Nouvelle-Aquitaine, formed in 2016 from Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes, is the largest region of mainland France, running down the Atlantic coast to the Spanish border. For a first trip its pillars are Bordeaux and its vineyards, the Dordogne valley of the Périgord with its castles and prehistoric caves, the beaches and pine forests of the Landes with Arcachon Bay, and the Basque coast around Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. To the north lie La Rochelle, Cognac and Limoges.
must30 covers Bordeaux on its own page, and the France page has Saint-Émilion and the Dune du Pilat. This page adds two trips: Lascaux IV, the full-size replica of the painted cave in the Vézère valley, and the Rocher de la Vierge in Biarritz.
A full-size copy of the cave Marcel Ravidat and three friends found in 1940, with more than 600 paintings of horses, aurochs and bison.
What it is
On 12 September 1940, Marcel Ravidat, aged 18, and three friends slid down a shaft near Montignac in the Dordogne and found a cave covered with more than 600 paintings of horses, aurochs, deer and bison, now usually dated to between 17,000 and 22,000 years ago. Visitors damaged the cave so fast that it has been closed to the public since 1963, and in 1979 UNESCO listed it with the decorated caves of the Vézère valley. Lascaux IV, opened in 2016 in Montignac-Lascaux, reproduces the whole cave at full size.
How to do it
In 2026 a ticket costs €23 for adults and €15 for children aged 5 to 12, and visits run at set times, so book online and arrive 20 minutes early.
Good to know
It opens 10:00 to 18:00 from 2 November to 3 January, with last entry two hours before closing.
Cross the footbridge to the Rocher de la Vierge in Biarritz
Rocher de la Vierge, Biarritz
An hour, more with the beachesFree
Cross a metal footbridge, often wrongly credited to Eiffel, to a ship-shaped rock in the sea with a view of the whole bay.
What it is
Biarritz grew from a whaling village into a resort when Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie made it their summer retreat, and its grandest viewpoint is the Rocher de la Vierge, a rock shaped like a ship's hull standing in the sea. On top stands a statue of the Virgin, blessed in 1865 in memory of whalers who made it home through a storm. From the rock you see the whole bay, the Grande Plage on one side and the Basque coast running to the Pyrenees on the other.
How to do it
You reach it on a metal footbridge built in 1886 and 1887 by the Schryver workshops of northern France, often wrongly credited to Eiffel, which replaced a wooden one of 1863. Access is free.
Good to know
Come at sunset, then walk along the beaches where surfing took hold in France.
Climb the Dune du Pilat for the view over the Banc d'Arguin
Arcachon Bay
1 to 2 hoursFree
Climb Europe's tallest sand dune and look over the Banc d'Arguin to Cap Ferret as the sun goes down.
What it is
Europe's tallest sand dune rises about 100 metres between the pine forest and the mouth of Arcachon Bay. From the crest you look over the Banc d'Arguin sandbank and across the channel to the Cap Ferret peninsula.
How to do it
From the spring school holidays to the end of the All Saints' holidays a resin staircase is set into the inland face; it is taken down every winter so the moving sand does not bury it, and climbing straight up the sand is allowed all year. Park only in the official car park, which is paid.
Good to know
Fires, camping and taking sand or plants are all banned. Late afternoon is the classic time, with the sun going down over the Atlantic, but bring water and proper shoes: in summer the sand gets hot underfoot.
Time needed
1 to 2 hours
Best time
Late afternoon, spring holidays to early November when the staircase is up
Taste Saint-Émilion wine and go down to its rock-cut church
Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux
Half a dayBook ahead
Go below Saint-Émilion to a church carved out of the rock, then taste the wine of the vineyards around it.
What it is
The village sits 40 km north-east of Bordeaux in a vineyard landscape listed by UNESCO in 1999. Its underground monuments are the hermitage of Émilion, the Trinity Chapel with its medieval paintings, the catacombs and the monolithic church carved out of the rock.
How to do it
TER trains from Bordeaux Saint-Jean reach Saint-Émilion station in about half an hour. The underground monuments can only be seen on the tourist office's guided tour, sold at the office on Place des Créneaux and online. The same online shop sells château tours and tastings, which is easier than phoning estates one by one. Climbing the bell tower above the church costs €2 extra, paid at the tourist office.
Good to know
Groups are capped at 35, photos are not allowed below ground, and once the gates close you cannot join late.
For a first trip, pick two of three: Bordeaux with Saint-Émilion and the Médoc, the Dordogne for castles, caves and canoes, or the coast from Arcachon to Biarritz. Bordeaux and the coast combine easily by train; the Dordogne is a slower trip that needs a car and a few days of its own.
How to combine them
From Bordeaux, Arcachon is under an hour by train and Biarritz about two hours. Montignac, the town for Lascaux, is a little over two hours east of Bordeaux by road, so give the Périgord three or four days. A week can run Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion and Arcachon, then the Basque coast; a second week suits the Dordogne.
Getting around
TGVs link Paris with Bordeaux in a little over two hours and continue to Biarritz and Hendaye on the Spanish border; regional trains reach Arcachon, Saint-Émilion and Pauillac. Bordeaux and Biarritz have airports. For the Dordogne valley and the Médoc châteaux, a car is close to essential.
When to go
May, June and September are ideal: warm, with the beaches and rivers quieter. July and August fill the coast and the Dordogne, and the vineyards harvest in September and October. Winter is mild on the coast and quiet everywhere; Lascaux IV closes from early January to early February.
Questions travellers ask
Can you visit the real Lascaux cave?
No. The original cave has been closed to the public since 1963 to protect the paintings. Lascaux IV in Montignac-Lascaux, open since 2016, reproduces it at full size; in 2026 a ticket costs €23 for adults, with timed visits booked online.
How do you get from Bordeaux to Biarritz?
By train from Bordeaux Saint-Jean in about two hours, or by car on the A63 through the pine forests of the Landes in a little over two hours. Biarritz also has its own airport.
Should I choose Bordeaux or the Dordogne?
Bordeaux for a city break with wine, food and easy trains to Saint-Émilion and Arcachon; the Dordogne for castles, prehistoric caves, river canoeing and village life, with a car. With a week, do both.
