Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the coast of oysters and dunes.

Which part of Nouvelle-Aquitaine should you choose?

It is the largest region in France and begins at the Bidasoa, on the other side of Irún. It runs from the Basque coast to the islands of Charente along an Atlantic of long beaches, pine forests and oyster bays, and inland it adds the vineyards of Bordeaux and the valleys of the Périgord. It is too much for one trip: pick one or two areas.

• The French Basque Coast, if you want something close and uncomplicated. Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz and Bayonne, surf beaches and inland villages such as Espelette or Ainhoa. From San Sebastián you can even get there without a car.
• The Arcachon Bay, for oysters in the harbour huts, the Dune du Pilat, more than a hundred metres above the sea, and the bike ride round the bay. Less than an hour from Bordeaux by train.
• Marennes-Oléron, further north: the claires marshland where oysters are finished, the island of Oléron and cycle paths between canals. It is close to La Rochelle and the Île de Ré.
• Saint-Émilion, about 35 km from Bordeaux, for the wine: a medieval stone town surrounded by World Heritage vineyards, with a church carved into the rock.
• The Périgord Noir, around Sarlat, for châteaux above the Dordogne, golden-stone villages, duck and walnut cooking and the prehistoric caves of the Vézère valley, with the Lascaux replica at Montignac.

For a first one-week trip, combine the Basque coast with Arcachon, or Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion with the Périgord. Mixing the coast with the Périgord also works, but adds about two and a half hours by car between one area and the other.

How do you get there from Spain?

By car, via Irún and the A63 motorway, which is a toll road. Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a quarter of an hour from the border, Bordeaux about two and a half hours and Sarlat about four. If you are only going to the Basque coast, the corniche road between Hendaye and Socoa is free, slower and has better views.

By train, Euskotren's Topo links San Sebastián with Hendaye station. From there the regional train leaves, calling at Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz and Bayonne and continuing towards Bordeaux. From Bordeaux to Arcachon there is a train in under an hour.

By plane, Bordeaux-Mérignac has direct flights from Madrid with Iberia and from Barcelona with Vueling, and routes to Seville, Málaga or Palma with other airlines depending on the season. Biarritz is the other gateway, and for the Basque coast it often pays to fly to San Sebastián or Bilbao and cross by road.

How do you get around?

By car outside the Basque coast. The vineyards, the Périgord and the Oléron marshland have hardly any useful public transport. On the Basque coast, though, the regional train reaches almost all the seaside villages, and on the Arcachon Bay the UBA boats cross to Cap Ferret with bikes on board.

The Vélodyssée, the Atlantic cycle route that ends at Hendaye, runs along the coast, with cycle paths through pine forests that make cycling a real activity, not just a stroll. In the Périgord the roads are narrow and slow: work out the day in hours, not kilometres.

When to go and what does it cost?

The coast is best in May, June and September: there is room on the beaches and in the oyster huts, and the water is no longer freezing. In July and August it fills up, with traffic jams in Biarritz and Cap Ferret. For wine and the Périgord, September and October are the good months, with the grape harvest and the forests changing colour. In winter many oyster huts and campsites close, and Lascaux IV shuts for a few weeks in January.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine has mid-range prices for France. Biarritz, Cap Ferret and Saint-Émilion are expensive; Oléron, the Basque interior and the Périgord are more affordable. A dozen oysters at the producer's hut is about the cheapest thing you will eat on the coast.