Holiday rentals and lettings in southwestern France

The southwest of France welcomes you for your next week of holidays in the sun. You will find a rich selection of rentals in this part of the territory, from the small downtown studio to the beachfront villa and the letting in an old renovated farmhouse. Discover this region of incredible cultural diversity by booking a rental in the southwest for your holiday.

The French southwest includes regions as different as the Charentes, Périgord, Basque or Languedoc. It has both an important mountain massif, the Pyrenees, and hundreds of kilometres of coastline along the Atlantic coast. The main cities in the southwest are Bordeaux, Toulouse, Pau, Bayonne and Agen.

Since 2017, it has taken just over two hours by TGV to reach Bordeaux from Paris and four and a half hours to reach Saint-Jean-de-Luz, very close to the Spanish border. If you wish to travel to Toulouse, plan about five hours by TGV. Of course, the duration of the trip will be much longer if you arrive by road but owning your own vehicle could be very useful once you get there.

The prefecture of Gironde and New Aquitaine is celebrated throughout the world for its beauty, its art of living, its great wines and its culinary specialities. Along the streets, you will frequently see Baillardran shops, renowned for offering the best canelés in Bordeaux. This little cake flavoured with vanilla and rum and then baked in a copper mould is indeed one of the city's emblematic delicacies. La Toque Cuivrée is also particularly famous for its canelés. On the sweet side, take advantage of your visit to Bordeaux to taste the vine shoots of the Médoc, tasty pieces of candied oranges coated with chocolate, as well as blown tiles with hazelnuts called Bordeaux crackers. Is it more like an invigorating meal you want? You will have a lot of choice since we eat particularly well in Bordeaux. Let yourself be tempted by a monkfish in Bordeaux sauce, a rib steak, veal liver or caviar made from sturgeon eggs caught in the Garonne. Sprinkle it all with a local grand cru, for example a Médoc or a Saint-Emilion.

The southwest of France is famous for its delicious local products. At aperitif time, pintxos are king. These are small sandwiches on which you can spread all kinds of toppings, such as crab crumbs or anchovy cream. As a general rule, Basque cuisine gives pride of place to seafood products such as bluefin tuna, chipirons, crayfish and crab, but it is also renowned for its delicious delicatessen products. The xingar, a variant of the belly, and the Bayonne ham are among the must-sees. Finally, dare to mix surprising mixtures by combining a beautiful slice of Ossau-Iraty with locally produced black cherry jelly.

The Atlantic coast of southwestern France has a large number of seaside resorts. The one in Biarritz is particularly famous for its vast beach but also for its waves loved by surfers. Saint-Jean-de-Luz, on the other hand, attracts a more family-friendly audience. If you wish to fish on foot, go to Arcachon and Plage du Moulleau. Not far from there, the Corniche Beach allows you to attack the impressive Dune du Pilat.

The extreme southwest of France is covered by part of the Pyrenees massif. Enjoy an exceptional natural setting by going to Grand Valira, the largest resort in the Pyrenees. It has no less than 132 downhill ski slopes for a total length of 210 kilometres. Parents with young children often prefer the Saint-Lary-Soulan resort. Small skiers can exercise at will thanks to the presence of children's slopes, a kid park and a toboggan area.

The southwest is particularly culturally rich. Contemporary art lovers must absolutely visit the Abattoirs de Toulouse and the CAPC de Bordeaux, two former industrial spaces that have been magnificently renovated to display daring works. Smaller municipalities can also reserve beautiful surprises, such as Montauban, Ingres' birthplace, which has a vast museum dedicated to neo-classical painting.

Often presented as one of the most beautiful French cities, Toulouse charms with its relaxed atmosphere, bright sunshine and sumptuous historical monuments. A stroll in the Pink City will allow you to admire magnificent buildings such as the Saint-Sernin Basilica, the Saint-Etienne Cathedral or the Jacobins Convent.

The region is full of small rural villages with picturesque charm. One of the most magical is certainly Rocamadour, an ancient medieval village perched at the top of a cliff. Another marvel, La Roque-Gageac has the particularity of presenting many troglodyte dwellings, dug right into the rock.