If you’ve been reading my blog a bit, you probably know that I am a huge beach lover. I would do anything to be closer to the ocean, and enjoy the calmness that it brings to my soul. During my recent weekend trip to Bordeaux, there was one thing I particularly wanted to see: the Dune of Pilat. I’ll get into more details about this place below, but it is located in an area called the Bassin d’Arcachon: a large bay off the French Atlantic coast, approximately 45 min from Bordeaux.

Dune du Pilat - Sunrise - Bassin d'Arcachon - France — Dune du Pilat

Explore the Bay of Arcachon

6:15AM - Wake up Call

It always hurts when the alarm goes off before sunrise, but it is slightly less painful during fall or winter because the sun rises later in the day. When I visited Bordeaux early October, I stayed at an Airbnb in Pessac which is located just outside the city, and is a 45-min drive from the Dune of Pilat. Sunrise time was 8:15AM, so I left the place around 7:00AM to ensure I would not only get there in time, but that it would give me enough time to climb on top of the dune.

7:45AM - Arrival in Pyla

It took me a while to find the parking spot for the dune since I entered the wrong information in my GPS. Eventually I found it here. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk to the top of the dune via the little pathway and staircase that they have installed.

8:15AM - Sunrise Time

I cannot say this enough, but waking up before sunrise is literally the best thing ever. It gives you a totally different experience, away from the crowds, and with a magical lighting. I stayed at the dune for about an hour, just walking around, taking photos, and feeling appreciative of that unique moment I experienced all by myself. Note: it is not easy at all to walk in this sand dune, and it’s very windy.

9:30AM - Arcachon Ville d’Hiver

After I was done exploring the dune, I started feeling hungry because I didn’t have breakfast before I left. I thus headed towards the little town of Arcachon, located right by the bay. I first stopped by La Ville d’Hiver (or the Winter Town) to wander around this fancy and quiet neighbourhood and admire its 19th century villas. This neighbourhood is located on a little hill, further away from the beach. You can access it by foot by walking through Parc Mauresque.

10:30AM - Arcachon Ville d’Été

Then I started feeling hangry; it was time for me to find something to eat. I decided to go back down to La Ville d’Été (or the Summer Town) near the beach, and explore Les Halles, the town’s central market. I had breakfast at Le Bouchon du Marché, right in the centre of the market.

11:00AM - Beach Walk

After breakfast, I decided to go take a walk along the beach. There is a nice little promenade by the water, but I didn’t feel like staying there all day to tan. I then went back to my car, and decided to drive all the way to Cap Ferret. This place is located on the opposite side of the basin, and there is a boat shuttle that goes from Arcachon to Cap Ferret. Nonetheless, I decided to take my car to get there, just because I had a tight schedule to go back to the train station that night, and I wanted to have more autonomy while visiting le Cap.

1:30PM - Plage du Truc Vert

After driving for one and a half hour, all I wanted was to sit by the beach and do nothing so I searched for what seemed like the nicest most secluded beach in the area. I came across la Plage du Truc Vert on a blog post, so that’s where I stopped. I didn’t expect to see that few people. There was only a few couples/families sitting in the sun, as well as 3 or 4 kite surfers because there was a lot of wind. I touched the water and expected it to be freezing cold. It was surprisingly not that bad, and I ended up going for a long swim in the waves.

4:30PM - Cap Ferret Lighthouse

After enjoying the sun all afternoon, I decided to drive around Cap Ferret, and stopped at the lighthouse. I then quickly stopped by the beach point before heading back to Bordeaux to catch my train.

A Day Trip to Bassin d'Arcachon