Top 10 Things to See and Do in France's Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region
Updated: Jan 13, 2023
Just a 3-hour train ride southwest of Paris lies Nouvelle-Aquitaine. While you may not recognize the name at first, you will probably recognize some if its heavy hitters: Bordeaux, known for its wine, and Limoges, famous for its porcelain.
But since few things mix worse with kids than wine and porcelain, we want to throw out a few other ideas for more family-friendly vacations.
Check out our list of some of our favorites from this region.
I am not a water person. I live 500 miles from the nearest ocean. Fish are foreign and frightening to me. And yet....I really enjoyed La Rochelle's Aquarium. In fact, it was one of the highlights of our latest trip to the region.
Don't be swayed by its boring exterior: the inside is far larger than it first appears and houses several exhibits that are nearly Disney-worthy.
What's more, all of the kids thoroughly enjoyed it, a rare occurrence when you have large age gaps like we do. In fact, our two-year-old enjoyed it so much that I had to take him outside several times because his screams of joy were echoing off of the glass enclosures and hurting people's ears.
If you have more than three children, be sure to take advantage of the large family ("famille nombreuse") discount. Purchase tickets on the website and then ask for a 2 Euro/person refund at the desk when you arrive.
Beware: the gift shop is amazing. It will probably ransack your kids' souvenir coffers like it did ours.
Be sure to check out the rest of town, too, and have some fresh seafood on the boardwalk while you're there.
Having lived in France, I had often heard families talk about fond memories of vacation clubs or "colonies de vacances," but I had never been to one myself. On our last trip, we decided to check out what all the buzz was about. I must admit, we were pleasantly surprised.
Photo credits: MS Vacances
Is it the most glorious of accommodations? No.
Is it as cheap as real camping? No.
Did we enjoy it? Absolutely.
What is it? For Americans, imagine a Jellystone campground except with a Disney resort-grade pool, rentable cabins, and more organized activities. Or imagine YMCA of the Rockies but on the beach.
Downsides:
Everything is a la carte, so you have to pay for sheets, towels, etc. if you're not bringing them from home.
You have to leave everything spotless for the next guests or opt to pay a cleaning fee instead.
They have lifeguards but not enough to be able to cover the huge pool, so little ones will need extra supervision.
The closest groceries to the camps know they have a closed market, so they overcharge for everything.
Upsides:
The pool and slides were far more than we expected.
There is something for everyone---crafts, basketball, pétanque, bounce houses, dance nights, trivia games, arcade games, pool, volleyball, etc.
The activities coordinators ("les animateurs and les animatrices") are exceptionally friendly and helpful.
Well-kept gym facilities are included, as well as yoga classes and swim aerobics.
Most coordinators speak English and can help non-French speakers participate in everything from archery to ping-pong.
The beaches are often nearby, so you do both in-camp and off-site activities. Some add-on off-site activities, such as deep-sea fishing or snorkeling, can be arranged through the campground.
3. Beaches of Biarritz
These beaches just north of the Spanish border are popular with tourists who want a beach vibe without the price of the French Riviera. Be sure to check out the local beach listings, though, since many of the beaches have specific designations----surfing, nude, family, etc.
4. Sarlat-le-Canéda and Domme
In the Dordogne region, there are two towns that are must-sees, although you really can't go wrong with any of them.
The first is Sarlat-le-Caneda, famous for its golden ducks that pay homage to the region's speciality, foie gras or fatty duck liver pate (which is much tastier than it sounds in English).
The second is Domme, an unassuming hilltop town that overlooks the valley. The town is so high that jets from the nearby training center will often fly by to impress the tourists. Sometimes they are so close that you can see the pilot clearly in the cockpit.
If you're ambitious, you can actually hike between the two towns, but allow 3+ hours for the trek.
If you're in the area, you might also consider taking a hike through the Cabanes de Breuil, 15th-century agricultural dwellings that look more like something out of The Hobbit than something in France.
Be sure to download Terra Aventura, the region's geocaching app, that makes these and other little towns into a mini treasure hunt.
Besides the Eiffel Tower, the kids' first post-trip "We've been there!" moment happened while reading a history book about Lascaux Caves. Just south of the site where three teenage boys famously found the prehistoric caves, the Ministry of Culture has recreated the paintings with painstaking detail. We were lucky enough to be able to check it out.
Image courtesy of the French Ministry of Culture
You are not allowed to take pictures in the caves (although Nate tried unsuccessfully to sneak a few), but trust me when I say it is worth it. Even with an art teacher husband, I never fully appreciated the complexity of the drawings until I saw them in person and could see all three dimensions. Some naysayers contend that a replica is not worth seeing, but visitation to the actual site would cause irreparable damage to the paintings even just from our exhalation.
The tickets are a bit pricey, so we only went to Lascaux II and not to the other sites. But if you are interested, there are other add-on exhibits that explore the animals of the prehistoric era and the geological formations. You can save a few euros by purchasing online instead of on-site or by doing a combo deal.
Be sure to check the dates to be sure it's open when you will be there. Like many French tourist sites, the caves close during the low season from November to the beginning of April.
While you're in the area, you might save time for a walk in the area around the museum. In the summer, most fields are brimming with miles of giant sunflowers that make for great photo backgrounds.
For more information about the history of the caves and their preservation, I highly suggest Werner Herzog's 2011 documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams.
6. The Cottages of Poitou-Charentes
If you don't speak French but want to venture outside the big cities, Poitou-Charentes is the place for you. It's sufficiently off the beaten path to avoid the tourist crowds, but it is no stranger to outsiders. In fact, it's one of the most welcoming places we've found in France.
Why?
Apparently when Brits are looking to retire, they often buy summer homes in this area and have created an expat community, all without disturbing the area's authentic Frenchness. In fact, Brits now make up 33% of the region's population. As a result, the locals are no more surprised to hear you speaking English than they would be in Paris and, while they often don't speak English themselves, are more than willing to use hand gestures and Google translate to help you with whatever you need.
For our non-French speaking kids, it was a dream. At one point, the girls even joined in with the locals to learn to knit. They couldn't talk to each other with words, but the ladies managed to teach the girls basic stitches and loom techniques. One woman even gifted my daughter her loom and dropped by our Airbnb to give her some extra yarn.
The area has no huge cities but has tons of local festivals and events, as well as hiking and biking trails. As a bonus, many of the rentals have amazing pools. While we there, an epic heatwave came through and the pool literally saved us.
While the area is not entirely beachfront, it is close enough to the ocean that you can still get super fresh seafood. We celebrated Father's Day while we were there and had a rare (for us) feast of calamari, octopus, and oysters.
If you're looking for a Martha's Vineyard/Mackinaw Island vibe, Ile-de-Ré is a perfect go-to. The island is just a few minutes from La Rochelle via a 3km toll bridge (8 Euros roundtrip off-season/16 Euros in peak season) and is best explored by bike or on foot. Bikes can be rented cheaply at a number of spots just past the bridge.
The impressive 17th century fortifications are, strangely, guarded by shaggy donkeys wearing pants. These larger-than-average "Poitou mules" are local to the region and were once used in the sea salt industry nearby. The pants aren't meant to be fashionable but are functional, protecting the donkeys from mosquitoes. For 3 Euros, kids can take a short donkey ride during peak season.
Photo credit: Jiel Beaumadier/Wikimedia
The fortifications lead the way toward the old town which now holds numerous upscale boutiques and souvenir shops.
Note: Be sure to pay your parking meter well. We planned on only staying an hour but ended up spending for three...and getting a hefty parking ticket as a result.
Be sure to check out La Martiniere, a local gelato shop that has more flavors than we've ever seen in one place, including novelties like mango ginger, oyster, and potato. Like many places on the island, they are closed until Easter, so plan accordingly.
Fun Fact: La Martiniere is named after a French ship that transported convicts from Ile-de-Ré to the prison in South America's French Guiana.
If you are in the area during the winter months, La Gourette is a good option. While it isn't the most famous of ski resorts in the Pyrenees, La Gourette is a great family-friendly resort that has a good ski school, tons of beginner slopes, and a ski lift that is fairly close to the lodge. Ski passes are cheaper than they are at similar stations on the Spanish side, parking is mostly free, and accommodations are far cheaper than the Alps or Andorra.
Photo credits: Tripadvisor
9. Hiking in the Pyrenees
Nouvelle-Aquitaine includes portions of the Pyrenees National Park. As a result, there are some amazing hikes that you can do though the mountains and/or to Spain. My French host parents (and many others in the region) were part of a hiking club that took bi-monthly trips through the mountains, often staying overnight at one of the rentable chalets.
One popular hike starts at Ayous Lake, just south of Pau, although there are hundreds of hikes to choose from. If you stay at an Airbnb, the hosts will often be your best source for hike recommendations.
Photo credit: Getty
10. Daytrip to Bilbao
Although it was originally a fairly basic industrial port town, the opening of the Guggenheim Museum in 1997 has led to a revitalization of this border town, and it is now becoming increasingly attractive to tourists. As the de facto capital of Basque Country, you won't be able to practice your Spanish here, so you might brush up on your Catalan instead. Even if you don't speak either language, you can easily navigate thanks to a well-organized metro system and friendly locals.
Image Credit: Getty
To get to Bilbao from France without a car, I highly suggest the rideshare system BlaBla Car or its bus service, Alta.
While you are there, be sure to try pintxos, the Basque spin on Spanish tapas. Make sure to watch the clock, though, because restaurants typically only make a certain amount of each item, so if you arrive after the set pintxos hours (1-3pm & 6-8pm), you will likely have nothing to eat. To drink, you might try txakoli, a white sparkly wine popular in the region, or wines from the famed La Rioja region nearby.
Read more about the best Pintxos bars in Bilbao.
Your kids will love the riverfront playground or one of the many other playgrounds in the city.
In addition, be sure to check out the Vizcaya Bridge, a one-of-a-kind hanging bridge recognized as a marvel of the Industrial Revolution by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
Have some more Nouvelle-Aquitaine ideas? Email us at jessica@artrageouswithnate.com and we'll add them our list!
--------------------
Want to travel on a budget? Check out "How to Take Big Trips on Little Budgets"
Not sure whether it's worth traveling with kids? Check out "Why Bother Traveling Internationally with Kids?"
For info on how to save for that dream trip, check out "I Want to Travel. Now How do I Find Money for It?"
For info on how to stick to your travel budget, check out "Five Things that Will Bust Your Travel Budget in a Hurry" Part 1 and Part 2.
Opmerkingen