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Two people paddle a red canoe on the calm Dordogne beneath a stone village built against the cliffs

Sample journey · 10–12 days

South-west France: from the Bordeaux vineyards to the Basque shore

Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion, the Dordogne, the Lot valley, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz & Espelette

Photo: Jean-Claude Dumont / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

South-west France is a place where the table and the landscape speak the same language. The Bordeaux vineyards give way to the oak woods of the Périgord, where Ice Age paintings hide in caves beneath limestone cliffs and market squares smell of walnuts, duck and truffles. Further south the hills turn greener, the shutters turn red, and suddenly the Atlantic is in front of you.

This sample route takes its time: each place gets at least a couple of nights, and the days leave room for long lunches and evenings by the river. It suits a couple who love wine and old towns, but it works just as well with children, since canoes, caves and beaches fit together naturally here. Treat it as a starting point, to be shaped around your own pace.

The route

The journey

  1. Bordeaux
  2. Saint-Émilion
  3. The Dordogne (Sarlat, Lascaux IV)
  4. The Lot valley (Saint-Cirq-Lapopie)
  5. Biarritz
  6. Saint-Jean-de-Luz
  7. Espelette and the Basque villages
  1. The tiled roofs and stone houses of Saint-Émilion, with rolling vineyards beyond

    01Days 1–3 · Bordeaux & Saint-Émilion

    Golden stone and wine cellars

    The first day belongs to Bordeaux: a walk along the Garonne quays, the Water Mirror before the Place de la Bourse, and dinner in the Chartrons, where old wine merchants' warehouses have become bistros. Then barely an hour's drive to Saint-Émilion, a limestone town rising above its vineyards. It's worth staying among the vines here: one day for a tasting at a small family estate, and an evening walk through lanes that empty once the day visitors have gone.

  2. A narrow street in Sarlat's old town, with golden-stone houses and steep roofs

    02Days 4–6 · The Dordogne

    Market, river and Ice Age art

    Around two hours' drive east, and you're in the Périgord. Sarlat, the base for three nights, becomes one of France's loveliest markets on a Saturday morning: walnuts, cheeses, duck, and truffles in season. One day goes to the Vézère valley, where the Lascaux IV centre faithfully recreates the famous cave paintings, and nearby caves sometimes still allow a visit to original prehistoric images. Another day is spent in a canoe on the Dordogne, drifting past the cliffs of Beynac and La Roque-Gageac, with picnics on the shingle banks.

  3. The stone houses and church of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie on a wooded cliff above the Lot valley

    03Days 7–8 · The Lot valley

    A village clinging to the cliff

    An hour and a half south, the landscape turns drier and quieter. Saint-Cirq-Lapopie hangs on a cliff above the river Lot, and in the evening, once the coaches have left, its stone lanes belong to the people staying the night. In the morning you could walk the old towpath cut straight into the rock beside the river, and in the afternoon turn into the Célé valley or visit the Pech Merle cave, where original prehistoric paintings survive. Dinner comes with a glass of Cahors, a wine as dark as ink.

  4. Fishing boats in the harbour of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, with the Basque mountains behind

    04Days 9–10 · Biarritz & Saint-Jean-de-Luz

    Atlantic light and a fishing harbour

    The longest leg of the trip, about four and a half hours through Gascony, with a lunch stop in Armagnac country. On the coast, the base is Biarritz or quieter Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Biarritz means surfers on the Grande Plage, the view from the lighthouse and the walk out to the Rocher de la Vierge. Saint-Jean-de-Luz is gentler: a sheltered bay where children can swim, a fishing harbour with its tuna boats and a Basque kitchen ruled by fish and peppers.

  5. Green Basque hills and pastures wrapped in morning mist

    05Days 11–12 · The Basque villages

    Peppers on the walls, sheep on the hills

    The last full day heads inland from the coast. In autumn, strings of red peppers dry on the white walls of Espelette, Ainhoa and Sare look as if time paused a century ago, and the old rack railway climbs La Rhune, from where you can see both France and Spain. Lunch is at a village inn, with sheep's cheese and black-cherry jam. The flight home leaves from Biarritz or, if more convenient, from Bordeaux.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    A night among the Saint-Émilion vines

    Morning and evening in a limestone town, when almost all the day visitors have gone.

  2. 02

    Ice Age art in the Vézère valley

    The recreated paintings of Lascaux IV and, if tickets allow, original cave images nearby.

  3. 03

    A canoe beneath the Dordogne's castles

    A calm stretch of river that suits beginners and families with children alike.

  4. 04

    The Basque table

    Fish in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Espelette peppers and sheep's cheese in a hill village.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With children

    More time on the river and the beach, a farmhouse with a pool in the Périgord and shorter drives, for example a night in Gascony on the way to the coast.

  • More room for wine

    Add a day among the châteaux of the Médoc or the hills of Entre-Deux-Mers, and a tasting at a Cahors estate in the Lot.

  • Over the border into Spain

    San Sebastián is less than an hour from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, so the journey could end with an evening of pintxos, or continue into Green Spain.

  • Outside summer

    September and October are often calmer and still warm: the grape harvest, Espelette's pepper festival and walnut season in the Périgord.

Practical considerations

  • This is a self-drive journey: most legs take one to two hours, with only the move from the Lot to the coast running longer, at around four and a half hours.
  • Lascaux IV, and especially the caves with original paintings, admit a limited number of visitors, so tickets are worth booking well ahead.
  • In July and August the Dordogne towns and the Basque coast are busy and places to stay fill early; spring and early autumn are usually calmer.
  • The Atlantic can be cool even in summer, and the surf strong, so on Basque beaches it's best to swim where lifeguards are on duty.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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