Page 148 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Guided tours of the
TRIP HIGHLIGHT town (adult/child from 3 Biarritz
2 St-Émilion €8/free) and surrounding Biarritz is as ritzy as
Built of soft honey- chateaux are run by the its name suggests. This
tourist office (%05 57 55 28
coloured rock, medieval 28; www.saint-emilion-tourisme. coastal town boomed as
St-Émilion produces com; place des Créneaux; a resort in the mid-19th
some of the world’s finest h9.30am-7.30pm Jul & Aug, century, when regularly
red wines. Visiting this shorter hours rest of year); visited by Napoléon III
pretty town, and partak- reserve ahead in season. and his Spanish-born
ing in some of the tours Several tours include tast- wife, Eugénie. Along
and activities on offer, ings and vineyard visits. its rocky coastline are
is the easiest way to get architectural hallmarks
under the (grape) skin of 54 p151 of this golden age, and the
Bordeaux wine produc- belle-époque and art-deco
tion. The Maison du The Drive » Leave St-Émilion eras that followed.
on the D243 to Libourne, cross
Vin de St-Émilion (www. the town, then pick up the D1089 Biarritz is all about
maisonduvinsaintemilion.com; signposted ‘Agen, Bergerac, its fashionable beaches,
place Pierre Meyrat; h9.30am- Bordeaux’. Continue on the N89 especially the central
12.30pm & 2-6.30pm) runs towards Bordeaux until you see Grande Plage and Plage
wine-tasting classes and signs for the A630 toll road – at Miramar. In the heat of
FRANCE 10 ATLANTIC TO MED
has a superb exhibition which point sit back and hit summer you’ll find them
covering wine essentials. cruise control for the remaining packed end to end with
226km to Biarritz. Count 240km sun-loving bathers.
and about 2½ hours in all.

DETOUR:
ÎLE DE RÉ
Start: 1 La Rochelle (p145)
Bathed in the southern sun, drenched in a languid atmosphere and scattered with
villages of green-shuttered, whitewashed buildings with red Spanish-tile roofs, Île
de Ré is one of the most delightful places on the west coast of France. The island
spans just 30km from its most easterly and westerly points, and just 5km at its
widest section. But take note: the secret’s out and in high season it can be almost
impossible to move around and even harder to find a place to stay.
On the northern coast about 12km from the toll bridge that links the island
to La Rochelle is the quaint fishing port of St-Martin-de-Ré, the island’s main
town. Surrounded by 17th-century fortifications (you can stroll along most of the
ramparts) constructed by Vauban, the port town is a mesh of streets filled with craft
shops, art galleries and sea-spray ocean views.
The island’s best beaches are along the southern edge – including unofficial
naturist beaches at Rivedoux Plage and La Couarde-sur-Mer – and around the
western tip (northeast and southeast of Phare-des-Baleines). Many beaches are
bordered by dunes that have been fenced off to protect the vegetation.
From La Rochelle it’s 24km and a half-hour drive to St-Martin-de-Ré via the toll
bridge, Pont de l’Île de Ré (www.pont-ile-de-re.com; return ticket €16 mid-June to
mid-September, €8 rest of the year).

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