe’s biggest beach of fine sand. Added to this are the 500 kilometres of shores alongside the lakes and estuaries.
sea, ocean, beach, Aquitaine
Nautical sports, seaside resorts, naturism...
Imagine all the things you can do in this huge leisure area, how many sports you can practise – surfing and sailing, of course, but equally cycling, with a massive network of cycling tracks.
If, on the other hand, you would rather do nothing at all, the fine sand of the Atlantic coast is ideal for relaxing on, either in the traditional way or naturist style. Similarly, there are plenty of professionals specialised in relaxation and well-being to take care of you in the many thalassotherapy centres in Aquitaine.
This vast coastline is also home to a great many boating harbours and seaside resorts, from the beaches of the Médoc in the north to those of the Basque Coast on the Spanish border, via the shores of the Landes region.
A never-ending coastline
Of course, all these sites are to be found in a remarkably well-protected natural environment, with highly diverse plant and animal life. Several nature reserves can be visited (Le Teich Ornithological Park in the Bay of Arcachon, Marais d’Orx Nature Reserve in the southern Landes…); in fact the large number of these reserves is one of the features of this multifaceted coastline.
Other special features? The almost straight, vertical line formed by the Atlantic coast as it heads southwards from the Pointe de Grave to Spain; the presence of huge dunes along most of the shoreline, including the highest in Europe, the Dune du Pilat (104 metres) which looks over the Bay of Arcachon; and the big lakes just a few miles from the ocean.
Aquitaine Oceanside is also a way of life, with its festivities, its trades, its crafts, its gastronomy. Something for everybody!
Seaside resorts
Bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Four different landscapes, four different atmospheres
You can distinguish four types of coastline in Aquitaine – four geographical areas, four kinds of landscape, four different atmospheres … Running from north to south, they are the Médoc, the Bay of Arcachon, the Landes and the Basque Coast.
“The Côte d’Argent symbolises this whole coastal area, lined with sparkling ocean spray”, wrote Maurice Martin, the inventor of the term Côte d’Argent (Silver Coast) in 1905. The expression “Aquitaine Coast” officially appeared in 1967 with the creation of the MIACA (a French inter-ministerial committee to develop the Aquitaine coast), which was largely responsible for protecting the Aquitaine coastline.
Aquitaine beach
The seaside resorts of Aquitaine have two remarkable features in common.
The first is the fact that these towns, developed in places devoid of any town-planning, tended to systematically build all the facilities deemed necessary – train station, public park, place of worship, but also casino, swimming pool, fountain…
The second is the so-called “resort-style” architecture of these towns on the Atlantic coast. Around the beginning of the 19th century, art nouveau and exotic influences combined to produce an eclectic style, while the Basque-Landes style saw the emergence of typical villas spreading further north. A pleasant variety of sights to see in a stroll in the open air.
By both these points in common and their specific features, the seaside resorts in Aquitaine have plenty to attract you. Between the varied nautical activities and relaxation, you will enjoy pleasant, colourful holidays.
Nautical sports
Aquitaine is full of nautical surprises
With 250 kilometres of Atlantic coastline and almost 500 kilometres of shoreline around the nine lakes in the region, Aquitaine is perfect for water sports.
Water skiing, Bay of Arcachon, Gironde
Canoeing, sea kayaking, diving, water skiing, sailing and surfing… There is something for everyone and for every level, all the way down the coast.
Thanks to the mild climate, there is also something for every season: the autumn waves are ideal for surfing, the winter winds for sand-yachting, and the gentle spring and hot summer for boating and canoeing.
Lacanau pro, Gironde
Surfing in Aquitaine
French surfing was born in Biarritz in September 1956.
For the record, it was the Americans Dick Zanuck and Peter Viertel – in the region to make a film based on the Hemingway novel The Sun Also Rises – who, noticing that the waves of the Grande Plage were somewhat reminiscent of the Californian swell, imported a surfboard to France for the first time.
Barely six months later, a few locals – the surfers of the future – had made their own boards, and the Journal de Biarritz published its first article on surfing on 11 September 1957.
Surfing at Biscarosse Plage, LandesHowever, the Aquitaine spots (surfing sites) are not limited to the Basque Country. The beaches of the Médoc (Soulac, Carcans Océan,) and the Landes (Biscarrosse, Moliets and Mimizan) are also popular among surf-lovers – beginners or experts.
The Fédération Française de Surf, founded in Biarritz in 1964, moved to Hossegor in 1984, and there are now clubs and schools in all the seaside resorts of the Côte d’Argent.
Similarly, you can find national and international competitions on the sandy beaches of Lacanau in Gironde (Lacanau Pro), Hossegor in the Landes (Rip Curl Pro Women and Men) or Anglet in the Pyrénées Atlantiques (O’Neill Surf Challenge).
These competitions which attract the international surfing tribe are also an opportunity to see how surfing has become a traditional Aquitaine sport in its own right, with its clothing (the Oxbow brand was born in Gironde in 1985), its folklore, its celebrations…
Nautical sports
Aquitaine is full of nautical surprises
With 250 kilometres of Atlantic coastline and almost 500 kilometres of shoreline around the nine lakes in the region, Aquitaine is perfect for water sports.
Water skiing, Bay of Arcachon, Gironde
Canoeing, sea kayaking, diving, water skiing, sailing and surfing… There is something for everyone and for every level, all the way down the coast.
Thanks to the mild climate, there is also something for every season: the autumn waves are ideal for surfing, the winter winds for sand-yachting, and the gentle spring and hot summer for boating and canoeing.
Lacanau pro, Gironde
Surfing in Aquitaine
French surfing was born in Biarritz in September 1956.
For the record, it was the Americans Dick Zanuck and Peter Viertel – in the region to make a film based on the Hemingway novel The Sun Also Rises – who, noticing that the waves of the Grande Plage were somewhat reminiscent of the Californian swell, imported a surfboard to France for the first time.
Barely six months later, a few locals – the surfers of the future – had made their own boards, and the Journal de Biarritz published its first article on surfing on 11 September 1957.
Surfing at Biscarosse Plage, LandesHowever, the Aquitaine spots (surfing sites) are not limited to the Basque Country. The beaches of the Médoc (Soulac, Carcans Océan,) and the Landes (Biscarrosse, Moliets and Mimizan) are also popular among surf-lovers – beginners or experts.
The Fédération Française de Surf, founded in Biarritz in 1964, moved to Hossegor in 1984, and there are now clubs and schools in all the seaside resorts of the Côte d’Argent.
Similarly, you can find national and international competitions on the sandy beaches of Lacanau in Gironde (Lacanau Pro), Hossegor in the Landes (Rip Curl Pro Women and Men) or Anglet in the Pyrénées Atlantiques (O’Neill Surf Challenge).
These competitions which attract the international surfing tribe are also an opportunity to see how surfing has become a traditional Aquitaine sport in its own right, with its clothing (the Oxbow brand was born in Gironde in 1985), its folklore, its celebrations…
Nautical sports
Windsurfing in Carcans, Landes
With the wind in your sails!
On a boat, a sailboard or a sand-yacht, Aquitaine will fill your sails with wind.
One of the assets of the region in terms of nautical leisure is that as well as the ocean, it has nine lakes with their peaceful waters and their light breeze. Ideal for learning how to handle a boat, a catamaran or a sailboard, in full safety.
This sort of activity is also practised on the ocean, but this is above all the kingdom of pleasure boating. There is a vast array of sailing schools – did you know that you can pass your coastal sailing licence in a weekend? – and the ports with their variety of charms are home to yachts and the like all year round.
For professionals, high-level competitions are regularly held in the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the Bay of Arcachon, and on Biscarrosse and Hourtin lakes. Here you can taste the atmosphere of regattas and visit the surrounding heritage, including the culinary heritage of the many restaurants!
To enjoy the ocean air without any risk of getting seasick, try sand-yachting or speed sailing, the more extreme version. The beaches of the Médoc and the Landes, with their long stretches of sand, are ideal for long straights and wide curves, with your hair flying in the wind.
> The boating harbours:
Kite surfing
But also… kite surfing, jet ski, canoeing and kayaking…
The nautical sports offering is not confined to the two leading activities of surfing and sailing. Their variations such as kite surfing (towed by a giant kite) or hydrofoil (a sort of flying trimaran) are highly popular in Aquitaine among enthusiasts of the extreme and of the latest trends.
The more traditional activities of water-skiing, jet ski and diving also offer initiation or expert training courses, clubs and competitions.
Rowing boats, canoes and kayaks do not only row down rivers – they are popular ocean sports too. There is even a Hawaiian version of sea canoeing, called outrigger-canoeing.
Coastal cycling tracks
Cycling track in Aquitaine
Pedal your way down the coast
Did you know that the long, beautiful Atlantic coastline can be travelled from one end to the other by bike? Aquitaine offers a network of cycling tracks in an exceptional natural environment.
Between the sandy beaches and the pine forest, in the milder weather of spring and autumn or under the hot summer sun, go for a day-long ride or a longer outing and discover the natural and cultural riches of the Aquitaine coastline.
Starting at the Pointe de Grave, 141 km of cycling tracks run south down the Médoc coast, giving you glimpses of the wildlife around the lakes or the chance to watch a surfing demonstration in Lacanau.
Cycling on the beachWhen you get to Cap-Ferret, you can cycle round the Bay of Arcachon (70 kilometres) through the pine trees, along the former tree-tappers’ trails. The ornithological park of Le Teich and the oyster-farming shacks will certainly attract your attention.
Heading further south, you will go through the Landes with 154 km of cycling tracks, once again running past the ocean, wild lakes and sandy beaches. Visit the charming villages or rest your legs by paddling in the water…
Cycling tracks: practical info
There are plenty of companies hiring our bicycles, mountain bikes or even tandems. There are also many campsites, chambres d’hôtes and hotels. The tourist offices will give you all the information you require for your trip.
It is also worth knowing that the SNCF proposes a train + bike ticket. Your bike goes free or at a small charge depending on the train (TGV, Corail or TER), and is either dismantled or travels as it is: find out more in the train stations.
Here we have only mentioned the coastal cycling tracks, but there are also plenty further inland, not forgetting the roads with very little traffic and the “green routes” offering a whole cycling network in the region.
For cycling enthusiasts, Aquitaine really is the place to be!
The naturism
Naturist Aquitaine
One of the “lifestyle” aspects of Aquitaine is the nude lifestyle!
The clement oceanic climate is almost certainly one of the reasons behind the set-up of naturist sites along the 250 km of Atlantic coastline in Aquitaine. Out of the one and a half million people who practise naturism in France, 30% come to Aquitaine. Added to this are the foreign naturists, who account for 52% of holidaymakers in the centres and campsites.
Wide-open spaces, pine trees to shelter from the hot sun, long sandy beaches… This is the site chosen by the Centre Hélio Marin (CHM) in Montalivet, in the Médoc. France’s oldest naturist holiday centre (founded in 1949), it is also the biggest in Europe.
Arnaouchot, naturism, Landes
Each holiday centre has its own specific features: Euronat is the only one to offer naturist thalassotherapy; La Jenny has a 10-hectare golf course; and Arnaoutchot, a whole village with shops, restaurants, cinema and discotheque, offers a wide range of leisure activities.
And since a healthy mind is at its best in a healthy body, there are plenty of activities to do. Canoeing, horse-riding, cycling, archery, artistic events…
And of course there is the surrounding heritage to visit: fortified towns and villages of charm, vineyards, museums, prehistoric sites, châteaux and crafts centres…
It is worth pointing out that “green” naturism is growing fast in popularity. In the Dordogne – for enthusiasts of prehistory – or in the Lot-et-Garonne, the air is mild in the wooded valleys with their rivers and streams. They offer the space and quiet that families – but not only families – are looking for on their holidays.
Family, naturist beach
Accreditations, authorised beaches… How to find your way around
If you don’t know the region well – or naturism in general – official associations are there to help you.
Not all the naturist sites, clubs or holiday centres are members of the Fédération Française de Naturisme (FFN). However, the label this organisation issues is a guarantee of compliance with a number of rules covering ethics, hygiene and comfort.
The holiday centres that are partners of the FFN are all part of the Maison de la France naturist club, but this organisation also lists others in its brochure, notably in the Périgord region.
Even wider is the selection put forward by La vie au soleil, the emblematic journal of naturism in France, with 13 naturist centres in Aquitaine.
There are different types of beaches for naturism – official naturist beaches with supervised swimming areas , those where naturism is allowed by official decree, and those where the practice of nudism has been known to occur.
Thalassotherapy
Blanco, thalassotherapy centre
The soothing waters
"On a privileged marine site, thalassotherapy is the combined use, under medical supervision and with a curative or preventive purpose, of the benefits of the marine environment, including the marine climate, seawater, marine mud, seaweed, sand and other substances extracted from the sea."
Although the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used mud baths, the benefits of the sea were somewhat neglected in France until the 19th century. The term thalassotherapy was born in 1867, composed of Greek words by Doctor de la Bonnardière, in Arcachon, one of Aquitaine’s famous seaside resorts.
Initially, thalassotherapy was practised for strictly medical purposes, for example for functional rehabilitation. Today, although thalassotherapy is still prescribed by doctors, it is also a cure used simply to relax the body rather than to treat it. In the range of programmes on offer, there is something for everyone – men, women, young mothers, senior citizens…
Atlanthal thalassotherapy center
Height centres for your relaxation
Art de vivre and relaxation… these are qualities of life in Aquitaine, to which can be added the sea air. From Arcachon in the north to Hendaye in the south and taking in Anglet, Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz on the way, without forgetting the naturist thalassotherapy centre at Euronat, height establishments will welcome you all year round in the mild Aquitaine climate.
A mountain for all seasons
Aquitaine is certainly a region spoilt for choice! Not only does it have the Atlantic Ocean with its mild weather, fabulous heritage (Lascaux cave, etc.) and endless gourmet delights (vineyards making fine wines…), but it is also bordered to the south by a vast range of mountains: the Pyrenees.
Pyrenees mountains in all seasons
The Pyrenees: one of the jewels of Aquitaine
From the Rhune in the west of the Basque Country, at 900 m the first and lowest of all the summits, to the Col du Pourtalet south of Pau at the foot of the Pic d’Ossau (2884 m), the Pyrenees in Aquitaine stretch over more than 110 kilometres.
As the bird flies, that is. Because if you go via the ridges along the Spanish border, or through the winding valleys of Béarn and the Basque Country, the distances are obviously much longer!
These valleys are worlds in themselves waiting to be discovered. Heading east from the ocean, first of all there are the many valleys of the French Basque Country. Next come the three valleys of Béarn: Barétous, Aspe and Ossau, at the gateway to the Pyrenees National Park .
Hiking in the mountains, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
The colours of relaxation
White, green, blue and yellow – the Pyrenees boast all the colours of relaxation and a whole host of activities to go with them.
White from November to April at the ski resorts which are constantly improving their facilities to provide winter sports with something for everyone.
Green, yellow, ochre or grey, the Pyrenees change shade between spring and autumn, on the high-altitude plateaux or the stony slopes. With their protected flora and fauna, they are ideal for walks and hikes.
Blue in the lakes and rapids much loved by fishermen and white-water sports enthusiasts. Blue skies too, for fans of paragliding or hang-gliding…Winter sports
Snowboard, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Winter sports in the Pyrenees, from snowboarding to snowshoes
Sun-cream, warm clothing, sunglasses… These are some of the items you will need when you come to one of the winter sports resorts in Aquitaine, where snow and sun combine to give you pleasurable holidays, superlative landscapes to look at, and wonderful memories to take away.
There is something for every taste and every level – cross-country skiers, snowboarders, beginners or experts, not to forget hikers or luge fans.
Around three hours from Bordeaux or Toulouse, and sixty kilometres from the train station and airport of Pau, the villages of La Pierre Saint Martin and Gourette have respectively 20 and 25 "Pyrenean" ski-slopes and cross-country ski routes set in grandiose landscapes at altitudes of up to 2450 metres!
Downhill skiing, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
To offer an even better welcome, these resorts are constantly modernising their facilities, starting with snow guns and removable chair lifts. La Pierre Saint Martin proposes skiing for the handicapped, and Gourette extended its beginners area in 2005. And to wind down after all that effort, the spa resort of Eaux-Bonnes is only 8 km away…
Iraty, Issarbe and Le Somport in the Pyrenees National Park, meanwhile, invite you to make the most of nature in winter with hikes on foot, on snowshoes or even in dog-drawn sleds, through the forests and snow fields.
On terra firma… Hikes
Pyrenean mountain, Pic du midi
Hiking in the Pyrenees
In the Pyrénées Atlantiques, the variety of different mountains means that hikers of all levels can enjoy a walk.
Whether you opt for a day-long walk or a more extensive circuit, you will see the same splendid views and feel the same desire to discover the local life and the same pleasure of entering into communion with nature.
There are of course the signposted routes, including the famous GR10 long-distance footpath which runs across the Pyrenees from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. There are also the pilgrims’ roads to Compostella – the four main routes converge in the region. And there are a thousand more walking routes that the tourist offices can tell you about.
With your guidebook and map in your rucksack, breathe in the pure air of the wide-open spaces. Protected nature and charming villages with their ancestral traditions provide an ideal setting for picnics with the local ewe’s cheese and salted meats.
The exceptional sites (Soule canyons; Europe’s biggest lapies* on the Pic d’Anie; the vertiginous chemin de la mâture near the Fort du Portalet…) will be vying for your attention with the woodchucks, izards, birds of prey and other rare species.
Hiking in the Pyrenees
Different types of outings…
… depending on the season and your whim. For cyclists there are plenty of cycling tracks and signposted trails and for the more sports-minded, there are tougher courses.
For horse-lovers there are outings on pottoks (a species of Basque pony), a circuit in a horse-drawn carriage, or simply a horseback ride …
Or wearing snowshoes during the winter season.
White water… from fishing to kayaking
Fishermen in the mountains
The Pyrenees: an enchanting natural environment!
The pure fresh water that descends from the Pyrenean peaks is a remarkable breeding ground for pike, carp, minnow and black-bass. But the Basque “nives” and the Béarn “gaves” are above all the kingdom of the fario – the wild trout. It goes without saying that they are also highly popular among fishermen!
You will certainly need to feel at home in water if you want to try your hand at hydrospeed, the water sport which puts you in direct contact with the rapids…
Canoeing-kayaking in the PyreneesSlightly calmer – at least in certain waterways and in certain seasons –canoeing (single), kayaking (double) or rafting (inflatable rafts from 2 to 12 places) also offer a great variety of sensations and landscapes.
A special mention for the international kayak champions who have trained at the Club Universitaire Palois Eaux Vives (CUPEV): Fabien Lefevre, Patrice and Tony Estanguet, Marianne Agulon, etc.
If you can’t choose between swimming and climbing, then canyoning is perfect for you, as it combines rappelling and leaps into the natural lakes. The beautiful turquoise hues of the water will encourage you to take the plunge …
It hardly needs saying that all these activities take place in an enchanting natural environment. The otters, beavers, kingfishers and ospreys will all attest to this natural beauty.
Gliding through the air
Paragliding in the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees seen from the sky
Run across a mountaintop, see the edge approaching and leap into the air! This breathtaking experience is one you will want to try again as soon as possible, to enjoy that ecstatic sensation and admire the wonderful views.
This is another way of contemplating the mountains of the Basque Country and Béarn, a different way of getting close to the birds of the Pyrenees and, of course, a way of experiencing thrilling sensations.
The French “Vol Libre” Federation includes four disciplines: paragliding, hang-gliding, kite-flying and kite-surf. Its site will give you all the information you require.
This federation accredits three schools, five clubs and 13 sites, in the Pyrénées Atlantiques, naturally, but also in the other départements of Aquitaine. The Dune du Pyla, for example, is the starting point for paragliding flights over the Bay of Arcachon.
Paragliding in Bedous, Pyrénées-AtlantiquesThere is no hang-gliding school as such in the Pyrénées Atlantiques, but the other clubs and schools organise maiden flights or training days with a state-qualified instructor. Give them a ring and they will provide you with all the necessary dates and information.
The Pyrenees National Park
Pyrenees National Park
The kingdom of untamed nature…
Here we enter a protected world with spectacular landscapes, a kingdom of untamed nature and a place where you can find all the plant life of the Pyrenees as well as more than 70 species of animals.
Woodchucks thrive in the Pyrenees. Izards were threatened with extinction in the 1950s; there are now more than 5,000 of them. The last French bears have found their ultimate refuge.
Along with northern Spain, the Pyrenees are the sole place where an unusual animal lives: the desman. With the body of a mole and a long, trunk-like nose and webbed feet, it lives on the banks of mountain streams at an altitude of up to 2200 metres, and feeds on insect larvae and small shellfish.
In the Pyrenees National Park, there is the same concern for the protection of plant-life.
Basque mountain landscape, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
The broad-leafed cardamine flourishes in the yew and fir forests between 900 and 1800 metres; a little higher up (1800 to 2400 metres) you will find mugho pine scattered with deep purple Pyrenean irises and rhododendrons. On the higher snow-capped peaks plant life is scarcer, with only a few small willows, lichens and algae.
The Pyrenees National Park
… and those who love it
The Pyrenees National Park is also, of course, a haven for lovers of wide-open spaces, people who want to discover, observe or contemplate this exceptional natural heritage.
Rangers responsible for running the park on a daily basis, observing and listing the fauna and flora, receive the public and provide commentaries for the exhibitions at the Maisons du Parc in Etsaut and Laruns. They also act as guides on certain hikes.
Ayous Lake, Pyrénées-AtlantiquesWalking is indeed the best way of seeing these fantastic sites, cirques, cliffs, gorges, and lakes… Access to the central zone of the park is prohibited for vehicles.
However, there is another way of seeing the Pyrenean views: climb aboard the little train of Artouste. From the peak of La Sagette, it takes you on a 10-kilometre ride at an altitude of 2000 metres to the shores of the Lake of Artouste. Sublime.
Created in 1963, the Pyrenees National Park is one of the seven French national parks. Its central zone of 457 km2 is subject to particular protection, but the peripheral zone - 2063 km2, 86 villages and 40,000 inhabitants – also falls under its responsibility as regards local life.
It is in this peripheral zone that you will find the Ossau Nature Reserve, whose name is synonymous for many people with the flavour of its ewe’s cheese. You can visit vulture cliff, the Arudy Museum, or the Borce animal centre in the Aspe Valley. Without forgetting, of course, the wide range of mountain activities: pony riding, mountain biking, fishing, tree climbing…
Protected nature
Aquitaine, France’s third-biggest region, has a multitude of protected natural zones and offers a great variety of sites dedicated to green tourism.
Fontirou, cave in Lot et Garonne
Aquitaine at its natural best
Starting with… the ocean blue! The Atlantic runs for 250 km along the western side of Aquitaine, with endless beaches of fine sand.
Surfers, cyclists, enthusiasts of thalassotherapy and ornithology can all enjoy the sea air in all seasons. The MIACA (an inter-ministerial commission for the development of the Atlantic coastline) has protected this area since 1967.
Heading east from the ocean, you cross the immense pine forest running from the Medoc down to the Landes and the Basque Country, covering a triangle of land 150 km wide and 200 km long.
It is in this area that lies the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park, and in it, the Maison de la Nature of the Bay of Arcachon (including Le Teich Ornithological Park), the three sites of the Ecomuseum in Marquèze, Moustey and Luxey, and a large number of nature reserves.
Educational workshops, rides along the cycling tracks or sailing on the natural lakes are all good ways of discovering this area’s many riches.
Another big “green” area is the Dordogne forestland. In the north of this département, Green Périgord is home to the Aquitaine section of the Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park.
Here you will find a multitude of tree species, including oak, the preferred home of the famous Périgord truffles. Prehistoric Man probably enjoyed this delicacy 400,000 years ago…
Much further south, don your snowshoes and climb the peaks of the Pyrenees. This is the realm of hiking, fishing and winter sports. Certain plant and animal species often find their last refuge in the Pyrenees National Park.
Aquitaine, protected nature
Mountains are of course the place where water starts to flow… Torrents - ideal for fishing and white-water sports – which then become rivers and canals. A whole network of inland waterways provide an invitation for barge trips.
In both the Pyrenees and the Périgord area, natural caves display the underground riches of Aquitaine.
Lastly, we should not forget the presence all over Aquitaine of parks and gardens, both contemporary and traditional.
So many sites to discover; so many ways of visiting the beautiful region of Aquitaine.
The Aquitaine Countryside
“To be experienced and shared”
Reception with (Bienvenue à la ferme) logo
Delightful colours and encounters at a country market, the smiling welcome of the women and men who receive you at their farm, the delicious smells of homemade produce to be tasted or taken away, the charms of an excursion alongside a river by bike or on foot...
The Aquitaine Countryside offers truly intense moments to be shared with those who live there!
http://campagne.tourisme-aquitaine.fr
Take a break with full peace of mind
Room in a rural gîteThe holiday rentals and guest rooms in the country must meet the specifications of a quality charter, along with strict criteria. As well as comfortable accommodation, the welcome is warm and personalised. A welcome to the inhabitant’s home by the inhabitant is one of the guarantees of authentic tourism.
Opting to stay on a farm is also a decision to meet a producer, animal breeder or winemaker. If guests so request, the farmer will show them the environment and products of the farm.
Regional Nature Parks, reserves and protected sites
Green tourism for all
Aquitaine is a particularly attractive region for eco-tourism. Many natural zones prosper here – regional nature parks, reserves, sensitive sites and of course the Pyrenees National Park.
Les Aldudes, Pyrenees
Green tourism for all, because although these places are well protected, they are nonetheless open to the public. And there is no need to be a scientist to enjoy them, as there are plenty of educational trails and guided tours.
Le Teich ornithological park, Gironde
The two Regional Nature Parks in Aquitaine
For both the park in the Landes de Gascogne and the one in Périgord-Limousin, the objective is to give as many people as possible access to this natural and cultural heritage.
Conservation means vitality. The parks encourage actions in favour of the local economy as well as innovations and experiments, with a constant concern for the natural balance of the parks.
The two parks propose varied activities: cycling tracks, walking or horse-riding trails, canoeing, guided tours, educational workshops, seminars …
They are distinguished by their geographical locations, displaying differences in terms of geology, plant life, culture, and architecture.
The Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park begins a few miles southwest of Bordeaux, takes in part of the Bay of Arcachon, then heads south to the Landes area.
A huge eco-museum divided into three sites recounts the history and traditions of the “Grande Lande” and its inhabitants…
Traditional event at the Marquèze eco-museumAt Marquèze, you will plunge into the daily life of 19th-century rural society and discover an “airial" (authentic Landes "quarter") aboard a train with carriages which are listed as historic monuments. At Luxey, visit the last operational tapping factory (collection of resin from the trees). Lastly, at Garein with the "Graine de forêt" area and its interactive discovery trail, take a trip into the world of Europe's largest forest.
In the Dordogne, around Nontron and Brantôme in the heart of Green Périgord, the Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park is a land of springs and chestnut trees, an area devoted to livestock rearing, crop farming and traditional wood work.
Near Jumilhac, there is even a goldmine which produced up to two tonnes of gold a year! You can enjoy an introduction to gold-washing in the nearby rivers…
Regional Nature Parks, reserves and protected sites
Marshland
A whole host of nature reserves and protected natural sites
How can we present this particular heritage?
Geographically, it runs from the Peat Bogs* of Vendoire in Périgord in northern Aquitaine to Domaine d’Abbadia in Hendaye, just before the Spanish border.
The best-known site internationally must be either Domaine d’Arjuzanx, France’s biggest hibernation site for common cranes, or the Dune du Pilat, a giant sand dune 104 metres high overlooking the Bay of Arcachon.
But perhaps more out-of-the-way sites are worthier of your attention?
Pilat Dune, Gironde
In that case, try the Marais de Bruges natural reserve near Bordeaux, the Courant d’Huchet and its gallery-forest and the Etang Noir with its prehistoric look, both in the Landes, or the pottok reserve (the word means “little horse” in Basque, and is pronounced potiok) in the Basque Country.
But you should also know about Vulture Cliff in Ossau Valley, the Arguin Sandbank with 1000 hectares of land and sand modelled by the tides of the Bay of Arcachon, and the spawning ground for shad, the region’s emblematic fish, near Agen…
And so on, all over Aquitaine, not to mention the caves and gardens, two other natural riches of the region…
Rivers and canals of the Midi
Roque Gageac, panoramic view, Dordogne
Boating without a licence: relaxation guaranteed!
Rivers and canals of the Midi –this is an association of three regions with the aim of maintaining and promoting the 800 km of inland waterways in South West France: a whole network linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
Built in the 17th century, the Canal du Midi – leading to the Mediterranean - was joined in the 19th century by the canal running alongside the Garonne River - today called the Canal de Garonne, leading to the Atlantic – at a time when river traffic for the transport of goods was very busy.
Nowadays barges loaded with foodstuffs are rare and have been replaced by river tourism with boats that do not require a licence, breathing new life into these waterways.
Nérac, village, Lot-et-GaronneTake the time to discover the landscapes as you sail along, stop off in a village and visit the area by bike, meet the craftsmen who work there, do some shopping for dinner, or choose an interesting restaurant… Boat trips in the peace and quiet and beauty of protected nature.
The charms of a river holiday are as varied as you want them to be. The types of boat trips themselves are manifold: an outing for a few hours, a longer trip for a few days in full freedom, or a barge-hotel for a river cruise.
Whether it is for a weekend or a week, the Canal de Garonne and the Lot and Baïse Rivers offer a network of 197 km of navigable waterways with restored riverbanks, modernised locks, and specially developed mooring points.
Oh, the charm of those picturesque riverbanks …
Natural caves
Proumeyssac, descent in a pod, Dordogne
The beauty of underground Aquitaine
Visit Aquitaine underground … yes, it’s possible! Wherever you go, there will always be an underground curiosity not far away.
There are more than ten natural caves in Aquitaine. Also known as crystalline caves, they are distinguishable from parietal caves by their production of concretions, columns, stalagmites and stalactites thousands of years old.
Natural masterpieces of stone, these crystal cathedrals offer an astonishing account of the passage of time. The speed of growth of certain concretions is estimated at less than 5 centimetres per century. When you consider this fact, it makes you look at the gigantic columns slightly differently…
Without attempting to be exhaustive, here are a few natural caves not to be missed.
Dordogne: grotte de Domme, grotte de Villars, grotte du
Grand Roc, grotte de Carpe Diem,
gouffre de Proumeyssac
Gironde: grotte Célestine
Lot et Garonne: grotte de Fontirou, grotte de Lestournelle
Pyrénées Atlantiques: grotte d’Isturitz-Oxocelhaya, grotte de Sare,
grotte de Lestelle-Bétharram
the Acropolis of Black Perigord
One of them hides beneath one of the Dordogne’s most beautiful villages. The Domme cave, nicknamed the “Acropolis of Black Périgord ”, is accessible from the old marketplace of this magnificent town.
Another boasts engravings of reindeer on a stalagmite pillar, giving an indication of the era when the cave was inhabited by Man - between 80000 and 15000 BC. You only need look at its name to see it is to be found in the Basque Country: Isturitz-Oxocelhaya.
Isturitz, natural cave, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
In the Pyrenees area again, only this time in Béarn, you will find the caves of Lestelle-Bétharram, unique in Europe since they are the only “living” site. The River Moustère continues its work on them. The 28 km can be visited on foot, by boat and on a train.
Finally, a mention for the cave most recently opened to the public: the Grotte Célestine in Rauzan, in the Entre-deux-Mers (Gironde). You can discover speleology during a 45–minute visit. Instructive and entertaining.
Parks and gardens
Château Marqueyssac, Dordogne
Aquitaine through its gardens
When the beauty of nature is combined with the expertise of Man … Aquitaine gardens become an open-air theatre of the everyday and the extraordinary, a place for walks, discoveries, encounters … life, quite simply.
There are 55 parks and gardens protected as historic monuments; 16 are listed and 21 bear the ‘Jardin Remarquable’ label awarded by the Ministry of Culture.
Italian, English, Medieval, botanical, “nymphées”*, terraces, bamboo gardens… there is a whole host of floral beauties and masterpieces of plant architecture.
There are also various entertaining events: painting competition, falconry demonstration, box-tree pruning workshop, a gardening books fair … Gardeners instruct the public and relate their experience in guided tours.
La Tour Marliac, water lily, Lot-et-Garonne
A few ideas…
Classical, with their 18th-century lines, are the gardens of the Eyrignac Manor House, not far from Sarlat. Its 40 km of hedges made up of hornbeams, yews and box-trees are pruned by hand and have been protected for 22 generations by the family that owns the estate.
Panoramic, the hanging gardens of Marqueyssac offer a twofold delight of beautiful greenery and sublime views over the Dordogne River, the castles and the surrounding villages.
“Taste the light, breathe in the colours, and caress the aromas: you are in the gardens of the imaginary”. It was in Terrasson-Lavilledieu, in Black Périgord, that this contemporary garden opened in 1997. It is composed of 13 themed areas and is a real paradise lost.
Even more recent are the botanical gardens of Bordeaux-Bastide, giving the historical botanical gardens of the Jardin Public a chance to grow and strollers a chance to discover the plant world. A perfect opportunity to step out of the city and out of time.
In the Landes area, Sarrat Park in Dax or the gardens of Château de Gaujacq and its nursery are both great ideas for walks.
In the Lot-et-Garonne area in Temple sur Lot, the 200 varieties of water lilies in the Latour-Marliac gardens supplied the house of Claude Monet in Giverny. NB: visits are only possible during the flowering season, from May to September. The "Roseraie Cocar" and its 8,000 rosebushes is also well worth a visit.
Finally, if you are staying close to the spa resort of Cambo-les-Bains in the Basque Country, there is the Villa Arnaga and its gardens, imagined by the author of Cyrano.
Prehistory and Antiquity
Aquitaine, the cradle of humanity
The earliest men left marvellous testimony to their presence here in Aquitaine and the region is certainly the richest in France for prehistory.
The most magnificent vestiges of the Palaeolithic era in France, if not in Europe, are concentrated along the Vézère valley in Perigord, also known as the "Valley of Mankind" and included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Roque Saint Christophe, Dordogne
400,000 years of human presence can be seen at around thirty sites that are as varied as they are close to each other. The Lascaux cave springs to mind first, of course, known as the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistory” for its exceptional polychrome paintings.
Although less famous, the site of La-Roque-Saint-Christophe with its cliff dwellings towering high above the waters of the Vézère, is nonetheless most impressive. And just a few metres from there is Le Moustier, where the bones of a Neanderthal man were discovered…
A fascinating world, especially for children who can choose from a selection of introductory workshops: wall paintings at Le Thot, near Lascaux , but also activities at the Garden of the Lady of Brassempouy, or cutting flints at the cave of Oxocelhaya.
Scultpure, Le Thot, Dordogne
The treasures of prehistory
Because the Dordogne is not the only département in Aquitaine to boast prehistoric treasures. In Gironde, the cave of Pair-non-Pair is entirely covered with horses, ibex and mammoths… In Chalosse, in the south of the Landes, the Lady of Brassempouy – the first sculpture of a human face dating back some 22,000 years– and other ivory sculptures are works of art like no other… In the Basque Country, near Hasparren, the cave of Isturitz was inhabited no less than 55,000 years ago…
As well as this profusion of sites, Aquitaine is home to the National Prehistory Museum, in Les Eyzies de Tayac-Sireuil in the Dordogne. Housed since July 2004 in a building signed by architect Jean-Pierre Buffi, it presents a collection of 18,000 items presented with the benefit of all the latest techniques. An enthralling visit for young and old alike.
Religious heritage
The first Bishop’s seat in the region dates back to the year 314, in the city of Bordeaux. While most of the religious architecture in Aquitaine is of Christian inspiration, there are also traces of more distant influences. There are, for example, details of sarcophagi found in Bordeaux that have been attributed to Syrian artists.
Monolithic church in St Emilion, Gironde
Religious architecture
Famous as the pilgrimage to Compostella might be, there is much more to the religious heritage of Aquitaine than that. Many abbeys were founded away from the pilgrims’ routes, such as the Augustinian Monastery and the Monolithic Church in Saint Emilion, the latter being quite unique in Europe in terms of its size.
And there are treasures well worth seeing in every corner of the region: the wooden roof structure of the Church of Monein, with its sound and light shows; the Church of Sainte Engrâce, for its view across the Pyrenean valley of Le Saison; the Church of Le Moulleau, on the Bay of Arcachon, for its South-American tower; the painted churches in Casseneuil and Pujols in the Lot-et-Garonne… And what can we say about the Church of Saint-Jean-de-Luz where a door was knocked through the wall specially for the entrance of King Louis XIV and his future wife Maria-Theresa of Spain!
Finally, we should not forget that Aquitaine also played its role in the Papal City of Avignon. Our region saw the birth of two future Popes! First Clement V – born Betrand de Got in Villandraut – elected in Rome in 1305 and buried in Uzeste in 1314. And his immediate successor Jean XXII, born in Cahors at a time when the town was part of Aquitaine.
The pilgrims’ routes to Compostella
Parvis de Périgueux, Dordogne
The pilgrims’ routes through Aquitaine to Compostella
Aquitaine has always been a crossing point between north and south. Born in the 9th century, the pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostle Saint James the Greater, in Compostella in Galicia, became very popular in the 11th century.
« At the meeting point of all the different routes to Compostella – amazingly, all the main routes to Compostella come together in the little Basque village of Ostabat to form THE route! – and those on their way to the Holy Land – for whom churches, commanderies and basilicas were built… »
Porte Saint-Jacques in St Jean Pied de Port, Pyrénées-AtlantiquesThe jewels in this heritage, nineteen monuments and a section of the Le Puy Route, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Among these monuments, the Abbey of La Sauve Majeure, the eye-opening Cathedral of Bazas and the Gate of Saint-Jacques in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, just before the border, are a must.
The rich heritage of the pilgrims’ routes extends far beyond these key sites, however. Countless sculptures, gateways or bell towers bear testimony today to these passing visitors from many lands. Not to mention the hospitals, refuges and commanderies built by the different religious orders to house the pilgrims.
Nowadays, people continue to take the pilgrims’ routes to Compostella: four main routes and two secondary itineraries. As well as all the usual stopping places, there is also “Compostella” accredited accommodation along the way offering total immersion in the atmosphere of this spiritual quest…
Castles and fortresses of Aquitaine
Statue of Henri IV, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Childhood memories…
Visit a castle and bring out the child, poet, historian and medium that slumbers inside you…
Lean against the same wall King Henri IV did in times gone by in his castle in Pau, or look out onto the waters of the moat at the Castle of La Brède from the same window as its famous owner Montesquieu, author of L’Esprit des Lois, hundreds of years ago … and let your mind wander back in time!
It sees knights through clouds of dust thrown up by their racing steeds. It pictures the battles raging at the foot of the ramparts, or jousts and deeds of chivalry in the castle courtyard to win the favours of a fair lady…
Blaye Citadel, Gironde
The poet will doubtless be inspired by the view from the Citadel of Blaye, where Garonne and Dordogne together form the Estuary of the Gironde on their way to the Atlantic… The same ocean that breaks against the flanks of the Fort of Socoa, in Ciboure near Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
… and tales of times gone by!
From the heights above the valley of the Dordogne to the foothills of the Pyrenees, from the shaded banks of the estuary to the orchards and hills of Agen, from the stark severity of the Middle Ages to the pretty elegance of the Renaissance, the castles and fortresses of Aquitaine offer an exceptional variety of landscapes, architecture and pages from the history of France.
Aquitaine’s loveliest villages
Limeuil, village in Gironde
Enjoy a stroll around the villages of Aquitaine
Centres of life edified over the centuries, our villages offer an insight into the history, character and daily life of Aquitaine, each in their own very special way. The times are not so far away when horse-drawn carriages used to roll through their streets, and heavily-laden barges moored to unload in their small ports!
It is this past that springs to life as you make your way around their quiet streets and alleyways. Pause a moment to look at an unusual doorway, to chat a while with a local craftsman or to linger over a coffee on a café terrace and soak in the atmosphere... The pleasures of times gone by and those of today.
In the fortified towns of Aquitaine, retrace the combats of the Hundred Years War, the swordfights of the illustrious Musketeers in the villages of Béarn where they were born, or follow in the footsteps of the first pilgrims on their long road to Compostella…
You can also get to know Aquitaine through its winegrowing villages. From Saint Emilion to Jurançon and Buzet, the vine is a familiar feature of the region’s landscapes. Among other possible themes, how about a tour of writers’ homes, or of spa villages… And then the best of all themes: just going wherever takes you fancy!
Lescun, village in the Pyrenees
The “Loveliest Villages of France” label has been awarded to no fewer than thirteen villages in Aquitaine, but a far larger number of them are well worth a visit…
A most attractive heritage to be explored through the seasons with their host of traditional celebrations and festivals.
St Emilion, Gironde
Saint-Emilion, Vianne, Domme, Ainhoa…
Villages of countless charms not to be missed on any account! Here are a few ideas…
From the heights of Saint-Emilion, look down onto the patchwork of vines surrounding the medieval town. The village and its vineyards are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage! Walk down the cobbled alleyways and discover the village’s craftspeople and their marvellous wares, from clothing to decorative items and the delicious local macaroons.
Vianne is the only fortified bastide town in France to bear a woman’s name. Built in 1284 on the banks of the Baïse, it still has its town walls and 4 gates with defence towers. The church also dates back to the 13th century and is as pure an example of Romanesque art as you could wish to see. In summer, the night-time market adds a highly enjoyable facet to the many pleasures of this most hospitable town.
Domme, DordogneThe fortified village of Domme looks down onto the Dordogne, offering a choice viewpoint from which to admire the landscapes of Black Perigord, named after its famous black diamonds - truffles! Knights Templar were once imprisoned in the Porte des Tours and the stone walls still bear the traces of the graffiti they carved there…
Ainhoa is just a stone’s throw from the Spanish border, in the heart of the Basque Country. The wood-frame houses painted in red or green show of their balconies of flowers all the way along the main street. Glass blowers, wood sculptors and other craftspeople make this typical village of the Basque province of Labourd a lively spot all year round.
The fortified towns of Aquitaine
Arcades in the fortified village of Saint-Justin, Landes
Aquitaine and its "bastides"
In the Middle Ages, Aquitaine had as many as 250 fortified bastide towns. These medieval counterparts of today’s new towns (nova bastida) have not all survived the passing years, but of the 315 known in France today, more than one third are in Aquitaine.
Present in all 5 départements of Aquitaine, these towns are the last expression of the huge movement of urban and rural expansion of medieval Europe.
They were built in the 13th and 14th centuries for a number of reasons:
- strong growth of the population,
- the will of their founders to bring scattered populations together in one place,
- a combination of the different economic, financial, political and military interests of the authorities that founded them.
Village square, Monpazier, Dordogne
In those days rich in rivalries, these fortified towns were founded by Counts of Toulouse, Dukes of Aquitaine, Kings of France and Kings of England.
Characteristic architecture
While medieval towns and villages generally evolved gradually over the centuries, these fortified new towns were often built in one go, and to a perpendicular plan with streets laid out at right angles.
Monpazier, DordogneAnd unlike the towns of the earlier Middle Ages built around their church, the bastide towns were laid out around their central square. This was a space for business, where stalls were set up for fairs and markets, and for civil and municipal activities, with the house of the seneschal or governor taking pride of place. The church often stood on one corner of the square.
Seven hundred years later, the fortified towns of Aquitaine are still a hive of activity. Shows, festivals, fairs and night-time markets are held on the squares and under the arcades. People gather there to buy local produce, to meet up with friends or just to enjoy the ever-pleasant atmosphere.
Long live the cities of Aquitaine!
Pont de Pierre bridge, Bordeaux, Gironde
Towns and villages of all sizes
From tiny hamlet to Roman village, from village to parish town, from parish to bustling market town… This is how our cities were born and evolved through different times and cultures.
Périgueux, built by the Romans in the heart of the “Valley of Mankind”; Bordeaux, an abundance of 18th-century architecture and the gateway to the world’s greatest fine wine vineyards; Dax, spa town in the midst of the Landes forests; Agen, capital of the prune, set between its river and its orchards, and last but not least Pau, home to King Henri IV, with its view of the Pyrenees.
With all their heritage proudly on show, our cities really are worth a visit. All sorts of visits…
There are those that lead from one boutique to the next, those made with our faces pointed skywards and camera in hand, those planned carefully on the maps from the Tourist Office and then those guided by taste-buds in search of gourmet pleasures.
Museums, concerts, operas, ballets, bars and cafés, monuments, art galleries… No shortage of activities before heading off for a rest in the greenery of Perigord or on the banks of the great lakes.
From town to town…
In Aquitaine, our route will head from north to south, meandering along the way to take in all the region’s urban pleasures.
>>> See also our feature “The cities of Aquitaine just waiting to be discovered”
Town of Périgeux, DordogneOn the Place Saint-Louis in Périgueux, from November to March, the goose and duck markets present the wonders of this local gourmet tradition. The architectural and cultural heritage of the town is just as interesting, from Saint Front Cathedral to Vesunna Roman Museum…
Town of Sarlat, DordogneAnother town in Perigord, Sarlat-la-Canéda, has been particularly well restored –the streets are even lit by gas at night!! To wander around Sarlat is to step back into the Middle Ages, with shops and art galleries thrown in for good measure.
Place de la Bourse, Bordeaux, GirondeOff westwards next through Bordeaux, known as Burdigala back in Roman times. The port city has preserved its sumptuous town houses perfectly since they were built in the 18th century, and even before… The acoustics of the Grand Théâtre are every bit as impressive as the outside perspectives of the building, newly renovated as part of the work to build the new tram network… On 28 June 2007, the UNESCO committee accepted the Bordeaux candidature and included the city on its World Heritage list.
Town of Mont de Marsan, LandesDown through the Landes to Mont-de-Marsan, the city of three rivers - the Midou and the Douze join there to form the Midouze. This spa town is also a city of flowers and stone, with the Despiau-Wlérick Museum and sculptures on show on its streets and squares.
Town of Pau, Pyrénées-AtlantiquesThen comes Pau, the capital of Béarn and birthplace of King Henri IV in 1553. The castle is worth seeing, as are the Fine Arts Museum and the Boulevard des Pyrénées, offering an ever-changing view onto the nearby mountains.
Town of Bayonne, Pyrénées-AtlantiquesReturning towards the Atlantic Ocean, our route takes us through the pedestrian streets of Bayonne, to taste the local chocolate, stop off and watch a bullfight or buy some Basque linen. The sight of the houses lining the quaysides of the Nive is one not to be missed.
Town of Biarritz, Pyrénées-AtlantiquesOur journey comes to an end in Biarritz: “beach of kings and king of the beaches”. Whalers have given way to surfers now, to photographers and to Latin American authors. The city offers a remarkable variety of festivals, while a host of gourmet delights entice the taste-buds and the sea is always sublime.Towns and villages in bloom
Périgueux, floral town, Dordogne
Flowers… from gardens to balconies
All over the world, flowers are used to welcome people and as a symbol of happiness. In France, towns and villages show how pleased they are to receive visitors through flowers, in streets and on squares, in parks and gardens, and on balconies.
Created in 1959, this competition and accreditation system rewards municipalities (from the smallest village to the largest city) for embellishing their streets and squares with flowers, as well as for protecting their tree heritage.
Since 1996, the judges have also taken account of living conditions, of environmental policy and of the involvement of the population as a whole in planting flowers and in enhancing their environment.
From children at the day-care centre planting a flowerbed through to the senior citizens of the village, everyone takes part. In some municipalities, the locals even take turns to handle the watering when there are not automatic systems!
In Aquitaine, the Comité Régional de Tourisme is charge of organising the competition. The panel of judges, composed of representatives of the “4-flower” municipalities landscape gardeners, tree experts and teachers, also serve as advisors to the participants.
La Test de Buch, Gironde
These towns and villages in bloom offer an opportunity to enjoy a stroll in villages that are always pretty and tidy, and in towns that are cleaner and decorated with thousands of flowers to highlight the beauty of their heritage.
The museums of Aquitaine
Musée Aquitaine, Bordeaux, Gironde
Wide variety
Museums of prehistory, of fine arts and of popular traditions, not to forget eco-museums, there are more than 120 such institutions in the five départements of Aquitaine.
Among these, 2 are National Museums (Prehistory Museum in Les Eyzies and the Museum of the Château de Pau) and 51 are accredited with the “Musée de France” label.
From the most general (Museum of Aquitaine in Bordeaux) to the most specific (Sorges Truffle Eco-Museum), from the most fragile (Samadet Earthenware Museum) to the most liquid (Museum of the Sea in Biarritz) or the most mobile (Automobile Museum of La Réole), there is something for everyone and for all ages in every corner of the region.
And if you have the opportunity to make just a single trip to Aquitaine and can only make a small number of visits, here are the collections that really must not be missed:
National Prehistory Museum in
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac and Vesunna Roman Museum
in Périgueux (Dordogne)
Museum of Aquitaine, Museum of Fine Arts
and the CAPC in Bordeaux (Gironde)
Eco-Museum of La Grande Lande in Sabres
(Landes)
Fine Arts Museum of Agen
(Lot-et-Garonne)
Basque Museum and Bonnat Museum in Bayonne
(Pyrénées Atlantiques)
Fine Arts Museum of Pau and Museum of the Château de Pau,
the Asiatica Museum of Biarritz (Pyrénées Atlantiques)
The museums of Aquitaine
Musée Aquitaine, Bordeaux, Gironde
Wide variety
Museums of prehistory, of fine arts and of popular traditions, not to forget eco-museums, there are more than 120 such institutions in the five départements of Aquitaine.
Among these, 2 are National Museums (Prehistory Museum in Les Eyzies and the Museum of the Château de Pau) and 51 are accredited with the “Musée de France” label.
From the most general (Museum of Aquitaine in Bordeaux) to the most specific (Sorges Truffle Eco-Museum), from the most fragile (Samadet Earthenware Museum) to the most liquid (Museum of the Sea in Biarritz) or the most mobile (Automobile Museum of La Réole), there is something for everyone and for all ages in every corner of the region.
And if you have the opportunity to make just a single trip to Aquitaine and can only make a small number of visits, here are the collections that really must not be missed:
National Prehistory Museum in
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac and Vesunna Roman Museum
in Périgueux (Dordogne)
Museum of Aquitaine, Museum of Fine Arts
and the CAPC in Bordeaux (Gironde)
Eco-Museum of La Grande Lande in Sabres
(Landes)
Fine Arts Museum of Agen
(Lot-et-Garonne)
Basque Museum and Bonnat Museum in Bayonne
(Pyrénées Atlantiques)
Fine Arts Museum of Pau and Museum of the Château de Pau,
the Asiatica Museum of Biarritz (Pyrénées Atlantiques)
An exceptional wine region
One of the fundamental features of Aquitaine is the vine. And this has virtually always been the case: the first vines were planted here in Gallo-Roman times, a grape variety known as biturica in Latin…
Saint-Emilion, Gironde
Aquitaine is one big vineyard
Ever since, vine-growing and the wine culture have ceaselessly fashioned the landscapes, the villages and the lives of the inhabitants.
With 145,000 hectares of vines, 90% of which are Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (Designation of Origin) areas, Aquitaine is the biggest region of fine wines in the world!
Viticulture represents 39% of the region’s farming production, with around 8 million hectolitres of red, rosé and white wine produced each year, making… one billion bottles.
Present in all five départements of Aquitaine, vineyards are fascinating places of discovery.
Gourmet discoveries, of course, via visits with tasting sessions, oenology lessions and recipes based on wine.
Yquem, Gironde
Cultural discoveries, both in certain museums and in Châteaux which have art collections, often related to vines and wine.
Whatever the case, these discoveries are bound to be convivial, from meetings with wine professionals to the many wine-related fêtes.
By following the Wine Routes or simply by following your nose, Aquitaine is a quite exceptional wine destination!
Bordeaux
Bordeaux wine barrels
World-renowned fine wines
With 55 of the 70 Appellations d’Origine Contrôlées (Designations of Origin) in Aquitaine, the Gironde is almost completely covered with vines.
Undulating over the valleys of the Médoc, the Libourne region and the Entre-deux-Mers, vines are a familiar feature of the landscape, as are the carrelets* on the banks of the estuary, where anglers fish for shad, lamprey and white shrimp.
Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Pessac-Léognan, Sauternes… These appellations are well-known, but are also the names of charming, magical villages…
The most famous is probably Saint-Emilion. This medieval citadel is listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, as is its wine area – a unique honour. Not to be missed.
Château Pichon, Bordeaux, Gironde
Châteaux and wine cellars
The term “Château” in this region is specific, and stems from the fact that the big winemaking estates very often had their own castle. Margaux, Pichon Longueville, Yquem, Olivier – a historic monument dating back to the 12th century – and many, many more still embellish the Bordeaux region with their sumptuous architecture.
Other buildings well worth seeing are the wine cellars. Increasingly often open to the public, the estates take particular pride in these premises. The first of its type was the Cos d’Estournel. Built between 1810 and 1830, its pagoda roofs and the door from Zanzibar led to the owner being nicknamed the “Médoc Maharajah”.
Nowadays, the château-owners do not hesitate to mix ancient buildings with modern architecture. In Pauillac, Château Lafite-Rothschild commissioned the Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill to build the new cellar. It has three arena-style levels, a depth of 10 metres, and capacity of 2,200 barrels!
Château Lafite-Rothschild, Gironde
All these sights can be visited by car, but also on horseback or simply on foot. There are plenty of walking trails, guidebooks and service providers to help you. You can even visit the Saint-Emilion wine area in a little train
Bergerac
Street in Bergerac, Dordogne
Purple Perigord
The importance of vines and wine in this south-western part of the Dordogne has even influenced the name given to the area – Purple Périgord .
Here, the appellations are Bergerac, Montravel and Haut-Montravel, Pécharmant, Rosette and Saussignac. It is also the production area of Monbazillac, the famous sweet white wine, a cousin of Sauternes in Bordeaux and Jurançon in Béarn.
The eponymous Château is home to various pieces of ceremonial furniture attesting to the history of Protestantism in the region. You can visit it all year round, and the view from the terrace is superb!
Another historic château is that of Michel de Montaigne. The author of the Essays and Mayor of Bordeaux from 1581 to 1585, he enjoyed looking after his vineyard, which today still produces Bergerac and Montravel wines.
With its half-timbered houses and the very charming banks of the Dordogne River, Bergerac, the capital of Purple Périgord, is well worth a visit.
Vineyard, Dordogne
Also worth seeing is the Maison des Vins de Bergerac, set around the very beautiful Cloître des Recollets. For its instructive wine-tasting visits, it was the winner in the 2005 Best Of Wine Tourism Awards of the “Discovery of the Wine World” category.
Tobacco Museum in Bergerac, DordogneAnother astonishing place and another beautiful building: the Tobacco Museum. Unique in France, it retraces 3000 years of the history of this hugely important activity in the Guyenne of years gone by.
From the riverbanks of Bergerac, how about taking a boat trip on a gabarre (traditional flat-bottomed boat) during which you will hear all about the long history of boats which sailed down the river as far as the Port de la Lune*, loaded with walnuts, truffles and barrels of wine.Lot et Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne plums
Sun-drenched hillsides
Here, vines share the hillsides of Guyenne – a phonic alteration of Aquitaine, dating back to the times of English presence – with plum trees, peach trees and tomato plants.
The spearhead of the Lot et Garonne appellations, Buzet wines are almost totally grouped into one cooperative winery. If you are interested, this winery can be visited all year round, even on Sundays during summer.
“The smallest of all the great wine areas” – this is how Côtes-de-Duras has come to be presented. There is a fabulous Château and an unobstructed view of the Dropt Valley.
Another set of sunny hillsides and another appellation: Côtes-du-Marmandais, with a particular feature: the presence of the Abouriou, a grape variety specific to South West France, and rare today.
To complete this sumptuous heritage there are fortified towns and fortresses, boat trips down the Baïse River or the canal, or horse-riding.
The Landes
Vines in the Landes area
The land of Tursan and Armagnac
Europe’s biggest forest leaves a little bit of space for a few rows of vines…
The Landes area is also the place where Chalosse beef comes from, as well as poultry bearing the famous Label Rouge. Also high-quality crops are grown here, such as kiwi fruit, maize, asparagus. And, of course, wine.
The wines are Vins de Pays from the sand dunes overlooking the ocean and the hillsides of Chalosse and Adour.
A Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieur (Quality Wine PSR), Tursan gets its name from the area where it is grown. The wines are distinctive and easy to drink.
Finally, there is the east of the département of the territory of bas-armagnac, the famous Gascony eau-de-vie.
Right in the heart of the appellation lies the well-named village of La Bastide d’Armagnac. It is well worth a visit, as is Saint-Justin and its Château de Fondat, as well as Aire-sur-l’Adour. At the centre of this latter town, a stopping place for pilgrims on their way along the road to Compostella, Sainte-Quitterie Church, is on the UNESCO list.
Bastide Armagnac, Landes
The flat ground and the shade of the maritime pine trees make the Landes an area ideal for bike rides, while the many mineral sources have given the area a reputation as one of the leading places for spas.
Armagnac, bottles
France's oldest eau-de-vie
It is said that Armagnac is France’s oldest spirit, born of three elements from different cultures: vines from the Romans, pot-stills from the Arabs, and casks from the Celts.
The Armagnac appellation (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée – Designation of Origin) covers three départements. In the Landes there is bas-armagnac, in the Lot-et-Garonne, Ténarèze armagnac and in the Gers, haut-armagnac.
The Eco-museum of La Bastide d’Armagnac in the Landes will tell you everything about the tools used, the grape varieties, and the aromas of prune, quince and vanilla that Armagnac takes on as it ages – and of course you can taste it to see for yourself.
Not far from this charming fortified town, another local curiosity is worth seeing - Notre-Dame de Géou, renamed Notre-Dame des Cyclistes on 18 May 1959. Stained glass, cycling jerseys and rare pieces decorate this 11th-century chapel, which has become a sanctuary dedicated to cycling.
Pot still, ArmagnacOn the way, several estates will welcome you for a visit, notably the Domaine Départemental d’Ognoas, in Arthez-d’Armagnac. Here, the oldest pot-still in Gascony distils 800 hectolitres of wine, to make 150 hectolitres of Armagnac.
This eau-de-vie then ages for 10 to 40 years in oak barrels made on the estate. There is also an experimental farm, La Gaube mill, and the Manoir de Tampouy to complete this showcase of the Landes area.
Armagnac, glass
Floc, the Armagnac liqueur
Lou floc, meaning “bunch of flowers” in Occitan, is a recipe dating back to the 16th century, combining young Armagnac and fresh grape juice.
White or rosé, Floc de Gascogne is drunk chilled as an aperitif and is also used in the composition of famous delicacies such as fresh foie gras, either fried or terrine, lamb, desserts… It adds a delicious ray of sunlight!
Pyrénées Atlantiques
Vines in Jurançon, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Irouléguy, Jurançon, Madiran and Pacherenc de Vic-Bilh
In the Pyrénées Atlantiques too, the winegrowing tradition is ancestral.
In the Basque province of Lower Navarre it was the monks in the 12th century who planted the first vines around the Abbey of Roncevaux and in the priories of Irouléguy – which gave its name to the AOC – and Anhaux.
The best way of seeing the wine area is, for example, to do an outing on the pilgrimage roads to Compostella, going through villages of character such as Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Bidarray or Ostabat.
In the neighbouring Béarn, Navarrenx, Oloron-Sainte-Marie and Salies-de-Béarn are also worth seeing, without forgetting the crafts workshops, the Gourmet Routes, or the golf courses… There is certainly plenty to do!
In Béarn, winegrowers produce… Béarn, Béarn-Bellocq and Jurançon, the wine used to baptise Henri of Navarre, the future King Henri IV. His grandfather wetted his lips with the wine.
Irouleguy, vines, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Vineyards on mountain slopes
The vines planted on natural terraces, and sometimes in cirques, are worth travelling to see since they offer superb views of the famous Pic du Midi d’Ossau.
Equally admirable – although in a different style – are the rows of bottles in the cooperative winery of Jurançon, in Gan. The wall lighting shows off all the nuances of this sweet white wine, from the pale, almost green, yellow through to a deep golden hue.
A little further northeast you will find Madiran and Pacherenc de Vic Bilh. Did you know that the harvesting of this latter wine lasts until 31 December? The wine - dry or sweet - produced from these very ripe grapes is unique.
Equally distinctive is the Madiran, only this time with red wines . The appellation, under threat in the 1950s (there were only 50 hectares left), returned to the fore thanks to the dynamism of the cooperative winery of Crouseilles. The finesse of the tannins and the intensity of the aromas did the rest.
Wine Routes
Jurançon cooperative winery, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Bergerac, Bordeaux and Jurançon
Signposted with their own signs, and with a ‘welcome charter’, here are three Wine Routes in different parts of Aquitaine…
In the Dordogne, Bergerac, the capital of the aptly-named Purple Périgord, is the starting point for four itineraries of between 80 and 150 kilometres. They include around a hundred châteaux which have signed the charter and will show you the different appellations in the area, as well as the local heritage.
In the Gironde, the “Vineyards and Wineries of Bordeaux” group together 496 establishments – estates, trading houses and cooperative wineries – which adhere to a charter ensuring an ever-improving quality of welcome.