BORDEAUX
Bordeaux is a port city in the southwest of France. This city is among the world's major wine industry centers. Bordeaux wine draws its name from the famous wine that has been produced in the region since the VIIIth century. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as " an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the XVIIIth century.
Some examples of tourist sites:
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Saint André cathedral and Pey Berland Tower
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The Aquitain Museum
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The Great Theatre of Bordeaux
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Contemporary Art Museum
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Sainte Catherine street
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Place des Quinconce
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Place de la Victoire
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Saint Seurin Basilicata
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Beaux Arts Museum
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The Gallien Palace
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Saint Michel Basilicata
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Musée des arts décoratifs
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Saint Pierre Church
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Musée de la Culture Scientifique
Saint André Cathedral and Pey Berland Tower
The Gothic Cathedral, which was built in the XII, is the biggest one of Bordeaux. At the east of the monument, there is the Pey Berland Tower. Its originality is that it was built near the cathedral and not in. Then, the sound of the bells doesn’t damage the religious monument. Finally, it is famous to have been the place where the king François the 1st, Charles Quint or Louis XIII was married.
Sainte Catherine Street
This is the longer pedestrian street in Europe where you can do some shopping.
Saint Seurin Basilicata
This site is one of the most ancient religious monument of Bordeaux and also a place to rest for pilgrims going to Saint Jacques of Compostelle.
Saint Emilion
Listed on the UNESCO Heritage, Saint Emilion is a typical French village, with cobbled streets and medieval houses. You can visit the undergrounds monuments like the Monolithic church, The Catacombs and the Saint Trinity Chapel where, according to the legend, Emilion spent 17 years. Then, you can do a visit and a wine tasting in a classified great growth of the Saint Emilion appellation. Finally, discover the pecularity of the city which consists in kilometres of underground galleries used now for ageing the most famous wines: Beauséjour Bécot, Villemaurine and Franc- Mayne.
The Arcachon Bay
It is an other world one hour away from Bordeaux. The pine forest first, the largest in Europe, green lung spreading as far as the eyes can see and filling up your nostrils with fresh resin aromas. Then, the bay, a true inland sea, is moving according to the tide. Oystermen will explain to you the long breeding of an oyster from the birth to the arrival in your plate. Finally, the dune is one hundred and seventeen metres high. If you are courageous, you can climb the one hundred and seventeen steps to discover a gorgeous view.
The Graves and Sauternes Appellations
You probably know the reputation of the Bordeaux red wine, but do you know that they also produce white wines? A trip through the sauternes appellation will give you the opportunity to discover the sweet wines obtained with the development of a noble rot. Discover also the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, the Carbonnieux and the Tour Martillac wines.
The Médoc Area
Thirty minutes from Bordeaux, you are already in the middle of the vineyards and wineries. The Medoc is particularly renowned for producing the wines among the world's famous. On the road you will see Chateau Margaux, Palmer, Latour, Lafite Rothschild and Mouton. But do not forget the 1885 classification listed Sixty Chateau Du Médoc. A visit and a wine tatsting are compulsory. Learn how to recognize a wine according to the appellation.
The Cognac Area
One hour and a half from Bordeaux only and you will have the opportunity to taste the famous brandy Cognac. In the city of Cognac, everything is organised around the great Cognac Houses like Hennessu, Otars, Camus, Rémy Martin and Pince de Paulignac.. A visit and a tasting will give you the opportunity to discover the distillation process and the blending of different brandies, which some of them are more than one hundred and a half years old. Don't forget to go in a family farm where they produce Cognac of course, but also Pineau wine and truffles !
Armagnac
You can visit the Bastide of Armagnac which is a medieval village perfectly preserved. In the Domaine d'Ognoasn, disgust directly from the cask a brandy distillated in one of the oldest european alembic. Don't forget to taste the white wine of Tursan: the Chateau de Bachen.
Perigord area
Sarlat
The City is situated in the centre of the Dordogne department, just north of the Dordogne river? Often called just "Sarlat", the town is realy twinned with its less famous neighbour and is more correctly called "Sarlat le Caneda". Developed zround a benedictine abbey in the XIIIth century, it is a pleasure to visit its old town which offers fine examples of architecture from both medieval and Renaissance times.
Some examples of tourist sites:
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Hotel de Plamon
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Sainte Mary Church and ist covered market
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The Présidial
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The Deads Lantern
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The Saint Sacerdo Church
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The Boétie House
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The Remparts de la Tour du Bourreau
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The Sainte Claire Abbey
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The White Penitents Chapel
Périgueux
Périgueux is the capital of the region Dordogne and serves as a great base for exploring the surrounding area. The medieval part of the town comes alive on Wednesdays and Saturdays when local artisans display their first-class produce included assorted cured meats, truffles, foie gras and pies or “pates de Périgueux”. You can visit the city and its old town which is now protected as an ancient monument. Indeed, you can see rue Limogeanne handsome renaissance houses like the Estignard house.
Some example of tourist sites:
Some examples of tourist sites in the neighbourhood:
Lascaux Prehistoric Caves
Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its prehistoric cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac. They contain some of the most well-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 16,000 years old. They primarily consist of realistic images of large animals, most of which are known from fossil evidence to have lived in the area at the time. In 1979, Lascaux was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list along with other prehistoric sites.
Rocamadour
The city is attractive especially for its historical monuments and its sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which for centuries has attracted pilgrims from every countries, among them kings, bishops and nobles. The town, below the complex of monastic buildings and pilgrimage churches, traditionally dependent on the pilgrimage sites and now on the tourist trade, lies near the river on the lowest slopes; it gives its name to Rocamadour.
Some examples of tourits sites:
Padirac
The Chasm of Padirac is approximately 99 meters around the rim with a diameter of 35 meters. Visitors descend 75 meters via a lift or a staircase before entering the cave system. The Cave, at a depth of 103 meters, contains a subterranean river system that is partly negotiable by boat. This cave system is regarder as " one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena of the Massif Central".
Bergerac
The region is primarly known for wine and tobacco. The drainage is excellent as a result of its proximity to the Dordogne river. the town contains a statue of Cyrano de Bergerac, subject of a famous play of the same name by Edmond Rostand; though the actual Cyrano never lived here. Discover the Tobacco Museum, the COsti Museum and the Wine Museum. Not very far away from the beautiful city, don't miss the Montbazillac Castle, the Maxanges Caves and the neolithic site of Sigoniac.