South-Gironde, Haute-Lande and Sauternais

South Gironde, Haute-Lande and Sauternais, the left bank of the Garonne

This area thrives between the Sauternes vineyards and the Graves wines. The immense Landes forest is home to castles and picturesque villages. It is also the ideal place for outdoor leisure activities such as hiking or cycling, but also water activities : swimming on the lakes of Hostens, fishing on the rivers and the Canal des Deux-Mers.

La Brède, homeland of Montesquieu

Langon, economic crossroads

Sub-prefecture of the Gironde, the vineyard and the ports on the banks of the Garonne brought economic prosperity to the city in the 17th century. Langon has many vestiges of past centuries such as:

• The Notre-Dame du Bourg church, dating from the 12th century, eight of whose capitals are exhibited at the Cloisters Museum in New York;
• The Saint Gervais church, a beautiful period building.

282 hectares of the commune are today composed of vineyards.

Located between Langon and Bazas, the Château de Roquetaillade (private property) is an architectural complex composed of two fortified castles from the 12th and early 14th centuries. During the Renaissance, the castle was restored by the famous architect Viollet-le-Duc. Its furniture is listed as a Historic Monument.

At the gates of the castle, La Métairie houses a museum of rural life around 1850.

Bazas and its famous beef

Villandraut, on the banks of the Ciron

Villandraut was the birthplace of Bertrand de Goth, who became Clement V, the first Pope of Avignon. Its fortress castle built in the 14th century, of which 6 monumental round towers, the enclosure and the patrol path still remain, served as a papal court for a few years. The municipal museum of Villandraut dedicated to local heritage presents its collections in the Braneyre house, rectangular in plan, dating from 1753.

A few kilometers from Villandraut, the collegiate church of Uzeste, a marvel of Gothic art, houses the tomb of Clement V.

12 km away, the Royal Castle of Cazeneuve, from the 13th and 17th centuries, above the Ciron, was the property of the Dukes of Albret, the Kings of Navarre and Henri IV. Queen Margot was placed under house arrest there. This place is entirely furnished in the period. It has medieval cellars and troglodyte caves. Its 40-hectare wooded park and its English gardens are classified Natura 2000.

Hostens and its lakes

In the heart of the Landes forest, there is no trace of this past dedicated to the surface exploitation of lignite. The Gironde General Council has transformed the 600-hectare site (including 200 hectares of lakes) into a departmental area for sports and leisure, and for discovering flora and fauna. Hostens and its lakes are classified as Natura 2000.

The old railway line, dismantled, has become a greenway and links Belin-Beliet or the Arcachon basin to Saint Symphorien, Villandraut, Bazas. A highly successful reconversion.