Top campsites for hikers in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

The historic Limousin region, made up of the Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne departments, is the road-less-travelled for most campers in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Bound by the mountains of the Massif Central and famous for its cattle farming, this hilly agricultural province is full of sleepy villages and farmland campsites. Limoges is the only sizable city, while the riverside town of Brive-la-Gaillarde makes the most picturesque base.

The region’s rural heartland is fed by the Dordogne, Lot, and Garonne rivers, affording miles of rambling river valleys, dense forests, and sweeping cliffs dotted with medieval villages and ancient caves. Campers will be in their element here, whether you want to escape to a tranquil campsite amid rolling hills, go glamping in a yurt, or take your campervan on an epic road trip to towns like Rocamadour, Sarlat-la-Canéda, and Villeneuve sur Lot.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine’s regional capital, Bordeaux, and much of its coastline are contained with the huge Gironde and Landes departments, where you’ll find endless stretches of golden sand, billowing dunes (including Europe’s highest sand dune), and great surf and water sports. Coastal campers have endless options, whether you prefer the vine-flanked Gironde estuary in the north, the dreamy Silver Coast around Arcachon Bay, or the maritime pines of the immense Landes forest.

Summer sun-seekers and surfers make a beeline for the beaches of the French Basque Country, where Biarritz and Bayonne are the liveliest hubs. Away from the coast, the broad peaks and wildflower-speckled plateaus of the Pyrénées mountains tempt campers into the highlands. This is where you’ll find some of France’s best hiking, mountain biking, and camping, and true adventurers can even bivouac in the wild.