Arcachon - Le Cap Ferret
On the last weekend in April, we went on our first mini-break from our new base in La Dordogne. The weather looked promising and we had to return our short term lease car to Bordeaux on the 29th, so we settled on Arcachon. Just an hour southwest of Bordeaux on the Arcachon Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, it’s a popular sea side resort for the French and international jet-setters, like ourselves.
It was a touch gloomy upon our arrival, but still beautiful. The sea air, wind swept cypress and pine forests reminded me a little bit of Monterey and Carmel in California.
First order of business, get bread and take a walk around town. We booked a neat little AirBnB right in the town center with underground parking so we could enjoy the area on foot and by boat as much as possible.
We arrived on a Saturday afternoon but before the official start of the “season”, so some business were closed or on reduced hours. Still, the architecture around town retains its belle époque seaside resort vibe.
Between our accommodation and the harbor, we found lots of little shops and cafés starting to wake up after the sleepy, winter season. This place must be packed in July!
The next day, as early as we could manage, we drove a few minutes south to the Dune de Pilat. Apparently, it’s the highest dune in Europe and took more than 4000 years for all this sand to accumulate.
The view looking south from close to the top.
After clambering up the “stairs”, we wandered around for a bit. Here’s the view out to the Atlantic. Looks like someone has set up bonfires down on the beach. Seems a little dangerous considering that they had a massive wildfire here just a few years ago.
After the dune, we drove down the coast for a picnic lunch on the beach. On the way back, we passed large swaths of what was once pine forest planted by Napoléon III to stop coastal erosion and the inland advancement of the dunes.
Back in town, I wandered up the hill to tour the Ville d’Hiver, a neighborhood of beautiful “winter homes” developed by real estate entrepreneur Emile Pereire in the mid 1800’s. First conceived by doctors as a respite for ailing patients, the neighborhood soon became a popular vacation destination served by a newly built railroad.
This one was owned by Alexandre Dumas! What a great place to “flâner” or wonder aimlessly. Around every corner and down every allée there’s yet another beautiful house to ogle.
There’s even an observation tower at the top of the hill. There was a wait to climb to the top and I’m not great with heights so I settled for the view from the terrasse.
The weather was improving, so we made plans to take a ferry around the bay to Cap Ferret the next morning.
Oyster farms and the famous “cabanes tchanquées” hovering over the water. These two huts are a symbol of the Arcachon Bassin, no idea why as we couldn’t make out the commentary from the boat’s captain. We floated by the Île des Oiseaux… no birds were present.
Rounding the bay and heading down the peninsula to Cap Ferret, we got a glimpse of the many bazillion Euro properties along the shore. Perfect day for a boat ride.
We saw quite a few “pinasses,” the typical boat of the region specially adapted for the shallow waters of the basin.
We disembarked to have lunch and walk to the lighthouse. Seemed like a nice area to visit for the day, but not a lot of activities other than laying around on the beach. I guess that’s something people do. I was glad that we chose to stay in less expensive, more lively Arcachon.
On the way back to Arcachon, we saw Tom Cruise filming the latest Mission Impossible! Ha, not really. Just the French police practicing there air-to-sea maneuvers. Pretty exciting to watch anyway!
Thanks for the lovely minibreak, Arcachon!
