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Covering a total area of 41,308 square kilometres, Aquitaine Pays Basque, or Aquitaine as it is commonly known, is one of the largest of France’s 26 regions and sits in the country’s southwestern corner on the edge of both the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean.
The city of Bayonne is perhaps most famous for its bullfighting scene which has been a tradition here for hundreds of years. A bull-ring located beyond the walls of Grand Bayonne sees weekly action during the annual season which runs from July to September. The Fêtes de Bayonne in August is a popular five-day festival held in August that combines bullfighting with other events and draws visitors from across the Basque region.
Biarritz is best known as a resort town and hangout of the rich and famous with its stunning beaches and lively nightlife. The Quai de la Grande Plage is the city’s focal point and the place to find the glut of its restaurants, bars, cafés and shops. Interesting sights around the city include St Martin Church, Asiatica Museum and Fisherman’s Port (Port des Pêcheurs).
Bergerac on the Dordogne river sits in the middle of a popular wine-making region and is best known from a visitor perspective for its selection of museums which include the Wine Museum and the Museum of Tobacco. The elegant city of Bordeaux is within easy driving distance of Bergerac.
The greater Bordeaux region is arguably the world’s most famous wine-producing region and according to many, the producer of the finest wine in the country. Towns such as Saint-Emilion, Graves, Pomerol and Médoc are among the more notable and capture the true sense of what old winery centres are really about.
Elsewhere in the Aquitaine region, Sauternes, Lillet and Bergerac wines are produced, as is Armagnac brandy. Pâté de fois gras and pâté basque, crêpes, truffles and magret de canard (breast of duck) also grace the list of food and beverages originating from the region, helping to give it its reputation as a centre of culinary excellence.
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