Insight Guides Southwest France

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• Print ISBN: 9781780050546
• eBook ISBN: 9781780055961
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Insight Guide Southwest France is a comprehensive travel guide to this beautiful corner of France, with evocative photography bringing to life its people and landscape. Our inspirational Best of Southwest France section highlights the region's unmissable sights and experiences, while essays by local writers immerse you in the history, culture and way of life of this largely rural region, taking in its lush countryside, dramatic gorges, medieval villages, prehistoric cave art, and food and wine, with a range of special features homing in on topics such as truffles, the Basques and bullrunning.

Fourteen Places chapters then take you on an inspirational trip from Bordeaux and the Southwest Coast, through the Basque Country and the Pyrenees, and on to French Catalonia on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Plentiful full-colour maps show you the way around, with major sights and areas of interest plotted and cross-referenced to the text. Finally, the Travel Tips cover all your practical needs, with a wealth of information to help you plan your trip and our selection of the best hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars.

Accommodation

Choosing

Accommodation in Southwest France varies from grand city hotels or seafront palaces to rudimentary mountain refuges. In between you can rent villas or gîtes, camp, or stay in a wide range of small-town hotels, country auberges (inns) and chambres d’hôtes (bed and breakfast). During the summer it is advisable to book, especially in the coastal regions, but outside the peak holiday period (between mid-July and mid-August, when the French head south en masse) you should find accommodation easily. Some hotels, especially in the Pyrenees and more remote areas, will close between November and February, and most campsites will be closed during the winter months.

Hotels

All hotels in France conform to national standards and carry star ratings, set down by the Ministry of Tourism, according to their degree of comfort and amenities. Prices (which are charged per room, rather than per person) range from as little as €50 for a double room in an unclassified hotel (ie its standards are not sufficient to warrant a single star, but it is likely to be clean, cheap and cheerful), to at least €150 for the cheapest double room in a 5-star luxury hotel.

Hotels are required to display their menus outside, and details of room prices should be visible either outside or in reception, as well as on the back of bedroom doors. It is possible for a hotel to have a 1-star rating, with a 2-star restaurant.

When booking a room you should normally be shown it before agreeing to take it; don’t hesitate to ask to see one or two rooms. Supplements may be charged for an additional bed or a cot (lit bébé). You may be asked when booking if you wish to dine, particularly if the hotel is busy. If you are expecting a meal on arrival, you should confirm that the hotel’s restaurant is open (many are closed out of season on Sunday or Monday evenings).

Lists of hotels can be obtained from the French Government Tourist Office in your country or from regional or local tourist offices in France.

Logis de France

Logis de France is France’s biggest hotel network. It acts as a sort of quality-control stamp for more than 5,000 private hotels in small towns and the French countryside. Most of these hotels are 1- or 2-star, and they vary greatly in facilities, atmosphere and level of service. Contact the Fédération Nationale des Logis et Auberges de France, 83 avenue d’Italie, 75013 Paris; tel: [phone], or the French Government Tourist Office for a Logis de France handbook.

Relais et Châteaux

Relais et Châteaux is a group of prestigious, independently owned hotels and restaurants in historic buildings. A guide to them is available from Relais et Châteaux, 10 Beauchamp Place, London SW3 1NQ; tel: [phone].

Bed and Breakfast

Bed and breakfast (chambre d’hôte) accommodation is fairly widely available in private houses, often on working farms, whose owners are members of the Fédération Nationale des Gîtes Ruraux de France. Bre...

Table of contents

• How To Use This E-Book
• Introduction: Coast to Coast
• Southwest France’s Top 10 Attractions
• Editor’s Choice
• Introduction: People of Southwest France
• Decisive Dates
• History: Cave Painters to Cathars
• History: Centuries of War
• History: Revolution and Republics
• Feature: The Country Life
• Insight: Rural Architecture of the Southwest
• Feature: Romanesque Architecture
• Feature: Sea, Mountain and River
• Insight: The Great Outdoors
• Feature: Wildlife
• Feature: Food in the Southwest
• Feature: Fine Wines
• Introduction: Places
• Bordeaux and the Gironde
• The Dordogne
• Insight: Prehistoric Art of the Cave Dweller
• The Lot
• Aveyron and the Cevennes
• The Tarn
• Toulouse
• Insight: The Aerospace Industry of Toulouse
• Gascony
• Insight: Festivals
• The Basque Country
• The High Pyrenees
• Insight: The Wildlife of the Pyrenees
• The Ariege
• The Aude
• French Catalonia
• Herault and Gard
• Transport
• Accommodation
• Eating Out
• Activities
• A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information
• Understanding the Language
• Further Reading