Bordeaux

Surrounded by some of the world's most famous vineyards and France's second largest Atlantic port, Bordeaux is an elegant city with stunning 18th century architecture, tree lined boulevards and a culturally vibrant centre to rival even Paris.

With a history that is embroiled in the Romans, the fight with the English in the Hundred Years War, the wine trade and numerous Chateaux with stories of scandal between Royalty and the nobility, the Bordeaux region is one that is worth exploring. The city itself is beautiful, offering an outstanding architectural heritage and packed full of art galleries, excellent food, good shopping and wide boulevards which are largely pedestrianised.

Situated within the French Department of the Gironde, where the mouths of the rivers Garonne and Dordogne merge, Bordeaux and its wine region stretch from Soulac-sur-Mer and the Medoc in the north to the vineyards of Graves and Cerons in the south. The Cote d'Argent, Europe's longest beach, forms the coastline to the west and attracts many surfers to the Lacanau area and the coastal resorts of Arcachon, Pyla and Cap Ferret. Whilst to the east of the Department lie the vineyards of the Saint Emilion region that lead into the Dordogne.