Toulouse

Cadogan’s stunning guide to Gascony and the Pyrenees takes you deep into a fascinating region that is home to both Gascons and Basques. This is a place for lazy touring and with Cadogan as your guide, you’ll be able to meander through the beautiful scenery and find the perfect village restaurant where madame will cook you up a hearty plate of game or duck that Parisians would die for. Explore Europe’s biggest forest, a vast flat carpet of pines planted in the time of Napoleon III, in the Landes or relax in the department of the Gers, which fits all the archetypal images of southwest France with its rich lands, sweet rivers, geese and foie gras and vineyards destined to fine armagnac. If you want some activity to work off all that fine cuisine de terroir, Cadogan will lead you to the best mountain walks, climbs and ski centers or if you’d rather just indulge, to the best vineyards and wine-tasting. There are even local recipes included so you can recreate the Gascon flavor long after you’ve left. Now fully redesigned, this new edition contains the most up-to-the-minute practical information and listings, along with color photographs and maps.