St Emilion is indeed supposed to be nice.
Some destinations to consider:
Toulouse is wonderful for someone who enjoys architecture and walkability.
Carcassonne is indeed charmingly restored but will be crowded with tourists during the daytime (unless you get there very early, we got there at 9am and had the old Cite to ourselves.)
This might not be your cup of tea, but for tragic history there is Oradour-sur-Glane.
Walking through the ruins is a haunting experience.
Cordes is also kind of touristy but the galleries there are interesting and the city is pretty.
If you want to get off the tourist trail, check out Angouleme. It is not far from Bordeaux. It is a medieval city which has embraced the world of cartooning. Photo below.
Feeling kind of fluey today, will try to write more later.

Goodness that cartoon is fabulous! I would love to go to a town full of those!

Thank you for your ideas and I look forward to hearing more when you hopefully start to feel better soon. I will look into all of the places you mentioned

I’m glad you asked about this area, it is so rich in beauty!
Biarritz/Bayonne for you nice rustic, but often touristy beach town.
Pau, a little out of your way, but at the food of the pyrenees, you will get some nice views from here, and the small city is a little gem.
Albi – Undiscovered old world france. Check out the wiki article and you will see what I mean!
Toulouse is nice, and architecture is a forte there as Cil mentioned. I have family there.
montpelier may seem a little bland, but it has a huge student population which really gives the city a kind of spiciness haha!?
Nimes and Avignon are both worth a visit as well (maybe more so than my above suggestions actually haha)

I loved Avignon but I guess some people find it less exciting.
Tigrou, I too like Montpelier and its student vibe, and I really wanted to get to Pau, but as you say, it is a bit out of the way.
A couple off-the-beaten path towns:
Rodez (larger) ~ with its pink Gothic cathedral and walkable center, also that vibrant student energy
Najac (smaller) ~ it doesn’t get much more atmospheric than this hilltop village
Situated on the Dordogne, there is the beautiful village of Carennac (since discovered by the Rick Steves crowd) and we enjoyed visiting the underground cave of Gouffre de Padirac.
Be sure to try the “black” Cahors wine. Deep, rich, velvety.
This one was a favorite. Clos Triguedina

Yea I’m lucky to have been to Pau considering its location! distant cousins live there, great base for skiing! Great suggestions, that area is full to the brink with little picturesque villages! Unfortunately i’ve never got the chance to fully explore it. You have a lot to work with now Poppy =)

Thank you everyone this is really great info for me It is so much easier to know where to start when you get advice from clever travellers rather than books.

I really like the sound of all of these places, they seem like just the kind of thing I am looking for. I might save Montpellier for a later trip since I think it might be a bit too big for a day stopover… and perhaps like Marseille would take some wandering and time to get used to..

But I am certainly full of ideas now! I need to look into Pau to see if I can get it into the itinerary