Gascony -

Do you have a more precise idea of ​​what you call "Gascony" which is a vast territory which extends over several departments: Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne and Haute Garonne (almost the entire south west of France) and whose main cities are Agen, Auch and Toulouse.

That being said, for sure if you are looking for duck to eat, this is the place! :))

The food in Gascony is delicious. Do you know how much time you'd like to spend in the area? You could start in Bordeaux (the nw corner of the former Gascogne region). There are high speed trains direct from paris (a bit over 2hr journey). You could pick up a car from there as you will want one to venture out to the smaller villages. Some towns to check out include: Bordeaux (of course), Pau, Lourdes, Bayonne, Nérac. This is just a suggested list as there are many others. If you'd like to include the seaside in your Gascogne visit, you could also pick any one of the charming areas from Archachon (one of my favorite towns) down to Biarritz. In my experience, I have found that the Gascogne culture is more prevelant inland than along the coast but others may have a different experience. The time of year will impact your visit. Winters are usually quite rainy and very quiet. Summers tend to be hot and some areas teaming with visitors. We prefer the Spring and Fall in this area as it seems to be the weather 'sweet spot'. Wherever you decide to visit in this region, you're sure to have a wonderful time and eat delicious food!

Have you looked at the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Dordogne, Bordeaux & the Southwest Coast. It should have some of the information you need about places to stay, eat, sightseeing, etc. Michelin also has a guide for Bordeaux, Aquitaine, and the Basque Country that should help.

This is the Basque Country, not Gascony, but it is very ducky, Arnabar. They have shops in Saint Jean de Luz and Anglet. Their specialty is foie gras but they have much more and you can visit their farm.

As for Gascony, besides duck, you have armagnac.

There is a writer, David McAninch, who writes about Gascony. His book is called "Duck Season: Eating, Drinking, and Other Misadventures in Gascony--France's Last Best Place" and he had an NY Times article about Gascony in 2019 that is very interesting. You might find his webpage interesting.

The book "Duck Season" is the entire reason for planning this part of the trip. And since the book title said "gascony".. that is what i have been focusing on .. rather than Basque .. thanks for all the info so far...

You should take a look at the Gers website:

https://www.guide-du-gers.com/en/

From what I saw, David McAninch stayed in Plaisance du Gers, it's really in the middle of Gascony.

Other information here:

https://www.coeursudouest-tourisme.com/en/

As for Armagnac, it reminds me that I harvested there when I was young. The owner came to bring us a bottle of Armagnac in the evening.... I have never been back since that time.

It's here, and not far from Plaisance du Gers.

https://www.chateaudelacquy.com/en/pages/le-chateau-de-lacquy