Dune of Pilat — Attraction in Arcachon

We visited Arcachon for a day, during our holidays in Bordeaux. We got there by train, so our whole experience was without a car. We took the bus from the city centre to the Dune of Pilat. The ride was approximately 45 minutes through the residential areas of Arcachon. The bus stop is right next to the parking area of the Dune. From there you can walk straight to the Dune, passing by the small shops and snack bars. We were lucky as the temperature was quite comfortable during our visit. It takes around 20 minutes to get to the dune and the last part is the hardest. After a short walk on the fine sand, you reach the stairs with around 150 steps to get to the top of the dune. And when we were there, it was packed with people so getting up there took some time. Definitely worth the effort and the time to get to the top though. Once in a lifetime experience. The views are amazing and the scenery is outstanding. We visited the dune with our two children and everything was OK. You can get some rest, cool down and have a quick lunch, refreshment or snacks when you get back to the entrance area. The bus to the city centre comes every hour so keep an eye on the timetables so that you don't waste any time waiting. The number 3 bus goes through the residential areas and the busy beaches. You get the chance to get off at Moulleau for example. Overall a great experience. Great photos and definitely a cool memory...

Breathtaking place! I visited the Dune of Pilat for the first time today. It’s located in the Gironde region about 40miles outside of Bordeaux.

The whole area is great for outdoor activities, including biking, hiking, camping, etc. It’s a mountain of sand that separates the mainland from the Atlantic Ocean. There are several points of entry. The easiest way to climb up is through the man made stairs that takes you almost all the way to the top of the sand hill.

The top overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and beach where many beach goers enjoy the cool breeze and the cool water. You can trek down to the beach but coming back up can be physically demanding.

There are lots of restaurants down the hill where you can recharge with food, or some ice cream or frozen lemonade after the trek.

The whole view is magnificent! It’s impressive how the very fond dune of sand meets the very green forest full of trees. Go check it out yourself and come...

It's obvious this is a landmark that should not be missed, but some important facts might be more helpful:

the public parking is situated at the north side of the dune and there are stairs on the steep side that make the climb easier the dune is steeper on the forest side than on the ocean side, so it takes more time and effort to go on the other side towards the waters (or back) dense fog might ruin the visibility, so even if the weather looks find around the dune, depending on the wind direction and temperature difference between water and land, you might be surprised by a veil of fog when you reach the top if you want to walk around the dune on the north side, to avoid climbing back on it, it will take some time and distance (more than 25 minutes) because the path goes back into the main road and trying to cut through the forest would only lead you to the steepest...