Touring France: Le Bassin d’Arcachon
The Bassin d’Arcachon (Arcachon Bay), just west of Bordeaux, is a hidden gem for non-French tourists. Here you will find gorgeous nature along a beautiful bay, charming seaside towns, delicious seafood (especially oysters) and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. While you won’t find the famous monuments like in other parts of France, you will be completely immersed in French culture. And best of all, it is free from mobs of tourists so you will truly be able to relax, breathe and take in the natural beauty of France. Read on to find why the Bassin d’Arcachon (Arcachon Bay) is such a treasure that you should explore.
Le Bassin d’Arcachon (Arcachon Bay) – The Map
From this map, you can see that the bay is quite large and surrounded by small quaint towns. There are an abundance of hiking and biking trails surrounding the bay so you can get your fill of the gorgeous scenery. It is about an hour drive from Arcachon at the South end of the Bay to Lège-Cap-Ferret at the North end. Bordeaux is about an hour drive East with the Atlantic ocean straight out to the West. We were there in early July and the weather was perfect. The Bay even has it’s own Instagram account!
Arcachon
Starting with the first town on the southwest side, Arcachon is a beautiful town by the sea with a vast harbor. After parking near the harbor, we wandered the charming streets and found a wonderful restaurant.
La Teste de Buche
La Teste de Buche is maybe the one town where we didn’t stop to eat or drink! But here is where you will find the famous Dune du Pilat, a 300 foot high sand dune.
Climbing the dune is definitely a challenge and not for the faint of heart. But the view from the top is absolutely stunning and not to be missed. The Dune is the pride of Arcachon Bay and many tourists make the sandy trek to the top each day.
Heart of the Bay
Here you will find the small, quaint towns like Biganos, Audenge, Lanton, Mios or Marcheprime. Basically, we traveled from one town to the next, exploring nature and having an aperitif.
In each of the towns, you find these charming oyster shacks where they sell oysters either to take out or you can sit down and enjoy a dozen with some cold white wine.
Andernos les Bains
We spent several evenings here in this adorable harbor town. On our first night, we stumbled onto an amazing seafood restaurant and ordered a platter to share. We enjoyed what was the first of many delicious seafood experiences.
It wasn’t all seafood all the time though. We enjoyed other French favorites like charcuterie, pate, fromage and more.
We especially enjoyed the Cafe Gourmand, which includes a small tasting of several desserts on the menu plus a coffee. This way, you don’t have to choose.
On the Fourth of July, we found ourselves drinking IPA beer and listening to American country music of all things on the large stage in the center of the plaza. It turned out to be the local line dancing troupe! They sat down a few tables away from us at the happy bar and restaurant terrace and we bought them a drink. I spoke to them in French about what they were doing and why the American music. They thanked us heartily for the drinks and sure enough, a few minutes later, they were up on stage leading the large, beach going crowd in a line dance to country music!
In addition, there is a great pedestrian street leading into the plaza, full of quaint shops.
Arès
Arès is another pretty town with the bay on one side and a lush forest on the other, great for hiking or biking or just having a picnic.
Lège-Cap Ferret
This town is where our beautiful and stylish VRBO was located. I found the VRBO and to be honest, the home was more beautiful in person than the pictures I had seen online. I couldn’t believe what a fantastic place we found, plus it came equipped with coffee and a welcome bottle of rosé. The furnishings were quite stylish and we even had a pool.
On one cloudy day, we found a lunch restaurant, L’Auberge du Bassin, right on the bay with fantastic food and views.
Architecture of the Bay
In addition to the quaint oyster shacks that are sprinkled throughout the bay, you will see some interesting architecture, whether some of the luxury villas near the coast or religious architecture.
The Catholic church, Eglise Notre Dame des Passes (above), is located in the town of Arcachon. Built in 1864, it is in the neo-byzantine style. It is dedicated to the sailors who had to cross the passages from the Atlantic Ocean into the Arcachon Bay.
The photo above is a luxury villa in the typical ‘archonnaise’ architectural style. It could be classified as Victorian in style. This typical style was once considered a bit tacky, but now is a beloved feature of the Arcachon landscape. In addition to the villa above, there is the Villa de Tosca in the town of Arcachon, which you can see more here.
Another interesting building is the La Chapelle de la Villa Algerienne, l’Herbe or the Chapel of the Algerian Villa in L’Herbe. This is a Moorish style church, consecrated in 1885. Today it is owned by the town of Lège-Cap-Ferret and is designated as a historical monument.
Getting Around the Bassin d’Arcachon
For our trip, we took the train from Paris to Bordeaux, an easy 2.5 hour train ride via the TGV. At the Bordeaux train station, on the bottom level, there is a rental car office. We used Hertz and had no issues at all. From there, it was a one hour drive to our VRBO in Lège-Cap-Ferret. During our time there, we mostly drove. However, there are miles and miles of bike paths that connect you from village to the sea to the forest. Here is a great website that allows you to determine your bike route.
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