Bassin d’Arcachon – Bordeaux Expats https://bordeauxexpats.com A guide for the International community of Bordeaux Wed, 03 Apr 2019 12:39:03 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3.2 https://bordeauxexpats.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cropped-Logo-3-32x32.png Bassin d’Arcachon – Bordeaux Expats https://bordeauxexpats.com 32 32 Sleeping on the Dune..! https://bordeauxexpats.com/2017/04/sleeping-on-the-dune.html https://bordeauxexpats.com/2017/04/sleeping-on-the-dune.html#comments Mon, 10 Apr 2017 13:59:00 +0000 https://bordeauxexpats.com/?p=100 Ever wanted to spend the night on the Dune du Pilat?  Here’s how! ‘Camping sauvage’ is illegal on the Dune du Pilat and carries a fine […]

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]]> Ever wanted to spend the night on the Dune du Pilat?


 Here’s how!

‘Camping sauvage’ is illegal on the Dune du Pilat and carries a fine of up to €750… Fortunately, there are a couple of options for legally pitching a tent within a stone’s throw of the 60 million m³ mountain of sand.

Pyla Camping

The area at the southern tip of the Dune is well known for the paragliding school Waggas. People come from all over Europe to take advantage of the amazing spot and many have their own campervans. If you’re looking to camp, you can simply turn up and book a pitch with Pyla camping. 

It’s €20 per night and you can pitch your tent within throwing distance of the Dune. They have restaurant/bar, a supermarket with cold beers and small basic pool (unheated!) to cool off. They have cabins and glamping (incl. camping pitches with electricity) but you’ll need to book well ahead…

Camping Panorama du Pyla

Bang next door, this campsite is much larger but slightly further away from the Dune itself. Nevertheless, you can pitch a tent for €22 and it’s a short five minute walk to get to the actual Dune. 

They have a well-known restaurant with an awesome panoramic view (reserve early!) and a much larger swimming pool (also unheated!) with water games and a waterslide. The shop is better stocked (also with fridge full of cold brews) and there have a hugely popular range of cabins and glamping, some with 5-star ocean views – book at least six months in advance… 

Parts of the campsite get turned into mini villages with bbqs and loud tunes and expect to bump into your fair share of Austrians, Swiss, Dutch and Scandinavians… etc.

Here’s the view…




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]]> https://bordeauxexpats.com/2017/04/sleeping-on-the-dune.html/feed 1 Family Day Out – Amusement Park – La Coccinelle https://bordeauxexpats.com/2017/10/family-day-out-amusement-park-la-coccinelle.html https://bordeauxexpats.com/2017/10/family-day-out-amusement-park-la-coccinelle.html#respond Fri, 27 Oct 2017 19:28:00 +0000 https://bordeauxexpats.com/?p=79 With the school holidays under way, parents surely must be going out of their heads with the kids hanging around the house all day. A relatively […]

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]]> With the school holidays under way, parents surely must be going out of their heads with the kids hanging around the house all day. A relatively cheap and not too far outing is to head towards the bassin d’Arcachon and the amusement park ‘La Coccinelle’.
The park itself is located in Gujan-Mestras, approximately 50 km south west from Bordeaux, and has been around since 1985. Even though the decor may seem to be a little frayed around the edges, it does provide all you could need for the little ones to run around like crazed monkey children.
The visit begins with farmyard attraction where kids can pet & feed animals. The petting farm is rather small but there is a good selection of different types of animals and you are able to get close up and enter the enclosures.

There are also a variety of rides and slides that are adapted for children as young 2 years old up until around 12 years. The rides are small but still pack a wham for thrill seekers, with the Log Ride plummeting into a river of water or the roller coaster train rattling along for around a 40 sec thrill.
Along with the big kid attractions, there are also rides and trampolines dedicated to the little’uns, which is always a good mix if you have children ranging in age.

If you do head out there for the day, take a packed lunch as the canteen services are expensive and could put a damper on the day money-wise.
The park closes in the winter period and opens again in the spring (April until 5th November).

Prices:

0-14 years: €12 (€13 in peek season)
+14 years & adults: €13 (€14 in peek season)


LOCATION: La Coccinelle, Parc de loisirs, La Hume, 33470 Gujan-Mestras
www.la-coccinelle.fr
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]]> https://bordeauxexpats.com/2017/10/family-day-out-amusement-park-la-coccinelle.html/feed 0 ICE-SKATING AND SLEDDING IN GIRONDE https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/12/ice-skating-sledding-gironde.html https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/12/ice-skating-sledding-gironde.html#respond Fri, 21 Dec 2018 09:28:32 +0000 https://bordeauxexpats.com/?p=4597 Looking to get into the Christmas spirit with some ice-skating or sledding in Gironde? It’s true, Gironde isn’t renowned for it’s snow fall or super frosty […]

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]]> Looking to get into the Christmas spirit with some ice-skating or sledding in Gironde?

It’s true, Gironde isn’t renowned for it’s snow fall or super frosty Christmas. However don’t let that stop you from trying for a white Christmas.

The Sud Ouest has kindly listed the ice rinks and ski slopes in the department of Gironde.

Toboggan runs

Libourne, Place Decazes.

Daily: 10 am to 1 pm / 3 pm to 7 pm
Monday 24 Dec: 10 am to 1 pm / 3 pm to 5 pm,
Tuesday 25 Dec: 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Soulac, Place Georges Mandel

Daily: 11 am to 12:30 pm / 3 pm to 6 pm
Free

 

Ice-Skating

Arcachon, Place Thiers

Daily: 10 am to 8 pm (Except 25th Dec & 1st Jan)
Until Sunday, 6th January
5 € per hour, skates included.

Créon, Ancien chai de la rue Geynet

Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am to 8 pm (Except 25th Dec & 1st Jan)

Lège-Cap-Ferret, Place de la mairie de Lège

21st December to 6th January
Tuesday to Sunday 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm (Except 25th Dec & 1st Jan)
€2 to €4 (includes helmet and skates – 30mins)

Langon, Place Kennedy
Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 12:30 pm / 2pm to 6pm (Except 25th Dec)
€2 (includes skates – 30mins)

Saint-Loubès, l’école Hector-Ducamp
Daily: 10 am to 12 pm / 5pm to 6:30pm (Closed 25th Dec & 1st Jan)
Free entry with skates on loan – Gloves required

Saint-Sulpice-et-Cameyrac, Salle des sports
Daily: 5pm to 7pm (Closed 25th Dec)
Free entry – Until 31st Dec

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]]> https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/12/ice-skating-sledding-gironde.html/feed 0 HOW TO GET TO THE DUNE DU PILAT FROM BORDEAUX? https://bordeauxexpats.com/2019/04/how-to-get-to-the-dune-du-pilat-from-bordeaux.html https://bordeauxexpats.com/2019/04/how-to-get-to-the-dune-du-pilat-from-bordeaux.html#respond Tue, 02 Apr 2019 14:02:10 +0000 https://bordeauxexpats.com/?p=5005 If you are passing through the region of Gironde there is a great day trip out to the Bay of Arcachon (Bassin d’Arcachon). Namely, a visit […]

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]]> If you are passing through the region of Gironde there is a great day trip out to the Bay of Arcachon (Bassin d’Arcachon). Namely, a visit to the highest dune in Europe, the Dune du Pilat!

The Dune of Pilat is a protected natural site, 2.9 km long, 616 m wide and 110 m high and offers some of the most fantastic views across the bay and forest.

HOW TO GET THERE?

There are 5 ways to get from Bordeaux to the Dune du Pilat: train, bus, taxi, bicycle or car

 

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TRAIN / BUS

Travelling from the Gare Saint Jean in Bordeaux, take the TER to the station of Arcachon. It roughly a 50 min local train trip. Then directly from Gare de Arcachon, take the Bus Baïa  Line 1 and get off at the Dune du Pilat. The bus timetables change between seasons, so check them out via the website prior to your trip (25 min one direction)

CAR 

This is probably the most direct and most flexible method if you have the luxury of having a car. On a good day, the 70 km will take only about 45 min. However, if you have the unfortunate pleasure of heading out there on a summer’s day with the rest of the hoards, it’s not unheard of to sit in the traffic jams for a couple of hours.

A63 –> Bayonne or A63 –> Bordeaux
A660 –> Arcachon
N250 –> La Teste de Buch
D259 –> Dune du Pilat

Parking

There are several car parks available to visitors. The main car park is just off the roundabout near the dune. It is holds around 950 cars / buses. It is from this parking that you can access the seasonal staircase that is installed from April to November. Access to the staircase is only around 400 m and is an easy walk.

The price of the car park changes year to year but you can expect that in season you’ll pay €4 and up for a couple of hours (less in winter).

TAXI

This is an untried method by myself and I should imagine it will become expensive but do-able.

Going on things I can find online, the cost could be around €120-€150 one way.

BICYCLE

If you are a keen cyclist, sure you can head out to the bay on your bike. However, this would be an approximately 4 hr bike ride on the national roads! If you are already in Arcachon, there are many coast cycling paths that lead around the bay (including the Dune du Pilat). You can count around 10 km from downtown Arcachon to the Dune to Pilat.

For more information check out this website.

 

 

 

 

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