France road trip: 10 cities in 6 days

Hi! My name is Natasha and I am travel-addicted.

I love traveling for a long time and seriously. My beloved and I try to break out of the daily Kyiv routine at least once every two months.

After all the places "for a tick" have already been visited, my soul wants something new, non-standard! That's why it was decided to buy air tickets and buy a small Fiat 500 at the airport! And everything that happened further - pure improvisation.

I would like to share a cool route through the south-western part of France, which we explored on our "mad vizhik", having overcome 2000 km in 6 days.

Day 1

Our journey started with renting a car in Barcelona and moving to France. The choice of the first stop fell on the fortress of Carcassonne, which is three hours away from Barcelona.

The town itself is very small, a tour from the car window is enough, but the fortress is worth a visit.

Take a couple of hours to walk around. Inside the fortress walls is a small medieval town with narrow streets, restaurants, souvenir shops and a basilica.

From Carcassonne we went to Toulouse. The drive took about two hours. We stayed at NovotelCenter Wilson - a good 4-category hotel on a very picturesque and cozy square named after President Wilson in the center of the city. President Wilson Square in the center of the city.

The hotel recommended that we have dinner at a small restaurant called Meet the Meat nearby. The cuisine is simple, the portions are large, the service is pleasant, and most importantly - delicious!

Day 2

Had a sightseeing tour of the center in the morning - clean and cute little town. Had lunch on the square, at the rather popular Chez Emile cafe. There we tasted a local delicacy - fried pigeon.

After lunch we went to the Dordogne river valley, Perigord province. Distance - 180 km along the picturesque green area. We stopped in a beautiful and romantic place - Les Jardins de Marqueyssac (Marquessac Gardens).

We didn't expect it to be so beautiful, and to our dismay, we didn't arrive until 19:00. And the garden closes at 20:00 - only an hour for everything.

Marqueyssac is located on the territory of a private estate (chateau) of the same name, owned by a family whose history dates back to the XVII century. Marqueyssac stretches for 800 meters, the beauty is unbelievable! The view of the river and the surrounding area is simply mesmerizing!

After the walk we went to the final point of the day - the nearby town of Sarlat-la-Canéda, rightfully considered the capital of foie gras.

We decided to choose a hotel near the medieval town and stayed in a small Hotel de Compostelle.

In the evening we walked around the medieval part of the city and it just struck our imagination! It felt like being in a fairy tale. Not a single building has changed since the Middle Ages!

We went to Les Jardins d'Harmonie for dinner, recommended by the Michelin guide. The location is magical! The very heart of the Old Town, surrounded by medieval houses. The cuisine is a solid 5.

Day 3

La Roque-Gageac, which is a 10 minute drive away. The village is in the top of the most beautiful villages in France. It should be noted that among the 100 most beautiful villages in France, 10 are exactly in the Dordogne river valley!

We had breakfast with the famous Perigord salad and, naturally, foie gras in the restaurant L'Auberge des Platanes at the hotel of the same name.

La Roque-Gajac is located on the bank of the same Dordogne. The places here are really magnificent - the water is the purest, transparent! Local entertainment can include riding both on an ancient ship and on a more extreme two-seater canoe.

The village itself stretches along the river, and the buildings go up along the cliff. It's worth setting aside no more than 2 hours to visit. Enough for a leisurely stroll, lots of beautiful photos - and a meal.

The next point is Château de Beynac and the adjoining village of the same name. Here we were lucky - all the beauties in one place. Again, the drive is no longer than 10 minutes.

The castle is very impressive! It was built in XI century, once belonged to Richard the Lionheart himself, and also served as a shooting place for the movie "Joan of Arc" by Luc Besson.

The adjoining village is tiny but very colorful: small buildings, old solid paving stones and a very special spirit. The spirit of real history!

The castle is situated on a high hill, so the view is stunning - the picturesque valley of the Dordogne River with its variety of castles and chateaux.

Visiting the castle delighted with the presence of attributes of the Middle Ages, which creates a sense of complete immersion in history.

Next our way lay in Bordeaux. Distances here are small, so the road took only 2 hours.

We stopped on the central pedestrian street in Quality Hotel Bordeaux Centre. For dinner we went to the fish Le Petit Commerce in the old part of the city. The restaurant turned out to be crowded! In the evening you will have to wait 10-15 minutes for a table. But at the bar with a glass of good Bordeaux it is not difficult.

The wait was definitely worth it: small tables on a narrow street, lots of noisy people, flying waiters with huge platefuls of delicious seafood and, of course, lots and lots of wine.

Day 4

In the morning we set off to explore Bordeaux. The central part of the city can be easily walked around in 1.5-2 hours. In some places the city reminds Paris with its monumentality and pomp. And in some places even Rome - narrow winding streets, small squares with fountains.

The central square in front of the Parliament is probably the most memorable attraction. Every 15 minutes during the day, a few centimeters of water fills the square. At these moments it takes on three guises. The first is called "mirror": in windless weather, the stunningly beautiful Parliament building is reflected in the water, which is called the mirror effect. The second condition is fog. The water atomizes and creates a beautiful haze. The third is one continuous fountain, a favorite place for tourists' photos and summer bathing.

After lunch we went to a wine chateau, a 15 minute drive from Bordeaux. We really wanted to visit such a winery with history and tradition on our trip, but it costs a couple weeks to book visits there. So we, trying to organize something in a day, failed miserably. Chateau Le Taillan Medoc was recommended to us at the hotel. In general, we are the kind of tourists who rarely listen to the recommendations of hotel staff, because we are sure that all these places are too touristy and "unauthentic". But on this trip we were lucky as never before! The trip turned out to be very spontaneous, but we didn't regret it one bit.

Le Taillan Medoc is a beautiful estate, incredibly bright and well-maintained grounds with doll-like wrought iron tables and chairs. We didn't manage to visit the wine cellar, as we didn't manage to get to the last excursion. But tasting of the best wines of the chateau with the local sommelier was absolutely free and without prior appointment. In general, you can come there any day before 18:00 and just walk around! Dense coniferous forest, vineyards and magnificent architecture of the estate do their job - it is not a tourist place, therefore, probably, it has preserved the real spirit of the French wine chateau. By the way, wine production has been the main business of the winemaking family that owns this château since the 19th century.

Another true Bordeaux château awaited us on this day, but as an overnight stop. Château Julie is an early 18th century château hotel in the village of Virsac, with its own production and vineyards. The hotel is run by a very nice family, which makes you feel like you are visiting relatives. The grounds are small but very well maintained and beautiful, pleasantly surprised by the spacious and stylish rooms!

The chateau is located in a tiny village, more specifically in a field. So for dinner we went to the neighboring village Saint-André-de-Cubzac, to the restaurant Café de la Gare. The food was delicious, but the service spoiled the impression a bit. Waiters don't speak even rudimentary English, which apparently made them avoid our table. We had to literally almost take them by the hand and lead them to our table!

Day 5

The morning started at 5 am with a rooster singing somewhere on the outskirts of the village - something new for metropolis dwellers. But it had its own charm. And for me it was a little childhood dream come true - to be a princess in my castle at least a little bit.

We went down to the courtyard for breakfast. To the surprise of the hostess, we chose not tables covered with white tablecloths, but a large table of rough wood, probably used for household purposes.

Breakfast was quite simple, but when you eat in the courtyard of an ancient castle, in the shade of a thick oak tree, a fresh croissant with jam and flavored coffee is all you need, isn't it?

Next we traveled north to the town of Arcachon.

The 150 km drive took about 2 hours. Our main goal was to see the largest sand dune in Europe - Dune du Pilat. There are quite a lot of tourists, but thanks to the length of the dune at 3 km, pandemonium can be easily avoided. "Conquer" the sandy peak of 170 meters can be either by steps or by climbing on foot.

The view from the top is crazy! On one side - the Atlantic Ocean and part of the coast of the Gulf of Arcachon, and on the opposite side - a dense green forest and villages. By the way, every year the dune absorbs 5 meters of land.

Tourists here have fun as they can: someone tumbles down the sand, and someone goes down on a board ...

An hour is enough for everything. We decided to have lunch nearby, in the town of Arcachon. The road to the seafront takes no more than 15 minutes. An Italian restaurant on the ocean shore pleased us with fresh seafood and cool pink wine.

After lunch we set off to the final point of our route - the city of Biarritz, the pearl of the Atlantic coast of France.

Two hours later we arrived at our destination. The hotel was chosen the night before we left, as we had done all the previous ones. We were very lucky to book the last room at the fabulous Château Du Clair De Lune. The early twentieth-century mansion, formerly owned by a lady of blue blood, now serves as a small boutique hotel in the northern part of the city, away from the hustle and bustle and the bustling waterfront.

Enchanting and unusual architecture, interior decoration and gorgeous view from the pool area - all this fascinated us so much that for the first time in the whole trip we decided to spend 2(!!!) nights in one place.

We came to Biarritz on July 14, on Bastille Day - one of the most important national holidays in France. That's why we spent the evening on the seafront, contemplating fireworks.

Actually, the promenade is the only place to spend time in the city. One part is a long municipal beach with a lot of sunbathers, and the other is a paradise for surfers, who fly here from different parts of Europe. Walking along this part of the coast, we happened upon a surf party with live music and cocktails.

Since Biarritz is located in the West, the sunsets here are incredible! Every café along the coast has a sunset ritual in the evening with DJ sets and cocktails.

The morning at Château Du Clair De Lune began with breakfast on the beautiful veranda with a picturesque view and a couple of glasses of champagne.

If there is a desire to swim in the ocean, you should do it in nearby towns. For example, the beaches of Bidar, located 7 minutes away, are much nicer. That's where we went, however, with the purpose of having a delicious lunch on the shore. The hotel employee recommended us La Plancha restaurant. Right at the entrance we were met by a mega-positive administrator, sat down at the bar, treated us with Prosecco and offered to wait for a table we liked.

The wait lasted no more than 15 minutes and it was definitely worth it! Fresh seafood, a delicious dessert and we were happy!

On our return to Biarritz we walked along its central streets, went to the famous Hôtel du Palais, walked along the seafront and went for dinner to the very popular Chez Albert. A queue at the entrance is always a sign of good cuisine and quality service. And so it turned out to be.

After dinner we walked along the night coast and returned to the hotel. I should add that our decision to spend two nights there was belated, as all rooms were booked long ago. But the woman at the front desk was very responsive and offered us to spend the second night in a villa on the hotel grounds. Usually the villa is fully rented out, but the management decided to rent out a couple rooms for a slightly higher fee.

The room turned out to be gorgeous! Overall, staying in this incredible chateau is what made our stay in Biarritz so magical. The city itself deserves only a three-hour walk on the way to, say, San Sebastian in Spain.

Day 6

The final day of the trip we actually spent in the car, driving 600 km to Barcelona, from where we had a return flight to Kyiv.

After having dinner at our favorite restaurant Barceloneta, we went home - with a full baggage of unforgettable impressions and emotions!

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