Bordeaux and the Atlantic Coast Travel Guide

Bordeaux is famous for its wines, Gascogne for its Cognac. But also for those not primarily interested in alcoholic beverages this region has a lot to offer, Beautiful mountains in the Pyrenees, great beach resorts such as Biarritz and many medieval towns and castles. The Dordogne valley isn't far away either.

North of Bordeaux Poitiers is an excellent base for exploring the Charente and the Poitou. La Rochelle is one of the most attractive seaside towns in France with many 17-th century mansions. La Rochelle made its fortune in the trade with the new world. The Ile dOleron is the second largest French island and has a lot of sandy beaches.

The Basque region in the south is the country of the Euskari people as the call themselves. They have lived in this region since the dawn of times and their language is apparantly unrelated to any other language in the world. Their battle for independance has been going on for centuries, but on the French side of the norder things are safe.