Looking forward to an adults-only getaway? Camping in Aquitaine can be the perfect trip, and here are 10 of the best things to do in Aquitaine when camping in France.
You’ve taken the first step and broken loose from the parent trap by leaving the children behind. Camping without the kids brings a sense of liberation. and also leaves you with a big hole to fill.
It’s time for a different type of plan which will focus on you and your interests and what better place to start than camping in Aquitaine in southwest France?
10 Best Things to Do in Aquitaine When Camping in France
We’re here to give you inspiration with our top ten things to do in Aquitaine during your camping trip in France.
1. Wine Experiences
France’s famous wine region is always coming up with new and creative ways to tempt you into its vineyards, and these go way beyond traditional tasting sessions!
The Chateau Pape Clement, offers unique workshops. Here, you’ll learn how to tell the difference between the typical grape varieties of the Bordeaux vineyard. You’ll then be able to create and test your own combinations, and bottle your own personal blend to take home with you. (And show off to you friends your new fancy skills.) The Bordeaux Wine and Trade Museum is also a must for anyone interested in learning more about the history of the wine trade in France.
2. A Trip Through the Dordogne
The Dordogne Valley is quintessentially French and one of the most beautiful places in the country. It’s steeped in atmosphere, full of crumbling, historic villages. These are scattered along the riverbanks of the Dordogne river. One of the best ways to see some of the famous fortresses like Beynac and Castelnaud is to rent a canoe for a few hours and take in the view from the river.
The Dordogne’s soft limestone became home to cave-dwellers many thousands of years ago. It’s well worth visiting the Vézère valley where you can still admire their paintings, some of the oldest artworks known to man. They depict mammoths and woolly rhinos that once populated the Dordogne.
3. Endless Sandy Beaches
The long sandy coastline is the ideal place to sharpen up your watersports from kite-surfing to bodyboarding. The beaches are also the ideal place to relax. Hendaye just on the border with Spain is a fantastic option, with a flat, gleaming beach at the mouth of the Bidasoa River.
The Grande Plage in Biarritz is an incredibly popular beach where you can sunbathe in front of the famous striped beach huts.
4. The Dune of Pilat
About an hour’s drive from Bordeaux, is the tallest sand dune in Europe.
It towers above sea level and, because of its exposed location and steep angle, the Dune of Pilat is a famous paragliding spot.
On a clear day, you can even make out the Pyrenees in the distance from the top.
5. The Gardens of Eyrignac
Set high in the Périgord Noir, the Gardens of Eyrignac are a unique example of French Topiary Art in France.There are several gardens of sculpted plants to enjoy as well as nature walks through the forestry estate.
The gardens are full of creative shapes. They’re marked out in a way that makes you feel you’re walking through a series of rooms rather than a space for living plants!
6. Rocher de la Vierge, Biarritz
This natural wonder has become a symbol of Biarritz. Crowned with a statue of the Virgin Mary, it’s shaped like the long hull of a ship and once served as a place to watch whales from. A footbridge, built in the late nineteenth century, connects the rock to the mainland.
7. Cycling Experiences
You could say that Aquitaine was made for cycling. The land is mainly flat and there is a huge network of cycling trails. These will take you through wonderful scenery, from vineyards to the foothills of the Pyrenees. You can even ride along the towpath next to the Canal de Deux Mers, which connects the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
8. Tastes of Aquitaine
There are just too many delicious and standout foods in this region to list! No trip would be complete without sampling the black truffles from Perigord, or the oysters from Arcachon though. Every village seems to have its very own market boasting foods that bring about a sense of local pride. There’s even a festival for much of the produce. In Espelette they celebrate their red peppers!.
9. A Surfing Phenomenon
Landes is definitely Europe’s undisputed surfing capital. Its beaches are world class. You need to experience the unforgettable phenomenon of the tidal bore at the Gironde Estuary. At high tide, the sea rolls inland facing the river’s current. This brings about waves which don’t quite break and can carry you far up the river.
10. The Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste
This Basque church in Saint-Jean-de-Luz was where Louis XIV married Maria Theresa, the daughter of the king of Spain back in 1660. There are wooden galleries on the sides of the church, but it’s the sumptuous baroque gilded sanctuary that gets most the attention. It’s a reflection of the wealth of the community in the early seventeenth century that came from whaling, fishing, and trade in the West Indies.
The church had previously suffered severe damage. Most of this happened during the Hundred Years’ War when Saint-Jean-de-Luz was repeatedly burned to the ground and then rebuilt.
Getting the Most From Camping in Aquitaine
What Aquitaine has in buckets is a coast that’s filled with seemingly endless sandy beaches. It’s the ideal region to practice watersports and make the most of the surf. It’s also where some of the most famous names in the wine industry can be found, from Bordeaux to Bergerac to Saint-Emilion.
Camping in Aquitaine means you have the perfect base to explore some of the most stunning scenery in France and allow you to reconnect with nature.
Luckily our website makes it incredibly easy to find and book campsites throughout Europe, just follow this link to find all of the campsites we have available for the Aquitaine region, you can even book them directly through the site!
Once you are all booked, plan the things to do in Aquitaine and enjoy your camping holiday in France!
