The French beloved coastal town of Arcachon is an hour’s drive from Bordeaux. Pine forests, sand dunes stretching for almost three kilometers between the forest area and the sea shore, a few fishermen’s houses – this is how Arcachon remained until 1823, when the first hotel with SPA procedures appeared here.
The discovery of the thermal spring of St. Anne, the healing properties of the sea water and the air of the pine forests, helping to treat respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and other diseases, began to attract wealthy people to Arcachon, resulting in the emergence of a railway line connecting Arcachon with Bordeaux. Its creators, the Pereire brothers, laid the foundation for the new town by building the Winter City, the Moorish Casino, the Chinese Buffet and the Grand Hotel. In a matter of years, Arcachon became world-famous and a flood of health-conscious and affluent tourists flooded in.
You can relax in this cozy seaside town at any time of the year. It is so called – the city of four seasons, each of which corresponds to a different part of the city.
“Summer” city – a clean sandy sea beaches, stretching for five kilometers. Here you can swim, walk along the embankments, sit on the open verandas of restaurants, sipping Bordeaux wines and dainty oysters and other seafood, just delivered to the table … For those who find such pastime boring, the city offers casinos, yachting, horse racing, golf, water park and other vacation pleasures.
“Winter” city was and remains a meeting place for famous politicians, writers and artists. Here, in a pine forest, there are numerous villas of the late XIXth – early XXth centuries. This place has a soothing and relaxing effect on those who are tired of the crazy rhythm, noise and bustle of the cities.
“Autumn” city is a port with a huge number of yachts and pleasure boats. The busiest place is the area around the Thiers pier. From here you can take boat trips to any place in Arcachon Bay: to the Bird Island of Oiseau, to Cap Ferré, to the Dune du Pyla, to the oyster plantations of Guyjean-Mestras, to the Ornithological Park. Autumn is the fishing season, and at this time you can observe the entertaining spectacle of unloading fish at the marina.
The “spring” town is inextricably linked to the Pereire Park, where the awakening nature charms with its landscapes and spring odors.
In Arcachon you will find attractions such as the Observatoire Sainte Cecile, Parc Mauresque, Place Bremontier, the Chapel of St. Virgin of Arcachon (la-Vierge-d’Arcachon).
But of course the most remarkable is the bay of Arcachon, filled in the warm season with yachts with colorful sails, gently bobbing on the gentle waves, pacified by the curve of the shore.
Arkashon knows how to charm tourists at any time of the year, how to make them dream of coming back here again and again.
