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Places to visit

Bordeaux

No holiday in the Aquitaine region is complete without a visit to the capital Bordeaux that is just over half an hour from Auros by car, but why not take the train from Langon, which connects directly with the new tram system in the centre of Bordeaux.

The tram terminus is situated in the Place des Quinconces, whilst there take the opportunity to admire the Girondin’s column with the two magnificent fountains beneath it, these were taken by the Germans during the war to be melted down but were luckily found in a barn near Angers after the war and reinstated in 1983.The office du tourism is situated in the left hand corner of the square.

Bordeaux as you know is the wine capital of the world and the maison du vin is situated in the building in the picture on the right; there are many magnificent historical buildings which can be visited like this and the Grand Theatre in the picture at the top of this page.
A five minute walk will bring you to the Jardin Public where there is a large children’s play area, a lake with fish, swans and ducks which makes an ideal place for family picnics beneath the trees.

There is also a very large pedestrian shopping quarter in the centre of Bordeaux where you can discover many pavement cafes and restaurants, a large number of which are situated around the Place du Parlement offering midday menus served on shaded terraces at reasonable prices.

Saint-Emilion

Just over half an hour’s drive to the north of Auros through the rolling vineyards of the Enttre-Deux-Mars region is situated the medieval town of Saint-Emilion.

Saint-Emilion is an incredible open-air museum. The most surprising remains are with no doubt its underground monuments: galleries covering more than 150acres and the breathtaking monolithic church, dug out of solid limestone.

By far the best way to view the town and the surrounding area is to climb to the top of the king’s tower. This is the only intact keep in the Gironde, and was the town hall until 1720; it is a massive construction and the only remains of what is believed to be the king’s castle. Also you can take the little train that weaves its way through the vineyards and passes prestigious chateaux. There are numerous restaurants serving from local specialities to Gourmet cuisine, all accompanied by prestigious wines.

5 400 ha

822 Winegrowers

13 Premiers Grands Crus

55 Grands Crus Classes

Bazas

10 kilometres to the south of us the scenery abandons the vineyards in favour of meadows where one finds the “petites landes du Bazadais”. The main town in the area, Bazas, has a very long history; remains of a Celtic settlement, which can be traced back to the 7th century BC, have been found. Today the region is famous for its race of beef cattle, which are direct descendants of the oxen, and were used to pull farm equipment; they are fairly small beasts with an elegant grey-brown coat, and produce tasty meat including the famous entrecote bordelaise.

The cathedral, which has many carvings in stone adorning its walls, dominates the town square; above the main front door are carvings depicting the last judgment and the story of John the Baptist.

Unfortunately the finely-proportioned interior lost most of its furniture when it was ransacked during the French Revolution.

There is a market in the Place de la Cathedrale each Saturday morning where you can find fresh produce grown locally by the stallholders, but as with all markets in our region it closes at 12 o'clock sharp.

One of the best-known butchers in Bazas comes to our property on Thursday mornings in his van.

The coast and the Dune du Pilat

Just a little over an hour from us is the coast of Gascony where a 125 miles of soft white
sand which stretches from Arcachon to the Spanish border meets the crashing waves of the Atlantic ocean. The tallest mountain of sand in Europe can be found on the coast just south of Arcachon and is one third of a mile wide and 1.5 miles long, it was formed when an enormous sand bank located on the shore was totally destroyed by a storm in the 18^thcentury and was replaced by this coastal mountain.

You can either reach the top by using the wooden steps or if you are more energetic climb up on the sand, either way the view is spectacular, on the one side the sea and Cap-Ferret and the other the endless green of the pine forest.

Just along the coast to the north of the dune is the basin of Arcachon, which has retained its Edwardian influence and architecture to the present day. There are many fish restaurants and bars to be found serving fresh oysters which are collected from the oyster beds in the middle of the basin.

Driving south along the coast from the dune it’s a short journey to the town and lake of Biscarrosse, where you can picnic in the shade of the pine trees on the beach and swim in the warm shallow waters of the lake.

Rather than returning by way of the motorway take the more leisurely route through the forest back to Auros.

Local lakes
Fontet

Fontet is the nearest of the three lakes to us at about 10k, and is situated alongside the canal where small boats tie up.

There is a small sandy beach with a restaurant; the lake is divided into two parts one for swimming and one for fishing. There are plenty of picnic tables dotted about under the trees and a children’s play area.

These lakes are of freshwater and can get quite warm, they are also patrolled by lifeguards in the summer period.

Hostens

This lake is about 40mins drive and takes you through the large pine forest of Gascony.

This is a large complex with several sandy beaches and many picnic areas. They have pedalo's and windsurfing, also a cycle track around the perimeter where bikes are available for hire, and on the far side a designated area for fishing. Although there are several small restaurants they mainly only serve snacks.

Castlejaloux

The lake is on the outskirts of the town opposite the golf course, and is set in a large tourist region. On the sandy beach there is a beach bar and a restaurant which extends over the lake, a children’s play area with a water slide also small boats, windsurfing etc which can be hired. This complex is about half an hour’s drive from us.

Three Holiday Properties to let in
Auros Aquitaine

Sleeps
6+ Baby,
4 & 2