Aquitaine Property guide

Aquitaine , formerly called "Guyenne," forms a region in south-western France that is situated alongside the Atlantic Ocean and Pyrenees mountain range and meets with the Spanish border.

The Aquitaine region consists of five départements: the Dordogne also called Perigord (departement 24), the Gironde (departement 33), the Landes (departement 40), the Lot-et-Garonne (departement 47) and the Pyrenees-Atlantiques (departement 64).
With 3 million inhabitants (5% of the total French population) and a surface area of 41,400 km² (7.6 % of France's total area), Aquitaine is France’s largest region.

Latest properties in Aquitaine: click here

You can have a look at our Town Property Guides :

Bergerac	Thenon
Excideuil	Perigueux
Hautefort	Riberac
La Coquille	Sarlat la Caneda
Nontron

Overview

Aquitaine’s major cities include Bordeaux, Pau, Bayonne, Mont-de-Marsan, Biarritz, and Perigueux.

It has a long, straight west coast, which stretches along 270 km (167.77 miles) of white beaches from La Pointe de Grave down to the Spanish border. Along the coast, there are two main resorts, Biarritz in the south which, once fashionable with the glamour set of the 1930s has recently been revived by trendy Parisians, and Arcachon to the north, which is popular with Bordelais weekenders.

There are also one million hectares of forest: one of the biggest in Europe. These forests were planted in the 19th century to stabilise drifting sands. Above Landes, the Gironde département around Bordeaux is home to some of the world's most celebrated vineyards. These are mainly situated in the fairly flat Medoc, west of the River Gironde, and around the increasingly hilly area of St-Emilion.

Century after century, country houses have appeared along rivers in Aquitaine and you can find many lakes with water activities on them. There are also the mountains: the Pyrenees in which you can find winter sport activities and nice pedestrian footpaths for nature lovers.

Climate
At the base of the Pyrenees, bathed by the Atlantic and the Gulf Stream, Aquitaine enjoys a moderate climate throughout the year. In Bordeaux, Estival temperatures are higher than 20°C (68°F) on average. It should also be noted that, on average, Aquitaine profits from almost 2,200 sunny hours per annum, a figure close to that of the Mediterranean South.

Gastronomy

The South West of France is well known for bringing the spirit of French cuisine to life. The delicious, unique taste of their farm produce is unsurpassable, encouraging travellers to visit Aquitaine with the motto: Carpe Diem (enjoy your day).

Famous dishes in Aquitaine include: Agneau de Pauillac, Baza beef, Bordelaise, Cannelé, Cassoulet, Caviar with Cèpes mushrooms, Confits de canard, Cruchade, Demoiselles, Foie gras, Cheeses, Garbure, Grattons, Oysters, Bayonne ham, Lamproie, Magret, Walnuts, Pommes sarladaises, Poule au pot, Pruneaux, Sauce Périgueux, Salmon, Tourin, Tournedos Rossini, Truffles…

Wines

Aquitaine is famous worlwide for its Bordeaux wines with 122 600 ha (302 951 acres) of vineyard classified AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée). They produce an average of 6 million hectoliters of fine wines from at least 10,000 wine properties. There are also wines called “Vins du Sud-Ouest” which, for a better price, are more typical in their tastes. For instance, you will be able to find a dry white Jurançon, a Buzet, a Duras, a Bergerac (wine which have plenty of flavours), a Chalosse or a Tursan (which is wonderful with foie gras).

Tourism office in Aquitaine:

www.francetourism.com
www.dordogne-on-line.info

Gites in Aquitaine
www.cottages4you
www.1000gites.com

Hotels in Aquitaine
www.hotelclub.com

Car rental
www.hertz.co.uk

Maps of Aquitaine:
www.ign.fr
www.maps.google.fr

Travel from the UK
Aquitaine is served by the airports of Biarritz, Pau, Bordeaux, Bergerac, Limoges and Agen.
Budget airlines such as Ryanair fly everyday to Biarritz, Pau Bergerac and Limoges.

Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Aquitaine. We have a large network of partners in Aquitaine. All of them are registered French real estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Aquitaine matching your requirements. To find out more about our properties for sale in Aquitaine do not hesitate to contact us.