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Aquitaine travel guide
Visit Aquitaine:
Aquitaine Gites
:
Aquitaine
Hotels : car hire :
Guided Tours
:
Aquitaine river cruise
The departments in Aquitaine are: Dordogne, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes, Pyrenees Atlantique. Because the Dordogne region is so popular we have separated it to its own section: see Dordogne (also includes Lot et Garonne).
Aquitaine is found in the south-west corner of France. It reaches Spain at its southern frontier, and the Atlantic Ocean runs along the western edge of the region. The extended Midi-Pyrenees region is found to the east. For visitors the region falls into two distinct regions - the coasts and forest along the western edge, and the Dordogne region further inland. Major cities in the region include Bordeaux, Biarritz and Perigueux.
Aquitaine - Coastline
- The beautiful and long Atlantic coastline, and the areas around Arcachon and Biarritz, backed up by the enormous forests of the Landes region, and the Dune de Pilat (the largest sand dune in Europe). The coastline stretches from Arcachon in the north, on the coast near Bordeaux, to St Jean de Luz in the south near the Spanish frontier, passing many resorts including Mimizan and Soorts-Hossegor. See Atlantic coast and beaches.
The most beautiful villages of Sare and Ainhoa also La-Bastide-Clairence are found in the Pyrenees Atlantiques department, inland from Biarritz and St Jean de Luz. Two other interesting sites inland from the coast are found at nearby Rhune (an important Basque mountain) and at Saint-John-Pied-de-Port.
Bayonne is found slightly inland from Biarritz.
Further inland, in the Pyrenees (but still officially in the Aquitaine region) is Laruns, a common base to begin an exploration of the mountains.
Of special interest halfway between the Dordogne and Bordeaux is the lovely town of Saint Emilion - famous for wine, but fascinating even if you aren't interested in vineyards!
Orthez, with its well known
bridge, is found 40 km north of Pau, a
town with lovely views across to the Pyrenees
See also the holiday ideas section: Holiday in Arcachon and Holiday in St Jean de Luz
See car hire options:
Car Hire in Bergerac;
Car Hire in Biarritz;
Car Hire in Bordeaux;
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Visit Aquitaine - travel information
If you are planning Aquitaine holidays or vacation you will find all you need on the France This Way site, including Aquitaine gites, hotels and car hire:
- Car Hire
Visit the dedicated Dordogne France site that provided much of the material for the Dordogne section of the Aquitaine travel guide.
