Things to Do in Aquitaine, France

Aquitaine is in the bottom South West of France and the landscape is diverse, from white sandy beaches, rolling hills, lakes and vineyards. It is the home of armagnac, truffles, foie-gras and excellent wines such as Medoc and St Emilion.

Food and Drink

The cuisine is as diverse as the region. One of the main staples is goose and duck and forms the basis of many traditional dishes and is famous for fois-gras. With so much coastline it is unsurprising that seafood such as eels, mussels and oysters are popular. The closer you get to Basque country around the Spanish border there is a heavy influence of the more spicy Spanish cuisine. Cheese and truffles are among the many delights that are also on offer. The truffles are found growing wild in the vast stretches of forest along with many varieties of wild mushrooms.

Bordeaux is the world's largest producer of fine wine, the regions include the famous labels: Médoc, Entre-Deux-Mers, Pomerol, Graves and St Emilion. Many vineyards in the area open to the public and offer visitors the chance to sample the produce and buy directly from the producer.

Things to Do

Bordeaux , is the regional capital and lies on the left bank of the River Garonne. There is always activity on the streets, from enjoying the Saturday flea market at Saint Michael’s Cathedral to enjoying the small shops, and sidewalk cafes. There is an 18th century centre and Bordeaux's famous Grand Theatre, Place de Comedie, and the large European square, the Esplanade des Quinconces are popular areas to discover.

One cannot mention Bordeaux and fail to mention the beautiful chateaus and expanse of vineyards as far as the eye can see. These vineyards produce wines of great note, including Graves, St Emilion and Médoc. Names such as Margaux, Rothschild and Petrus are just an indication of the quality you can expect in Aquitaine. Many vineyards in the area open to the public and offer visitors the chance to sample the produce and buy directly from the producer

Aquitaine is bordered along the whole of its west coast by the Atlantic Ocean and has a coastline that spans 250 kilometres. It stretches from the mouth of the Gironde estuary down to the foot of the Pyrenees and the Spanish border at the Pays Basque. It has Europe’s longest stretch of beautiful white sandy beaches and compared to the packed Mediterranean beaches they are often only half full in the summer. With such a coastline water sports and or fishing is obviously popular, and the surf is up around areas such as Biarritz. There is something for everyone at any time of year, from family holidays on the beach to the more active skiing resorts in the Pyrenees.

Places to stay

Use our holiday search form to find a beautiful holiday home.

An example of holiday properties in the Alsace:

Holiday home for rent in the Aquitaine.

Climate

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.

Travel

Flights:

BMI Baby
Birmingham to Bordeaux
Manchester to Bordeaux

British Airways
London Gatwick to Bordeaux

FlyBe
Southampton to Bordeaux
Birmingham to Bergerac
Edinburgh to Bergerac
Exeter to Bergerac
Leeds Bradford to Bergerac
Southampton to Bergerac

Ryan Air
London Stansted to Biarritz

Easy Jet
Luton to Bordeaux

Car:
From Calais To Bordeaux Distance: 537 miles
Travelling Time: 8 hours 46 mins

Rail:

There is no direct route, but you can get a connection from Paris or Lille.
Via Lille, there are 5 trains a day. The journey takes 5 hours on TGV train
Via Paris Gare Montparnasse, there are 20 trains a day. The journey takes 3 – 3.5 hours on the TGV.