Atlantic Coast - Lonely...
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POP 4,717,460 Best Places to Eat ¨ La Ribaudière (p628) ¨ Cocotte Restaurant (p615) ¨ Marché des Capucins (p633) ¨ Le Thiers Temp (p624) ¨ Le Cheverus Café (p633) Best Places to Stay ¨ Maison Flore (p619) ¨ Hotel Sōzō (p615) ¨ La Maison Douce (p626) ¨ Ecolodge des Chartrons (p631) ¨ L’Hôtel Particulier (p632) When to Go May–Jun Duck- lings are splashing around the Marais Poitevin and it’s a prime time to visit La Rochelle. Jun–Sep The beaches are bathed in sunshine but there are no high-season crowds. Sep–Oct Grape- harvesting season around Bordeaux, and oyster and cèpe mushroom season all over. Atlantic Coast Why Go? With quiet country roads winding through vine-striped hills and wild stretches of coastal sand interspersed with misty islands, the Atlantic coast is where France gets back to nature. Much more laid-back than the Med (but with al- most as much sunshine), this is the place to slow the pace right down. But the Atlantic coast can do cities and culture as well. There’s bourgeois Bordeaux with its wonderful old centre, lively Nantes with its wealth of fascinating museums, and salty La Rochelle with its breathtaking aquarium and beau- tiful portside setting. The one thing that unites the people of this area is a love of the finer things in life. The region’s exceptional wine is famous worldwide, and to accompany it you’ll find ocean- fresh seafood wherever you go, plus plenty of regional delicacies – including crêpes in the north, snails in the centre and foie gras in the south. Includes ¨ Nantes ............. 612 Poitiers ............. 617 Marais Poitevin ...... 619 La Rochelle ........ 620 Île de Ré ........... 625 Cognac ............ 626 Bordeaux .......... 628 St-Émilion ......... 638 Arcachon ........... 641 F D N O S A J J M A M J Bordeaux °C/°F Temp Rainfall Inches/mm 0 5/125 6/150 2/50 3/75 4/100 1/25 10/50 0/32 -10/14 30/86 40/104 20/68 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Transcript of Atlantic Coast - Lonely...
POP 4,717,460
Best Places to Eat ¨ La Ribaudière (p628)
¨ Cocotte Restaurant (p615)
¨ Marché des Capucins (p633)
¨ Le Thiers Temp (p624)
¨ Le Cheverus Café (p633)
Best Places to Stay
¨ Maison Flore (p619)
¨ Hotel Sōzō (p615)
¨ La Maison Douce (p626)
¨ Ecolodge des Chartrons (p631)
¨ L’Hôtel Particulier (p632)
When to Go
May–Jun Duck-lings are splashing around the Marais Poitevin and it’s a prime time to visit La Rochelle.
Jun–Sep The beaches are bathed in sunshine but there are no high-season crowds.
Sep–Oct Grape- harvesting season around Bordeaux, and oyster and cèpe mushroom season all over.
Atlantic CoastWhy Go?With quiet country roads winding through vine-striped hills and wild stretches of coastal sand interspersed with misty islands, the Atlantic coast is where France gets back to nature. Much more laid-back than the Med (but with al-most as much sunshine), this is the place to slow the pace right down.
But the Atlantic coast can do cities and culture as well. There’s bourgeois Bordeaux with its wonderful old centre, lively Nantes with its wealth of fascinating museums, and salty La Rochelle with its breathtaking aquarium and beau-tiful portside setting.
The one thing that unites the people of this area is a love of the finer things in life. The region’s exceptional wine is famous worldwide, and to accompany it you’ll find ocean-fresh seafood wherever you go, plus plenty of regional delicacies – including crêpes in the north, snails in the centre and foie gras in the south.
Includes ¨Nantes . . . . . . . . . . . . .612Poitiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617Marais Poitevin . . . . . .619La Rochelle . . . . . . . . 620Île de Ré . . . . . . . . . . . 625Cognac . . . . . . . . . . . . 626Bordeaux . . . . . . . . . . 628St-Émilion . . . . . . . . . 638Arcachon . . . . . . . . . . .641
F DNOSAJJMAMJ
Bordeaux°C/°F Temp Rainfall Inches/mm
0
5/125
6/150
2/50
3/75
4/100
1/25
10/50
0/32
-10/14
30/86
40/104
20/68
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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1 Gliding through the emerald-green waters of the Marais Poitevin (p619), the ‘Green Venice’
2 Diving deep under the waves and coming face to face with wobbly jellyfish and jaw-gnashing sharks at La Rochelle’s incredible aquarium (p621)
3 Cycling the smooth, flat bike paths criss-crossing the sunbaked Île de Ré (p625)
4 Riding a three-storey, 60-tonne mechanical elephant in Nantes (p612)
5 Touring the dramatically floodlit buildings and monuments making up the world’s largest Unesco-
listed urban area in central Bordeaux (p628)
6 Satisfing your craving for wine in St-Émilion (p638), home to some of the world’s most famous wines
7 Admiring the views from the summit of the Dune du Pilat (p642), Europe’s highest sand dune
Atlantic Coast Highlights
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Presqu'île deGuérande
ATLANTICOCEAN
Bay ofBiscay
Bay ofBiscay
DEUX-SÈVRES
CHARENTE-MARITIME
CHARENTE
VENDÉE VIENNE
INDRE-ET-LOIRE
MAINE-ET-LOIRE
LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE
LOT-ET-GARONNE
GIRONDE
DORDOGNE
Lac deGrand-Lieu
Loire
Parc NaturelRégional desLandes de Cascogne
Parc Naturel Régionalde Millevachesen Limousin
Parc NaturelRégional Périgord-
Limousin
Forêt deChinon
Forêt de leChêne-Rond
Parc NaturelInterrégional
du Marais Poitevin
Sevre
Indre
Thou
et
I sle
Vien
ne
Creuse
Cher
Lot
V ézère
Loire
Dordogne
Aunis
Aquitaine
Angoulême
Poitou
Saintonge
Côte
d'A
rgen
t
Vezère Valley
Cognac
Margaux
Pauillac
Arcachon
GujanMestras
LeCroisic
Saintes
Cap Ferret
LaBaule
Poitiers
St-Nazaire
La Roche-sur-Yon
Lège
Blaye
Barbezleux
Pointede Grave
Mirebeau
Lucon
Cholet
Bressuire
Parthenay
Loudun
Arçais
Fontenay-le-Comte
Niort
Rezé
Challans
St-Jean-de-Monts
Royan
Melle
St-Jean-d'Angély
La Fumée
Rochefort
Angers
Tours
Angoulême
Futuroscope
MoutonRothschild &
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/·A10#1MaraisPoitevin
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#3Île de Ré
Nantes#4
Bordeaux#5
#6St-Émilion
Dune du Pilat#7
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