Outstanding heritage

In every era, Aquitaine has been endowed with historical riches, giving our region an exceptional wealth of sites to be discovered, each of them touching reminders of life and art in times gone by.

The most magnificent vestiges of the Palaeolithic Era in France are concentrated along the Vézère Valley in Perigord, included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Lascaux Cave, the "Sistine Chapel" of prehistory, is without a doubt the most famous of these jewels.

In the Middle Ages, pilgrims on their way towards Compostella followed their routes through our region and stopped to rest in our villages. The abbeys, sanctuaries, churches and chapels dotted along these routes bear testimony to their spiritual quest.

The towns and villages of Aquitaine impress visitors with their marvellously well-preserved heritage, notably their architecture, influenced in past times by the Romans and then by the English. Alongside sites officially accredited as the “Loveliest Villages in France”, a thousand and one other places are also a delight for the eyes and the mind.

The seaside resorts of Aquitaine are rich in memories of the Belle Epoque, while Bordeaux, the region’s capital, has kept all its 18th-century elegance, and the fortified towns and castles remind visitors of the strategic role they played back in the 13th century. 

This cultural diversity is also reflected in the many museums of Aquitaine: from the Aquitaine Museum in Bordeaux to the Bonnat Museum in Bayonne, not forgetting the Vesunna Roman Museum in Périgueux.