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Visit Aquitaine

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. It is a fascinating region of France with a diverse range of environments, from long surfing beaches to medieval villages in deep wooded valleys.

For visitors the region falls into three distinct regions

• the forest backed Atlantic coast of western Aquitaine, best known for the beaches, surfing, and summer fun
• the countryside of the Dordogne / Lot-et-Garonne departments further inland, and the history reflected in the castles and medieval villages set among the verdant countryside
• the foothills of the western Pyrenees, and the numerous typical Basque villages that they contain

Major cities in Aquitaine include Bordeaux, Biarritz and Perigueux.

Aquitaine - Coastline

The beautiful and long Atlantic coastline, and the areas between Arcachon on the coast near Bordeaux, reaching down to Biarritz and on to Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the south near the Spanish frontier, are backed by the enormous forests of the Landes region, and the Dune de Pilat (the largest sand dune in Europe)

This substantial coastline includes many fine, long sandy beaches and resorts including (among others) Lacanau (aka Lacanau Ocean), Arcachon, Biscarosse, Mimizan, Hossegor, Capbreton and Hendaye.

See Atlantic coast and beaches for detail of the coastal towns and resorts of south-west France

Gironde

The capital of Gironde is Bordeaux, a fascinating historical city that has successfuly reinvented itself over the last decade and is now an attractive and interesting destination.

Of special interest as a place to visit halfway between the Dordogne region and Bordeaux is the lovely town of Saint Emilion - famous for wine, but fascinating even if you aren't interested in vineyards!

Selected Gironde highlights: Arcachon : Bordeaux : Lacanau : Saint-Emilion

visit Gironde for more information

Landes

The Landes is best known for its enormous forests planted by Napoleon III in an effort to reclaim the marshes that covered the region at that time, and for the many long sandy beaches and holiday resorts in the department that attract a large number of holidaymakers each year.

Less well known in the Landes, there are a couple of towns of interest when heading inland from Bayonne include Mont-de-Marsan and Dax.

Selected Landes resorts: Biscarrosse : Capbreton : Hossegor : Mimizan 

visit Landes for more information

Pyrenees-Atlantiques

The popular city and resort of Biarritz is in this department, to be visited with nearby Bayonne, and a lttle to the south be sure to visit Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The quiet neighbour to Saint Jean de Luz at Ciboure was once home to Ravel and Matisse - and while in the region be sure to venture across the border into Spain to visit historical Hondarribia.

The town of Pau is also to visit, and the 'most beautiful villages' of Sare and Ainhoa, and also La Bastide-Clairence, are found in the Pyrenees Atlantiques department, a little way inland from Biarritz and St Jean de Luz. Further inland the Basque country continues with more traditional villages such as Espelette and Itxassou.

Other selected highlights: Cambo-les-Bains : Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port : Salies-de-Bearn : Sauveterre-de-Bearn

visit Pyrenees-Atlantiques for more information

Inland Aquitaine - Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne

Inland Aquitaine is best known for the medieval villages and bastide towns, the castles and the small scale agriculture of the region along the Rivers Dordogne and Lot, and some of the finest countryside scenery to be found in France.

Although the central region along the Dordogne river around Sarlat is the most visited part, there is much to discover elsewhere in this attractive region.

See also the dedicated Dordogne site that provided much of the tourist information for the Dordogne section of the Aquitaine travel guide

see Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne for more information