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Regions à la carte
Southwestern France - Bordeaux Region
Bordeaux region at a glance |
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 Major city:
Bordeaux
Prehistoric caves.
Fortified castles and villages.
Important wine region.
Diverse landscape of Atlantic coastline, beaches, flat forest land,
Pyrénées mountains, and the rolling hills and river valleys of the
Dordogne.
The region's history began thousands of
year's ago when Cro-magnon man lived in the caves of the Périgord and
left cave paintings in sites such as Lascaux and Les Eyzies. More recent
remnants of Aquitaine's history date from the time of Eléonore of
Aquitaine, consort of Louis VII, King of France. When she married Henry
Plantagenet, who became King of England in 1154, she began several
centuries of conflict between the French and English for control of
Aquitaine. Today, the fortified villages and castles built during this
time offer charm to the winding countryside and provide interesting
stops along the road.
Aquitaine's capital, Bordeaux is a
thriving port city on the Garonne River with beautiful 18th-century
mansions and architecture, including its Grand Theatre by
architect Victor Louis, excellent shopping and numerous cultural events,
such as the traditional May Music Festival.
Bordeaux is particularly well known for its surrounding wine-growing
region. The vineyards of Bordeaux with their
Margaux, Médoc, Sauternes and
St. Emilion wines are leaders in their fields in an area where
many other excellent wines are produced. Most chateaux open their doors
to allow visits to their cellars and wine tastings.
The varied Aquitaine region includes not only the prehistoric caves,
villages and rolling river valleys of the Dordogne and the Bordeaux
vineyards, but also the rocky Pyrénées mountain chain, the Basque
country with its beautiful beaches, excellent surfing and picturesque
fishing villages, the flat forest land of the Landes and the medieval
castles and villages in Lot-et-Garonne.
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Places of
interest |
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Agen
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Rich agricultural area, famous for
its prunes, Renaissance mansions with art
museums, Saint-Caprais Cathedral |
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Arcachon |
Elegant Atlantic resort, casino,
374-foot Dune du Pyla |
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Bayonne |
Old streets and fortifications,
annual Ham Fair, 12th/16th century cathedral,
medieval fortress, 17th-century citadel of Vauban
and Bishop's palace, Bonnat Museum, Basque Museum |
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Beynac
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13th-century castle |
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Biarritz |
Fashionable seaside resort, casino,
golf course |
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Bordeaux
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Extensive vineyards of fine wines,
Fine Arts Museum, Grand Théâtre, and châteaux |
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Brantôme |
Town built on the Dronne River,
former abbey on the river bank with an 11th
century bell tower |
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Ciboure |
Birthplace of the composer Maurice
Ravel, St. Vincent church with octagonal belfry |
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Dax |
Spa with hot springs and mud baths,
main center for Gallo-Roman archeology in the
Landes, Borda museum, archeological crypt, arena,
Gothic cathedral |
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Duras |
14th century castles |
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Hossegor |
Peaceful site among pines, oak
trees, and mimosas. Sheltered lake, yachting port
of Capbreton, summer sport facilities |
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Les
Eyzies |
Museum for Prehistory in the former
castle of the Lords of Beynac, Cave of the Great
Rock. Font-de-Gaume and Combarelles are other
important prehistoric centers. |
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Lascaux
II |
Exact replica of the cave discovered
in 1940 with 1,500 drawings |
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Montflanquin |
Well-preserved fortified village in
Aquitaine |
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Pau |
Birthplace and castle of Henri IV
with National Museum |
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Périgueux |
Cloister of Saint Front Cathedral,
Romanesque church of St. Etienne de la Cité,
Maison du Lur and the galleried Consul's House |
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St.
Emilion |
Quaint wine village with steep
narrow streets, and monolithic church |
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Saint-Jean-de-Luz |
Seaside resort and fishing village,
Basque church, home of the Basque country's
pelota (Jai-Alai) |
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St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port
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Ancient city with Citadel, bright
Basque houses in steep streets |
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Sarlat |
Heart of the Périgord region, old
town with medieval dwellings and restored
Renaissance houses, Maison de la Boetie,
Cathedral, the Présidial, 14th century Hôtel
Plamon. |
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Technical
tourism and sports |
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Among the wines of the Bordeaux
region, there are three distinctive areas:
Médoc, famous for its fine red wines, the left
of the Garonne with Graves and Sauternes,
Saint-Emilion and its surroundings,
Entre-Deux-Mers, and Côtes de Blaye.
Most of the Châteaux, especially in Médoc, make
sure that an informed representative is available
to greet visitors, take them on a tour of the
cellars, explain the processes involved in making
the wine, and invite them to taste the most
recent harvest; tours generally include visits to
the cellars only, not the Châteaux themselves.
In the Médoc area three wine museums are also
worth a visit.
The Maison du Vin also offers tastings of the
region's wine on weekdays.
Golf, biking, hiking, horseback riding, surfing,
water sports |
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Cuisine |
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The most celebrated
regional specialty is foie gras, specially
prepared livers of geese and ducks, seasoned and
stuffed with regional truffles. Confits
(preserved goose and duck) are a key ingredient
in a number of dishies. Fish and seafood, like
carp stuffed with foie gras, mullet in red wine
are also common. Oysters are served with
Entre-deux-Mers wine, with tiny sausages or crepinettes.
Meals are accompanied by the many fine wines of
the region such as Médoc red wines, Graves dry
whites or Sauterne sweet white wines and
concluded with the region's Armagnac. |
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