Located in the south west corner of France,
Aquitaine is the largest region in France and home to over three million people. The region is divided into Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Lot et Garonne, Gironde, Landes and Dordogne, each one a unique area with a characteristic charm all its own.
The Dordogne offers magnificent stone properties in historical bastide towns and villages set in picturesque rolling countrisides. The area is rich in farmhouses, villas, chateaus, manor houses and pigeonniers. With an average price for
Aquitaine property, this area is an excellent value.
Gironde is the largest department in France and home to almost half of the total population of
Aquitaine. Property here averages about 30% more expensive than in the rest of the region and there is a wide variety of both urban, rural and seaside houses, chateaus, maison de maitres, domaines, and apartments available.
Landes is a forested wonderland and home to the luxurious resort of Biarritz. Property prices outside the city are reasonable and considerable bargains can still be found.
Lot et Garonne is the second-priciest area in
Aquitaine, and a land rich in some of the most beautiful rural architecture in France where every village corner seems to be a picture postcard.
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is the rocky hinterland of
Aquitaine and one of the ancestral homes of the Basque people. The least expensive area in the region, it offers a variety of wonderful properties from mountain chateaus to beach villas.
Bordeaux is readily accessible to
Paris via the TGV train which takes just a bit over three hours to complete the journey.
Bordeaux is the principal city of the region and allows the visitor to step back in time into an era of palatial mansions, historic churches, and magnificent architecture, while Biarritz has been one of the major ports of call for the rich and famous for two centuries. However, there is much to recommend
Aquitaine beyond its urban splendors.
The major tourist attractions of the region include the majestic Pyrenees mountains; one of the most renowned seaside areas in Europe, the Cote d'Argent; the Pilat dunes near Arcachon, which is surprisingly the largest sand dune area to be found anywhere in the continent; and the Landes forest, which is the most expansive pine forest in the west of Europe. Bathed by the warmth of the Gulf Stream along its 180 miles of sugar sand beach, and featuring well over 2,200 hours of sunshine each year,
Aquitaine has a Mediterranean climate but without the Mediterranean prices. Even the coldest winter days reach above 10C and the summers are long, languorous and golden.
Aquitaine is renowned around the world for its grapes, with the famous areas of Graves, Medoc, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol producing the incomparable red
Bordeaux wines. The region is also home to the French Bergerac, Sauternes and Lillet, as well as the Armagnac brandy. The Dordogne area is famous for its aromatic and very expensive black truffles, and regional specialties such as confit de canard (salt cured duck), cassoulet (meat and bean casserole), caneles (custard pastries) and pate basque made with pork livers and fat can be readily enjoyed in all of
Aquitaine.
