The Nouvelle Aquitaine consists of the former regions of Aquitaine, Poitou Charente and Limousin, all merged into a new and very large one! Think about this region as ‘the South West by the Ocean’, bordered at the south by the Pyrénées mountains and the atlantic coast to the west.
This area usually enjoys warm winters, 4 'proper' seasons, it can be wet in some places because of the influence of the gulf stream, the ocean and the mountains to the south, but it enjoys plenty of sunshine in the summer.
It is famous for the Pyrénées, its superb food and specialities, slower pace of life, the stone properties and manoirs, beaches perfect for surfers, rugby history, classic Tour de France climbs and mountains for skiers or hikers, all accessible thanks to a good choice of international airports (Bergerac, Bordeaux, Brive...) and train stations.
The Nouvelle Aquitaine region is composed of 12 departments, including Dordogne, Charente, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne and Pyrénées-Atlantiques, just to name a few, each with it’s own traditions, culture and history. The capital city of Nouvelle Aquitaine is Bordeaux, the other main cities of this region are Périgueux, Bergerac, Limoges, Angouleme, Agen, Pau, Arcachon...