Nous sommes à Libourne.

We are in Libourne in the department of Gironde in south west France.

Libourne is a former royal bastide town established in the 13th century on the site of the Gallo Roman port of Contadis. The town sits at the confluence of two rivers - the Isle and the Dordogne - 35 kms north east of Bordeaux.

We arrived here yesterday to the Sunday morning market in full swing. It made for a great first impression, and that has only been reinforced as we strolled around the town to get our bearings. We think we will enjoy it here … which is a relief. You see … we will be based here for two months, but neither of us have been here before so we were not sure what to expect. I, for one, was a little anxious …

In the past when we’ve spent extended time in France, we’ve always based ourselves in the department of le Gers - in or around Lectoure, Condom, Marciac. We love it there but the towns are small, the nearest train is an hour’s bus ride away, and you definitely need a car to visit the surrounding areas. We’ve done all of that, and loved it, but this time we wanted to try something different.

Our ideal was a larger town, but not too large, still in the south west, on a train line with good connections to other interesting towns for day or overnight visits, and to Paris. We wanted a town where we wouldn’t need a car, but could rent one if we wanted. We wanted a lively town, with both charm and modern facilities, where we could enjoy typical daily life - la vie quotidienne - for a couple of months. And a town with things to do - especially for the grandchildren coming in August - but not an obvious tourist destination which would be overcrowded in the summer holidays.

Long story short, our search started with a Google search of ‘towns with good train connections near Bordeaux’. Google came up with 4 or 5 possibilities. From there it was a matter of a little reading and looking at images to decide which one. Libourne seemed to fit the bill … so late last year we committed to two month long stays.

For July we have a spacious and light filled one bedroom apartment. It’s right in the centre of town on Rue Gambetta, the pedestrian street decorated with the coloured balls for the summer. The apartment is tucked away at the back of the building so it’s quiet - and we have a small courtyard. And air conditioning, a godsend with yet another heatwave upon us. 🥵

For August, we’ve rented a larger apartment nearby - 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms- as various grandchildren will be with us during their school holidays, and my sister Julie will visit towards the end of our stay. ☺️

As well as enjoying daily life here, these are some of the places we plan to visit over the next two months - some favourites and some new destinations.

Saint Emilion - 8 kms, 6 mins by train
Bordeaux - 23 mins by train
Bergerac - 50 mins by train
Arcachon - 90 mins by train
Blaye - 90 mins by bus
Bayonne / Saint Jean de Luz - under 3 hours by train .
Paris - 3 hours by train, some direct, some change in Bordeaux.

Our first destination, new to both of us, will be Saint Emilion on Wednesday, market day. We plan to walk there using the shared cycle route, and come back by train. With another scorcher forecast, we’ll leave around 7.30 and have petit déjeuner in Saint Emilion. 😎

A la prochaine … until next time. ❤️🇫🇷❤️

More about Libourne:

https://bordeauxtravelguide.com/day-in-libourne…Read more