Twelve regions, one extraordinary corner of France

Dordogne & Périgord

Bastide villages and prehistoric valleys

Sarlat, Monpazier, Issigeac, Beynac, Domme, Les Eyzies, Belvès: medieval villages of golden limestone set between walnut orchards and river cliffs. The Vézère valley contains the highest concentration of prehistoric cave art in the world. Wednesday and Saturday markets are among the finest in France.

Sarlat · Monpazier · Les Eyzies · Belvès · Eymet · Issigeac

Lot & Aveyron

Cliff towns and Malbec vineyards

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Rocamadour, Cahors, Figeac: deep river gorges and medieval villages perched on limestone cliffs above the Lot and Célé rivers. Cahors produces one of France’s most distinctive red wines.

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie · Rocamadour · Cahors · Figeac · Conques

Lot-et-Garonne

Bastide country and river markets

Agen, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Monflanquin, Pujols, Penne-d’Agenais: the gentle Garonne and Lot valleys, bastide towns on every hill, and some of the best stone-fruit markets in France. Quieter than the Dordogne and all the richer for it.

Agen · Villeneuve-sur-Lot · Monflanquin · Pujols · Penne-d’Agenais

Bordeaux & Gironde

The world’s wine capital

Bordeaux itself, Saint-Émilion, Pauillac, Arcachon, Cap Ferret: a world city of extraordinary architecture alongside the most famous wine landscape on earth. The Arcachon Bay and Atlantic coast add an entirely different dimension.

Bordeaux · Saint-Émilion · Pauillac · Arcachon · Cap Ferret

Gers & Gascony

Armagnac country

Auch, Lectoure, Condom, Lauzerte, Auvillar: rolling hills of sunflowers and vines, Armagnac distilleries, and the unhurried pace that defines Gascon life. One of the least-visited corners of southwest France and, for those who find it, one of the most rewarding.

Auch · Lectoure · Condom · Lauzerte · Auvillar

Pays Basque

A country within a country

Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bayonne, Espelette, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port: the Basque Country has its own language, its own architecture, its own food and its own rhythm entirely. The Atlantic coast, the foothills of the Pyrénées, and a restaurant culture that genuinely rivals anything in France.

Biarritz · Saint-Jean-de-Luz · Bayonne · Espelette · Bidart

Hautes-Pyrénées & Ariège

France’s wild south

Foix, Tarascon, the Ariège valley: Cathar castles on impossible ridges, thermal spa towns, and high-mountain passes. Less visited than the Dordogne, just as dramatic.

Foix · Tarascon-sur-Ariège · Mirepoix · Ax-les-Thermes

Hautes-Pyrénées

Mountain villages and thermal towns

Lourdes, Cauterets, Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Gavarnie: the high Pyrénées at their most spectacular. Pilgrimage town, ski resort, thermal spa and the extraordinary Cirque de Gavarnie, all within one valley.

Lourdes · Cauterets · Luz-Saint-Sauveur · Gavarnie · Tarbes

Tarn & Tarn-et-Garonne

Bastide rivers and albigensian villages

Albi, Cordes-sur-Ciel, Montauban, Moissac, Bruniquel: the cathedral city of Albi, the clifftop bastide of Cordes, and the great Romanesque cloister at Moissac. A region that rewards those who look beyond the obvious routes.

Albi · Cordes-sur-Ciel · Montauban · Moissac · Bruniquel

Charente & Charente-Maritime

Cognac country and Atlantic coast

Cognac, Saintes, La Rochelle, Île de Ré, Rochefort: Cognac distilleries along the Charente river, the island of Ré with its salt marshes and white villages, and La Rochelle’s magnificent medieval harbour.

Cognac · Saintes · La Rochelle · Île de Ré · Rochefort

Corrèze

The Limousin borderland

Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne, Brive-la-Gaillarde, Uzerche: one of France’s best-kept secrets. Red sandstone villages, medieval market towns, and a slower France that has barely changed in decades.

Collonges-la-Rouge · Turenne · Brive · Uzerche · Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne

Landes

Pine forests and surf coast

Hossegor, Capbreton, Biscarrosse, Parentis-en-Born: the great pine forest, Europe’s most powerful surf, a string of freshwater lakes, and the food culture of the Landes goose. A complete contrast to everything north and east.

Hossegor · Capbreton · Biscarrosse · Dax · Mont-de-Marsan