Bordeaux/Perigord – things to do and EV charging advice

Against my better judgement, Mrs S is arranging a holiday for us, including visiting some friends for a few days (hey – life/love is about compromise). We’ll be flying into Bordeaux and hiring a car. I’m looking for must see locations. We’re into hillwalking, running, wild swimming and general sightseeing, but no cycling on this holiday.

To partially assuage my conscience regarding the flight, I’m thinking the hire car should be electric. So, given it’s just the two of us and luggage, what’s a good size to go for regarding range (I’m the anxious type), what is the charging infrastructure like away from larger French cities and what sort of charging “accounts” will I need?

TIA

The old town in Bordeaux is a World Heritage site, worth a wander round. Vineyards? Cave paintings? Lively sea all along that coast and the occasional surf contest.

do an easy paddle on the rivers in the area – Brantome is a good place to start looking

be prepared for most things to be cooked in goose fat

We weren’t using them but during our Alpacker trip we saw plenty of chargers in the mountains, most mid sized villages/towns had a few.

Zapmap is global at least to some degree, not sure if it includes everything. It certainly doesn’t here. Have a zoom around where you are going and see what comes up.

If you get a choice of car it could make quite a big difference to how easy it is, ask on here or the EV thread

We went to the Dordogne and loved it

I’d recommend Baynac for the Chatea. We swam in the river there too.

Lascaux was easy more amazing than a reproduction cave should be.

If i went back I’d be getting on the river if only for the day

I know the area west of Bordeaux really well. I love it. Buts harder to recommend unless your surfing, windsurfing, sailing or cycling

EV charging around Bordeaux is plentiful and cheap. Any recent EV hire car will have adequate range. Take pics of the car from every angle when you pick it up and avoid a drop off time when there is nobody around to check it over with you.

Arcachon beach or Cap Ferret are good spots for a swim if the ocean is wild. If you do swim the ocean read up how to swim out of a baïne and try to avoid getting into one in the first place. Open water swimming in lakes if the ocean is really too wild, Sanguinet is my favourite with crystal clear water. On the way you can stop off at the Dune de Pila which is a pleasant hike beyond the point the tourists often stop.

Hire some bikes and cycle the railway trails to Lacanau or Sauveterre.

Go (window) shopping along Rue Ste Catherine, drop into the tourist office and ask them which vinyards do a good tour

Take the train to St Jean de Luz, walk the coast to Hendaye and walk the Compostelle route back, or take the bus. Do the Rhune walk if you have a car and can park somewhere suitable, we park in Sare and access via the GR10

The “peregrinos alpinistas” walk over Jaïzkibel and taking the little ferry at Pasaia from Hendaye to St Sebastien is good, Topo train back to Hendaye. Careful, you may end up walking all the way to Compostelle.

I any of these are of interest I can add detail.

Vinyards. Lots of vinyards. Go for a degustation, marvel at the oak barrel special number they hold back till the end, eat foie gras (holding back ethical concerns), lots of canard – god it’s lovely!

better away from the touristy ones, we know Cotes de Duras area/bergerac – hunners of fab local vineyards with enthusiastic, welcoming and quite pickled owners.

Ooh, I’ll give this a bump, as we’ve just arrived in Sainte Foy la Grande and looking for stuff you do for a few days. We do have bikes.

EV hire cars are a bit of a ballache, getting the app right and dropping them off pretty full. It’s also less likely there’s a decent range of them at most EU airports, in sure some brands offer them but I haven’t seen any in the lots on my travels (I have seen and rented them in the us though).

I wouldn’t, but up to you

I use the Mobive app in Aquitaine:

Accueil

better away from the touristy ones, we know Cotes de Duras area/bergerac – hunners of fab local vineyards with enthusiastic, welcoming and quite pickled owners.

If you can recommend any in particular within a 25/30km ride from Sainte Foy, I’m all ears 🙂

St Emillion

Castillon-la-Bataille

Bergerac

Château de Beynac

All worth a day out.

Les Jardins de Marqueyssac and Sarlat

I found Sarlat to be overrun with middle-class Brits complaining about everything. Certain Dordogne villages are just like that. It’s basically the Cotswolds with sun and good food in those places.

If you can escape their whining it’s a lovely area

Parc Acrobranche (or similar) are like Go-Ape but on steroids, a lot more fun (arial boats, surfboards, cycle along a wire etc) a lot more varied and a lot more relaxed (although IMHO a lot safer set-up than Go-Ape).

We enjoyed the Roman museum in Perigeux: https://www.perigord.com/en/listings/sites-touristiques-visites/vesunna/  and there’s a good canoe hire place in the town as well.

Bergerac

Careful though. We went yesterday, it was lovely, but I had the tune stuck in my head all sodding day

I can also confirm that Bordeaux is not rubbish for a day’s wandering around and having lunch.

Cheeky little bump for this – heading down next week (fingers crossed for the weather!).

Got a night on the Ile de Re on our way down, then a couple nights in Beynac, then onward from there (unplanned…).

Good vineyards in the area?

I fear veggie/vegan food might be a challenge haha

I fear veggie/vegan food might be a challenge haha

Yep. Won’t bother me as much as it will Mrs S.

Plenty of good ideas above. We’re staying just outside St. Emillion for the first couple of nights so that’ll almost definitely be a day around there.

FWIW, I’ve decided to avoid the EV on this occasion. It’s supposed to be a holiday and I think it would just stress me out too much.

INH – if you’re still over there I can highly recommend Philippe at Maison Valentine Piquereaux just near Dieulivol for a wine tasting. It’s not a big outfit at all, far from it, but he did a great tasting for a group of us, he’s a former teacher and started making wine with his old friend. Really knowledgeable, and some great wine, all from nearby vines.

Bordeaux’s Cite Du Vin is worth a swerve but the Pauillac Tourist and Wine Office is well worth a visit for stocking up. Having Vivino on your phone is helpful. Some great bargains to be had there.