The Departements of Aquitaine:

Dordogne(24), Gironde(33), Landes(40), Lot-et-Garonne(47), Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)

Key facts:

Aquitaine, in the south-west of France is the largest of the French regions. It has a long, western coast, which stretches 200km from the Gironde estuary to the Spanish border where the beautiful endless white beaches of this coastline are comparatively empty during the summer months especially when compared to those overcrowded beaches on the Mediterranean coast.

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, the flat forest land of the Landes and the medieval castles and villages in Lot-et-Garonne.

Aquitaine's coastline is flanked by large numbers of pine forests that make up most of the Landes département. These forests were planted in the 19th century to stabilise drifting sands and now amount to in excess of 2 million acres. To the North of the Landes, the Gironde département around Bordeaux is home to some of the best know vineyards in the world. Some in the fairly flat Medoc, west of the river Gironde, and also towards the hilly area around pretty St-Emilion.

The Pyrenees mountain range starts in the Pyrénées Atlantiques, the most southerly departement of Aquitaine. The mountain foothills here are lush and green due to high rainfall. Part of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques is Basque country (Pays Basque) with its beautiful beaches, excellent surfing and picturesque fishing villages - home to some 80,000 Basques.

The Dordogne, one of the most popular holiday areas is named after one of the most beautiful rivers in France. The French call this area Périgord. Each area of Périgord has a descriptive colour tagged to it. The south-east around Sarlat is called Perigord Noir because of its dense oak forests. The area around Périgueux, capital of the région, is called Perigord Blanc after the light colour of its rock. Périgord Poupre refers to the wine-growing area around Bergerac. Perigord Vert describes the very green wooded area and pasturelands to the north. The Dordogne is full of “chocolate box” villages and hilltop castles, rich food and often high prices. Ruined castles such as at Bonaguil, Castelnaud and Beynac and bastides such as found at Monpazier and Domme are well worth a visit. The wine of the area around Bergerac produces lighter but similar red wines to that of Bordeaux. The white wines, usually Sauvignon Blanc based, are lean and dry and best consumed when young.

Major towns include Périgueux, famous for its domed cathedral, Bergerac which is an important wine centre, Agen the home of prunes and rugby and of course Aquitaine's capital, Bordeaux the thriving port city on the Garonne river with its 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 produce more high quality wine than any other region of France with their Pomerol, Médoc, Sauternes, Graves and St. Emilion wines. Many chateaux open their doors to allow visits to their cellars and wine tastings. 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.

Other places of interest: Brantome - a pretty small town located on a bend of the River Dronne is much loved by British tourists. Duras - popular bastide built on a ridge overlooking the Dropt with an elegant 17thC chateau and surrounding AOC Cotes de Duras vineyards. Agen - home of high quality prunes and half timbered buildings in the old centre. A town with an air of comfortable affluence and the place where Nostradamus spent his last days. Sarlat - just north of the Dordogne river and capital of the Perigord Noir, here you will find narrow streets, pretty squares and an abundance of Mediaeval and Renaissance buildings. Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac - a must for anyone interested in prehistory as it is here that the Musee National de Prehistoire is to be found. Domme - hilltop bastide founded in the 13th C. Gouffres de Padirac - visit the undergound waterway on guided punts and marvel at the stalactites. Rocamadour - pilgrimage site hewn into the sheer face of hillside with breathtaking views.

Food. The most celebrated regional speciality 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 dishes. Fish and seafood, like carp stuffed with foie gras, mullet in red wine are also common. Oysters are often served with Entre-deux-Mers wine, with tiny sausages or crepinettes.

Agriculture is extremely important to the local economy and Aquitaine grows much of France's kiwi fruit, strawberries, prunes, potatoes, asparagus and maize. Around the Bergerac area many tobacco fields are to be found. Carrots are grown in the fields of the Landes. Arcachon is famous for its oysters and it is possible to see the oyster beds at low tide. Although the oyster production has suffered several major setbacks, they are now flourishing again.

Wine. Apart from the famous wines of Bordeaux there are many other interesting wines to be found in the Aquitaine area. Look out for Cotes de Buzet, Cotes de Duras, Bergerac, Pecharmant, Saussignac and Monbazillac.