Long live the cities of Aquitaine!

From tiny hamlet to Roman village, from village to parish town, from parish to bustling market town… This is how our cities were born and evolved through different times and cultures.

Périgueux, built by the Romans in the heart of the “Valley of Mankind” ; Bordeaux, an abundance of 18th-century architecture and the gateway to the world’s greatest fine wine vineyards; Dax, spa town in the midst of the Landes forests; Agen, capital of the prune, set between its river and its orchards, and last but not least Pau, home to King Henri IV, with its view of the Pyrenees.

With all their heritage proudly on show, our cities really are worth a visit. All sorts of visits…

There are those that lead from one boutique to the next, those made with our faces pointed skywards and camera in hand, those planned carefully on the maps from the Tourist Office and then those guided by taste-buds in search of gourmet pleasures.

Museums, concerts, operas, ballets, bars and cafés, monuments, art galleries… No shortage of activities before heading off for a rest in the greenery of Perigord or on the banks of the great lakes.

In Aquitaine, our route will head from north to south, meandering along the way to take in all the region’s urban pleasures.

>>> Also visit our website www.week-end-aquitaine.com, which is full of ideas to organise your weekends

>>> See also our feature “The cities of Aquitaine just waiting to be discovered”

On the Place Saint-Louis in Périgueux, from November to March, the goose and duck markets present the wonders of this local gourmet tradition. The architectural and cultural heritage of the town is just as interesting, from Saint Front Cathedral to Vesunna Roman Museum…


Another town in Perigord, Sarlat-la-Canéda, has been particularly well restored –the streets are even lit by gas at night!! To wander around Sarlat is to step back into the Middle Ages, with shops and art galleries thrown in for good measure.


Off westwards next through Bordeaux, known as Burdigala back in Roman times. The port city has preserved its sumptuous town houses perfectly since they were built in the 18th century, and even before… The acoustics of the Grand Théâtre are every bit as impressive as the outside perspectives of the building, newly renovated as part of the work to build the new tram network… On 28 June 2007, the UNESCO committee accepted the Bordeaux candidature and included the city on its World Heritage list.

Down through the Landes to Mont-de-Marsan, the city of three rivers - the Midou and the Douze join there to form the Midouze. This spa town is also a city of flowers and stone, with the Despiau-Wlérick Museum and sculptures on show on its streets and squares.


Then comes Pau, the capital of Béarn and birthplace of King Henri IV in 1553. The castle is worth seeing, as are the Fine Arts Museum and the Boulevard des Pyrénées, offering an ever-changing view onto the nearby mountains.



Returning towards the Atlantic Ocean, our route takes us through the pedestrian streets of Bayonne, to taste the local chocolate, stop off and watch a bullfight or buy some Basque linen. The sight of the houses lining the quaysides of the Nive is one not to be missed.


Our journey comes to an end in Biarritz: “beach of kings and king of the beaches”. Whalers have given way to surfers now, to photographers and to Latin American authors. The city offers a remarkable variety of festivals, while a host of gourmet delights entice the taste-buds and the sea is always sublime.

En route!