Getting to Aquitaine

By air

Aquitaine has around half a dozen airports, including Agen, Bergerac, Biarritz-Bayonne, Bordeaux, Pau, and Périgueux.

Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport

Logically, this is the region’s largest airport and the sixth-largest in France outside Paris, with roughly 5 million passengers per year.

Domestically, while the Paris route suffers from competition with the TGV, connections to Lyon, Marseille, and a few other French cities offer some good opportunities—especially with EasyJet. Internationally, Bordeaux-Mérignac has plenty of links to neighbouring countries, particularly the UK, thanks mainly to low-cost airlines. In season, Aquitaine’s capital is also connected to Montreal by Air Transat.

Other airports

For the most part, the region’s other airports offer flights to Paris and, internationally, mainly to England with various low-cost carriers.

Nearby

Other airports close to Aquitaine can serve as entry points to the region, primarily Toulouse and, secondarily, La Rochelle or Limoges.

By road

As expected, Bordeaux remains the regional hub for the motorway network, which regularly causes heavy congestion on Bordeaux’s ring road.[Traffic forecasts: Bison Futé’s traffic predictions.] Five motorways serve the regional capital: the A10 to Paris, the A62 to Toulouse, the A63 to Biarritz and Spain, the A65 to Pau, and the A89 to Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon. There is also the A64, which connects Bayonne to Toulouse.

Bus

Bike

It’s now possible to cycle from the Atlantic (Bordeaux) to the Mediterranean (Narbonne) along the Greenway, following the banks of the Canal du Midi—a nearly 500 km route that also serves as a waterway.

Similarly, there’s a cycle path running from the Spanish border to Pointe du Médoc along the coast.

By train

On the SNCF network, Bordeaux lies on the Paris-Madrid line. The city (and others along the route) is well connected to Paris, reachable in 2 to 3 hours by TGV. The Bordeaux-Paris line is one of France’s busiest, with generally good fares if you book wisely.

Another major SNCF line links Bordeaux to Toulouse and beyond. Though not a TGV route, it’s still a solid option for travel between the two cities.

By sea

Ferries

The northern tip of the Médoc (Le Verdon, Gironde) is connected by ferry to the port of Royan (Charente-Maritime). This ferry crosses the Gironde estuary, saving a long detour for those travelling between the two riverbanks at this point. Each year, around 1 million passengers and 300,000 vehicles use the service. Less busy, another route further south, Blaye-Lamarque, also crosses the same estuary.

Cargo

Cruises

In recent years, Bordeaux and, to a lesser extent, Bayonne, have welcomed cruise ships.