France has a wide range of appeals to offer clients, whether they are interested in art, culture, food, history or wine.

The France Tourism Development Agency is promoting the regions of Aquitaine and Burgundy this year – and the two areas are special exhibitors at the French Travel Workshop, being held in Auckland next month.

The two regions have attractions ranging from tourist “wine roads” and vineyards to beaches and spas, history and architecture.

Traveltrade takes a look at some of the highlights from these two French regions and beyond.

Appeals of Aquitaine

Situated in south-west France, Aquitaine is one of the largest regions in Europe.

It has 270km of fine sandy beaches and Bordeaux is the regional capital, which is listed as a world heritage site.

Key reasons to visit Aquitaine:

• Regional capital Bordeaux plus Bayonne, Pau, Périgueux and the coastal towns of Arcachon, Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

• The Bordeaux wine region constitutes the largest region of fine wines in the world, while the rest of Aquitaine also offers plenty of additional wines.

• One for gastronomists – asparagus from Landes, foie gras, duck fillet, duck and goose confit, Aquitaine caviar, oysters from Arcachon-Cap Ferret, Périgord walnuts, Cabécou cheese, Tomme cheese from the Pyrenees.

• 270km of sandy beaches and breaks for surf lovers. The resorts of Lacanau, Hossegor, Anglet and Biarritz are enjoyed by surfers from all over the world for their waves and the competitions they host.

• Eco attractions like the Landes de Gascogne forest), the Pyrenees national park, the Landes de Gascogne regional nature park (a historical pine forest) and the Périgord-Limousin regional nature park – a forest of European minks, otters and broadleaf trees.

• The châteaux and valley of the Dordogne – from Vézac to Trémolat, there are fortified villages and châteaux from when the French and the Gascons fought during the Hundred Years War.

• Festivals are a permanent feature of the Aquitaine lifestyle based on wine, gastronomy, the sea, dance, music and traditional games.

Aquitaine’s urban attractions

Bordeaux

The regional capital blends past and present with its 18th-century architecture alongside more modern buildings in the city centre and an array of shopping, museums, cultural attractions and events. Bordeaux is an ideal starting point for excursions into the nearby wine regions.

Bayonne

This town in the Basque Country has an old town famous for its arches and the chocolate makers working in their shade, the gothic Sainte Marie Cathedral and the historic saga of the Jewish families who fled from Spain and Portugal and settled there. The beaches of Anglet (thought to be the most beautiful on the Basque coast) are next to the town.

Périgueux

Périgueux has Aquitaine’s Gallo-Roman remains. Festivals there include the Mimos festival in early August, the universal language of mime, and the New Orleans Music Festival (FNOP) in homage to a local who created the French quarter in New Orleans.

Pau

The Boulevard des Pyrénées is a favourite spot among locals where they sit on the terraces of the cafés in the shade, looking over the Pyrenean peaks.

The Jurançon wine area is nearby and the castle of Henri IV, the Maison

Bernadotte and the Fine Arts Museum are all essential sites to visit. The

Basque coast is one and-a-half hours’ drive away and Lourdes a one-hour drive away.

Pictured (top): Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

and (bottom): Dining in Bordeaux

Images: Courtesy of Atout France