New Aquitaine: Discovering France's largest region

Travelling through this vast region from north to south, tourists pass through successive panoramas of forest, seaside, valleys and high mountains. Comprising 12 départements: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Corrèze, Dordogne, Lot et Garonne, Gironde, Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region has twelve faces, all different, but all splendid and rich in history and striking landscapes. It's hard to make a choice and visit just one part of this region. That's why many tourists are regulars, coming back year after year to continue discovering New Aquitaine and its different profiles.

Starting in the north, the Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne are the land of man since prehistoric times. Between forests and verdant valleys watered by the Garonne, the Dordogne and numerous rivers, these two departments are like an open-air museum. A giant footprint of the first traces of mankind on earth. Caves, prehistoric sites, bastions, castles and religious buildings tell the story of the first pages of French history.

A land of people, these two departments, with their omnipresent nature, are also full of gastronomic treasures, with products so dear to the French terroir such as foie gras, duck confits, truffles and ceps.

Further east is the Gironde. While the previous two départements offer gourmet cuisine, we're here to discover the rich wine-growing tradition of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, with its world-famous Bordeaux grands crus. Inland, of course, it's the vineyards that dominate the landscape, but with Arcachon and Bordeaux, the wide open seas offer visitors vast horizons. The architecture of the magnificent 17th-century mansions bears witness to a human savoir-faire of great delicacy.

As you head further south towards the Pyrenees, the Landes region opens up. The landscape here is divided between the long beaches and towns by the ocean, living to the rhythm of the tides and the surfers (Biscarosse, Hossegor, Mimizan) and one of the largest forests in Europe, the Landes de Gascogne.

As you approach the Basque Country, the culture of the people becomes stronger and stronger. Traditions and history are the pride of the region's children, who keep the legacy of their ancestors alive during the férias, with the Landes races featuring stilt-walking shepherds.

To the very south, the Pyrenees mountain range forms the border with Spain, and this is the department of the Pyrénées Atlantiques. And it's fair to say that the inhabitants of this region are made of the same wood as the land that gave birth to them. Here, the strength of the ocean meets the ruggedness of the mountains. Between the immense forests (the Iraty forest), the mountains (the Pyrenees) and the ocean shores, there is enough to forge the character and accent of an entire people.

While the Basque region has historically been influenced by the ocean, with towns such as Biarritz, Anglet and Hendaye, which were popular havens for privateers in the 16th and 17th centuries, Béarn and its mountains are more land-based and are at the centre of the Pyrenees National Park.