Dune du Pilat
Europe's tallest sand dune
Climb by the summer staircase or straight up the sand in the last hour of light, with the Atlantic on one side and pines to the horizon on the other.
Pyla-sur-MerClimbSunset
Dune du Pilat & Arcachon Bay, France
Ideal: 2–3 daysBest: May–Jun, SepPrice: Expensive
In 60 seconds
Dune du Pilat & Arcachon Bay in 60 seconds
The Dune du Pilat rises some hundred metres between the Atlantic and the Landes pine forest at the mouth of Arcachon Bay — the tallest sand dune in Europe, and still moving inland a few metres a year. Climb it in the last hour of light, when the Banc d'Arguin and Cap Ferret turn gold below. Then give the bay the rest of the trip: oyster ports where farmers shuck at their huts, the villas of Arcachon's Ville d'Hiver, and a ferry across to the quieter side at Cap Ferret.
Coast
Best for
- Nature
- Beaches
- Food
Known for
- The Dune du Pilat
- Arcachon Bay oysters
- Cap Ferret
Skip if
You want a city break. In July and August the dune, its car parks and the bay roads are crowded, and the climb is hot and exposed.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Dune du Pilat & Arcachon Bay fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Banc d'Arguin
Sandbank nature reserve at the bay's mouth
A shifting white sandbank and bird reserve opposite the dune, reached by boat from Arcachon in summer. Keep to the marked areas.
Arcachon BayBirdsBy boat
Ville d'Hiver
19th-century villas among the pines
Arcachon's winter town: curving lanes of Victorian-era villas built for convalescents above the beach town below.
ArcachonFreeWalk
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Gujan-Mestras oyster ports
Seven small oyster harbours
The bay's oyster capital: wooden huts along little ports where the farmers sell, open and serve their own.
Gujan-MestrasLocalOysters
Cap Ferret
Pine peninsula across the bay
Take the boat over from Arcachon and cycle between oyster villages on the bay side and the open Atlantic on the other.
Lège-Cap-FerretCyclingFerry
Le Teich bird reserve
Salt-marsh bird park on the Leyre delta
Hides and boardwalks over the marshes where the Leyre meets the bay — best in spring and autumn migration.
Le TeichBirdsHalf day
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Arcachon
ExpensiveBeach town and Ville d'Hiver
The practical base: the station, the boats across the bay and restaurants within a walk.
BoatsTrains
Pyla-sur-Mer
Very expensivePine-shaded villas below the dune
Stay among the pines a short walk from the dune and be on it before the day visitors.
DuneQuiet
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Regional trains run from Bordeaux Saint-Jean to Arcachon in about an hour. The dune is a short bus or bike ride south of the town.
- Getting around
- Cycle paths run along much of the bay, and boats link Arcachon with Cap Ferret and, in summer, the Banc d'Arguin.
- On the dune
- There is no shade and the sand is steep. Go early or late, take water, and keep off the dune in strong wind.
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- Thousands of years
Sand blown in from the Atlantic and the Banc d'Arguin builds the dune, which still creeps inland over the forest.
- 1860s
The Pereire brothers lay out Arcachon's Ville d'Hiver, a winter resort of villas among the pines for convalescents and the wealthy.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Bordeaux
Stone quays and wine
The city is an easy hour away by train — or the place to start before coming to the coast.
About an hour by regional trainCityWine