Climate
Bountiful Aquitaine - what landscapes, culture and heritage! A generosity that is also hinted at in the diversity of its countryside: the sloping Bordeaux vineyards, the sandy heathland along the coasts of the Basque country, the plateaux of the Périgord.
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 whole year is mild in Aquitaine. The 2,200 sunshine hours per year make the 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.
Food & Drink
As a starter.
After tasting some caviar from the Dordogne or Gironde, how about a few oysters from the Bay or Arcachon? Or perhaps some wafer-thin slices of 12-month matured Bayonne ham with Agen's melon or some lovely fresh foie gras fried with apple?
For your main course.
If you go for the garbure - a thick soup with cabbage, beans, salted meats and goose conserve - you are unlikely to need any other courses at all. Another typical Béarn dish is poule au pot, or chicken stew. In the nearby Basque Country, the obvious choice is a veal axoa or a piperade (both with the local peppers), while a freshly-caught lamprey from the estuary will be just the thing in the Gironde, prepared in the Bordeaux style, of course.
Then on to the cheese.
Pride of place goes to the ewe's cheeses of the Pyrenean valleys of Ossau and Iraty, a long-standing tradition that continues to thrive today. In the Lot-et-Garonne, there is the cabécou goat's cheese, while the Dordogne offers the cheeses of the Trappist Monastery of Echourgnac, a small village nestled in the heart of the Forêt de la Double.
And finally the dessert.
Agen prunes, Landes pastis - a close relation of the apple tourtière of the Lot-et-Garonne - Gateau Basque, of course, and the Bordeaux canelé and bouchon provide the most fitting climax to a meal worthy of the heartiest Gascon.
And of course, the drinks.
As an aperitif, why not try a Lillet Blanc? After that, there are the world-renowned vineyards of Bordeaux, the Lot-et-Garonne with its Buzet and Côtes-de-Duras, the Landes for their Tursan, the Basque Country and its Irouléguy and Béarn for Béarn-Bellocq, Jurançon and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh. And then an Armagnac, of course, to bring it all to a perfect finish with your coffee.
Markets
Quality and atmosphere assured
Markets are always an opportunity to discover and take part in daily village life. and to find delicious seasonal produce.
Markets and fairs have always been a feature of life in our towns and villages For example, would you believe that Saturday has been market day in Dax since 1356. Every Monday in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, livestock and lambs take over the streets at dawn for the weekly market on Place du Trinquet.
The most typical markets of Aquitaine are certainly the duck and goose markets selling the famous foie gras and other products from fattened birds.
Between mid-October and the end of March, they are held all over the region, from Montignac to Orthez, Monségur to Villeneuve-sur-Lot and Aire-sur-l'Adour to Périgueux.
Among the specialities of Aquitaine, we should mention the truffle markets - the black diamonds of Perigord. They are held in the winter season in a large number of villages in the Dordogne.
Alongside these exceptional items, there are all the products of farms, market gardens and the nearby ocean bringing colour to market stalls, festivals and fairs over the course of the year.
Bazas beef has its special festival on the Thursday before Shrove Tuesday, Pauillac lamb at the end of May, shad from the region's rivers on the last weekend in June, Espelette chilli peppers in October and so on all year round!
To wash down these different delights, every corner of Aquitaine has its wines from its local vineyards. Or you can enjoy it all in some of our good restaurants and learn how to prepare it at cookery lessons.
Beautiful cities & places of interest in Aquitaine
Agen
Administrative centre of the Lot-et-Garonne and the capital of prune production, Agen is a delightful town for a stroll thanks to its winding streets lined with arches.
Arcachon
Fishing village in the 16th century, before becoming a favourite of the European aristocracy and a renowned seaside resort from the 19th century onwards, Arcachon is also one of the Europe's largest oyster-farming centres.
Bayonne
On the border between the Landes and the Basque Country, at the confluence of the Adour and Nive rivers, Bayonne is a historical town with a long port tradition.
Bergerac
The region of Bergerac, often called "Gateway to the Perigord", offers a superb choice of attractions or places of interest, many of which are distinctive of this typical part of the South West.
Biarritz
Biarritz was initially a small whale-fishing port before becoming the most famous seaside resort on the Basque Coast, thanks to the visits of Eugénie de Montijo, future wife of Emperor Napoleon III, and, more recently, the capital of surfing.
Bordeaux
Famous for its busy port which brought prosperity thanks to wine and trading with French overseas colonies, Bordeaux had its "Golden Age" in the 18th century, when its prestigious Intendants transformed the city, giving it the face it still has today. Its architectural heritage is not only remarkably unified, it has also been perfectly preserved.
Dax
The Number 1 spa town in France, Dax was already renowned in Roman times for the quality of its warm waters and its mud baths, and is a town with a very rich and eventful history.
Pau
Formerly the Royal capital of Béarn and Navarre, Pau became a cosmopolitan resort town in the 19th century. Town of gardens since the 16th century, its parks cover no less than 750 ha.
Périgueux
Capital of the Dordogne, this town's origins go back to 2,000 years to its foundation in Roman times.
Sarlat
A medieval town in the heart of Périgord Noir.
Cordouan Lighthouse
One 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.
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