Overview

Atlantic Coast of France has a huge number of beautiful places to visit. It’s a little more wild, rustic and windy than the Mediterranean coast, but with that comes so much character and history. From pirates to military memorials, ancient fortifications, interesting cities and wild windswept beaches, this area of France offers loads of diversity. Even if you’re not a lover of the sea, the dramatic coastal landscapes, delicious cuisine, and attractions are too good to miss. The Atlantic Coast of France is also great for an adventure filled vacation. Quieter than the Mediterranean, but still lively in summer, you’ll find a laid back pace of life synonymous with south-west France and an emphasis on getting outside and enjoying nature.

The Atlantic coast of France also offers exciting cities, charming towns and villages, and culture as well. There's bourgeois Bordeaux with its wonderful old center, extraordinary wine culture and dynamic dining scene; the vibrant University town of Nantes with its wealth of fascinating museums; and seafaring La Rochelle with its breathtaking aquarium, beautiful old port and bucolic offshore islands.

The locals in this region unite over the finer things in live. It's a part of France where art de vivre means appreciating exceptional wine, famous worldwide, and feasting on an ocean of oysters and other fresh, salt-of-the-earth seafood.

Outdoor Adventure

The beach waters of the Côte d’Argent are world renowned for their quality waves, which is the reason why surfers from all over the world head to this area. Hotspots include: Hossegor, Biscarrosse and Lacanau.

Cycling is a popular sport in the area due to its expansive network of bike lanes that run parallel with the beaches and trails through the pine trees. Exploring off the beaten paths are great as well, through forested sand dunes that provide an excellent scenery to explore.

Stand up paddle boarding is becoming a popular sport on the Atlantic Coast of France. If the Atlantic is too rough, the many lakes and lagoons along the coast make for the perfect terrain on the water.

For paragliders the Dune du Pilat in the Arcachon Bay make for the perfect conditions. This is where sea breezes sweeping over the 110 m dune allow gliders to soar and maneuver above the surf. And if you’re feeling adventurous, their are plenty of companies offering paragliders tandem flights for the opportunity to soar over the dunes and rocks along the Route de Biscarrosse.

Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat

Over thousands of years, nature has created this extraordinary dune, which is one of the most beautiful and most visited natural sites in France. Because of its uniqueness, it is also known far beyond the French borders and fascinates people around the world.

Situated just 45 minutes from Bordeaux, the beach resort of Arcachon on France’s Atlantic Coast is a top location for an active holiday. Its major attraction is the extraordinary Dune du Pilat, Europe’s biggest sand dune, which at over 325ft high and almost 2 miles long offers breathtaking views over the Bassin d’Arcachon tidal bay and pine forests inland. It is rather impressive by its large dimensions, its fascinating surroundings and the breathtaking views it offers. Arcachon is well served by public transport and makes an easy day trip from Bordeaux.

Beaches

The Atlantic Coast of France offers plenty of beaches to satisfy any beach goer, from popular crowded resort beaches to vast empty expanses of golden sand. Starting at the mouth of the Loire, from Vendée, through Charentes and as far as the Gironde, the Atlantic coast is largely made up of long sandy beaches; coastal towns and villages, such as La Rochelle, Les Sables d'Olonne and Rochefort, have tended to spread along behind the shoreline, but in many parts, the beaches are backed by a band of pine forests, and can be remarkably uncrowded even in summer.

South of the Gironde, the Aquitaine coast is famous for its long sandy beaches, but also for its forests that come right up to the coastline, or at least up to the band of sand dunes behind the beaches. At the entrance to the Bay of Arcachon, the Dune du Pilat (mentioned above) is the highest sand dune in Europe - over 300 ft high, and almost two miles long.

Known as the "Côte d'Argent" or Silver Coast, the shoreline between the estuary of the Gironde and Capbreton, the coast offers mile upon mile of beautiful sandy beaches, often accessible only on small tracks through the forest. This all changes as one reaches the Basque country, where the seaside is quite built up from Capbreton via Bayonne and Biarritz to the Spanish border.

La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux

The intricate world of wine in Bordeaux is explored in great detail at ground-breaking La Cité du Vin, a beautiful piece of contemporary architecture resembling a wine decanter on the banks of the River Garonne. The interesting gold building glitters in the sun and its 32,300 sq ft of exhibits are equally exciting and sensational. Discover the 20 themed sections of the museum that covers everything from vine cultivation, grape varieties and wine production to ancient wine trade, 21st-century wine trends and memorable personalities. The tour ends with a glass of wine on the 8th floor in the panoramic Le Belvedere.