Day trip guide: Dune du Pilat and Arcachon from Bordeaux

Planning a holiday to Bordeaux and wondering if the famed Dune du Pilat and charming Arcachon are worth visiting as a day trip? I recently explored this stunning part of the French coast and I’ve put together this guide to help you plan your own amazing day out.

The amazing Dune du Pilat, an enormous sand dune. There are people on the dune, but they look tiny against the might of the dune. — The amazing Dune du Pilat is an easy day trip from Bordeaux, and makes a great combination with the charming seaside town of Arcachon

Why are the Dune du Pilat and Arcachon worth visiting?

Bordeaux is a beautiful city with plenty of things to do, but the Dune du Pilat is genuinely awe-inspiring and well worth the journey to get there. I’d had it on my travel bucketlist for ages and it didn’t disappoint at all.

A woman (me) standing on a huge sand dune under a blue sky — Finally standing on the Dune du Pilat

Imagine a colossal wave of sand, soaring over 100 metres high in places and stretching for nearly three kilometres alongs south west France’s Atlantic coast. It’s Europe’s tallest sand dune, taller than Big Ben and visible from space.

From its summit on a clear day, you get stunning 360-degree views across the Atlantic, the beautiful Arcachon Bay with its Banc d’Arguin sandbank, the huge pine forests of Les Landes inland, and out to the Cap Ferret peninsula. It’s a powerful, ever-changing natural wonder, one of the Grand Sites de France and an unforgettable experience.

An enormous sand dune, disappearing into a blue sky — The Dune du Pilat is an astonishing sight and one of the best day trips from Bordeaux

Arcachon offers a lovely change of pace from the wild Dune du Pilat. It’s an upmarket French seaside town with sandy beaches, a lively promenade, a thriving food scene and some beautiful historic villas, especially in its peaceful Ville d’Hiver (Winter Town). The two destinations together create a day trip from Bordeaux full of brilliant contrasts.

Getting to the Dune du Pilat and Arcachon from Bordeaux

By train and bus

Getting to the Dune du Pilat by public transport involves a train from Bordeaux to Arcachon and a bus from Arcachon to the dune. The timetable varies a lot depending on the time of year and the day of the week, so it’s critical to check the timetable before you travel.

When I visited in early May there were no buses from Arcachon to the Dune du Pilat on Sundays, and only an hourly service on other days. During the height of summer there are more buses. You can check timetables on the Bus Baia website, or if you download their mobile app you can buy a ticket online as well as being able to check bus times.

A train from Bordeaux standing at the platform at Arcachon station — The train from Bordeaux arrives at Arcachon station

I took a direct local train from Bordeaux’s Gare Saint-Jean to Arcachon. The train took around 50 minutes and cost 22 euro for a return ticket. I visited Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat on a sunny Saturday and the train was very busy – I got a seat but lots of people didn’t. It’s clearly a very popular day trip from Bordeaux and there were lots of locals and visitors on the train.

A bus arriving at a bus stop. The destination board reads Line 3, Dune du Pilat — The line 3 bus to the Dune du Pilat arriving at the bus stop outside Arcachon station

Once you arrive in Arcachon, head straight out from the station to the bus stop on the main road in front of the station and just to the left. The bus line is number 3; the stop seems like it’s facing the wrong way but the bus turns around. There’s likely to be a big queue to get on, and you should be prepared to stand for the 30 minute journey.

A walkway leading off towards the Dune du Pilat — The walkway from the bus stop leading to the visitor area and the Dune du Pilat

The bus stop for the Dune du Pilat is by the car park and just a short walk from the start of the visitor centre cabins.

By car

If you prefer to drive, the journey from Bordeaux takes about an hour. Driving gives you more flexibility, but remember that you’ll need to pay for parking at the Dune du Pilat and the car parks do fill up quickly, particularly in summer.

The car parks were full when I arrived at around midday, so I’d recommend arriving very early if you’re coming by car. Parking is forbidden everywhere except in the official car parks.

Bikes locked up at a forest parking spot. There is a car park in the background. — There is bike and car parking at the Dune du Pilat, but the car park fills up quickly

By bike

There are a number of bike rental places in Arcachon; cycling to the dune takes around 30 minutes, about the same time as the bus.

By taxi

I used the bus, but I did also check the Uber and Bolt ride sharing apps to see how much it would cost to get to and from the dune from Arcachon, and both were quoting 30 to 50 euro for a one-way journey. It was a sunny Saturday so prices may have been a little higher than normal, but it was pretty pricey – another reason to check the bus timetable before you decide on your day trip itinerary.

The amazing Dune du Pilat. An enormous yellow sand dune stretches away into the distance against a blue sky, with a pine forest at the base. — You can’t help but feel amazed by the dune

Arriving at Dune du Pilat: what to expect

When you arrive at the main visitor area at the foot of Dune du Pilat, you’ll find a handful of little wooden huts scattered along the walkway with facilities like toilets, souvenir shops, exhibitions about the nature you can find here plus several cafes and snack bars selling food and drinks.

Wooden cabins with a cafe inside, beside a wide walkway — The visitor facilities at the dune are housed in a series of little wooden cabins. There are toilets, cafes, sandwich bars and gift shops

I bought a cheese sandwich and a couple of drinks from a stall; it was very nice but also very expensive so if you can, I’d recommend bringing a picnic with you. Drinks are an essential for climbing the dune so you should definitely bring water with you.

The path from the visitor area to the dune, the walkway is already covered in sand — The walkway from the visitor facilities towards the dune. It’s already covered in a fine layer of sand but gets much deeper very quickly!

There’s a walkway leading from the cabins towards the dune through the woods. The path gradually gets covered until everyone is taking off their shoes and walking through the sand barefoot. It’s around a 5 minute walk from the cabins to the base of the dune. There are no further facilities once you reach the dune.

Climbing the Dune du Pilat

To reach the summit, you have two options.

The stairs

From Easter to the very beginning of November, you’ll usually find temporary stairs installed on one side of the dune. These make the climb much more manageable, though it’s still a good leg workout, especially as you get closer to the top where the sand starts to cover the steps! There’s a rope handrail and it’s ok to stop on the way up.

People walking up temporary steps on a huge sand dune — The temporary steps at the Dune du Pilat are usually in place between Easter and the very beginning of November

Directly on the sand

If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can also make your way straight up the sandy slope. There are plenty of people who do this and you can see them regretting their life choices a couple of minutes in – there was even a man doing this with a toddler in a carrier plus all his beach kit which looked completely insane. If the stairs are there, I thoroughly recommend using them!

Standing at the bottom of an enormous sand dune — If you choose not to use the stairs (or visit between November and Easter), this is the climb you’ll be faced with

Whichever way you choose, the incredible panoramic views from the top are your reward.

Making the most of your time on the Dune du Pilat

Plan to spend at least an hour or two on top of the Dune du Pilat to really soak it all in. Walking along the ridge offers ever-changing perspectives and the crowds thin out as you walk further towards the south.

Looking south down the dune. There are a few people dotted around. — Looking south down the dune

I do recommend going over the peak of the dune to look out to sea. The Banc d’Arguin sandy islands just off the coast are a stunning nature reserve, and you can also catch a glimpse of Cap Ferret on the other side of Arcachon Bay. The sea here is so beautiful, and the sheer size of the dune stretching off into the distance and down to the beach is awe-inspiring.

Looking down the ocean side of the dune towards the Atlantic and the Banc d'Arguin nature reserve — Looking down the ocean side of the dune towards the Atlantic and the Banc d’Arguin nature reserve

Looking out towards Cap Ferret across Arcachon bay. The huge Dune du Pilat is sloping away from the camera in the foreground, then there's a bay. In the background you can just see another narrow, curving sandbank , the Cap Ferret peninsula. — Looking out towards Cap Ferret across Arcachon bay

On the other side of the dune, you can clearly see how it’s swallowing up the forest at a rate of between 1 and 5 metres a year. Dead, dried out trees are dotted along the edge of the forest, giving you a powerful sense of the dune as a living, moving thing.

A dead tree surrounded by sand, with forest in the background — The dune is gradually swallowing the surrounding forest

At the southern end of the dune, you might see paragliders in the sky; watching them launch and land is quite a spectacle.

Visiting Arcachon: seaside charm and historic villas

After you’ve visited the Dune du Pilat, take the bus or drive back towards Arcachon to explore the town.

Arcachon was originally an isolated fishing village in a pine forest. In the mid-1800s Napoleon III recognised it as an autonomous municipality and the railway arrived, allowing wealthy Bordeaux residents to come to the seaside to indulge in fashionable sea-bathing.

Today, it’s still a smart seaside resort, full of seafood restaurants and artisan ice cream shops. It’s twinned with Gardone Riviera on Lake Garda in Italy and Aveiro in Portugal.

An elegant restaurant in Arcachon — One of the many chic restaurants in Arcachon

Things to do in Arcachon

Seafront promenade and beaches

Arcachon’s seafront promenade is ideal for a relaxing stroll, and the beaches are sandy and inviting (if you haven’t had your fill of sand!). There are lots of bars and restaurants lining the promenade.

A seafront promenade with a wide path — Arcachon promenade runs along the beach. There was some maintenance work going on when I visited but it was still pretty.

Ville d’Hiver (Winter Town)

I highly recommend making time for the Ville d’Hiver. This historic residential area, located on the hills above the town, is filled with stunning, ornate 19th-century villas, each one in a different style. Wandering around imagining which one you’d buy if you had a few million euro is a nice way to escape from the busier beachfront.

An extravagant 19th century villa in Arcachon’s Ville d’Hiver

A beautiful, very symmetrical villa with ornate details — I think I’ll have this Ville d’Hiver villa please

A romantic villa with a turret and ornate windows — Some of the villas are less manicured than others but they’re all very charming

You can walk up to the Ville d’Hiver, or look for the Petit Train d’Arcachon (a little tourist train). The tourist train usually runs from spring to autumn and has two routes, a panoramic route which takes 50 minutes and another which covers the Ville d’Hiver. The tourist train departs from outside the tourist information office near the railway station.

Because the Ville d’Hiver covers such a wide area, it can be difficult to know what route to take to see the best villas. I wish I’d come across this self-guided walking tour before I visited Arcachon as it’s a great introduction to the area.

Boat trips

If you’d like to see the Dune du Pilat from the sea, experience the bird life on Banc d’Arguin and see the many pretty villages along the coast, you can take a boat trip out into Arcachon Bay. There are also boat shuttles between Arcachon and Cap Ferret and other destinations in the bay.

The pier in Arcachon. A wide paved pier leads out and over the beach. — The pier in Arcachon where you can take a boat trip to see the Dune du Pilat from the sea

Parc Mauresque

Peaceful Parc Mauresque is in the Ville d’Hiver and is a lovely place to relax. I walked through it on my way down from seeing the villas and was delighted with the Wes Anderson-esque lift which connects the Winter Town on the hill with the Summer Town by the sea.

A pretty circular elevator in a park — The lift at the Parc Mauresque was built in 1948 and replaced an earlier funicular

Arcachon oysters

Arcachon is famous for its oysters, with oyster farms dotted all around the bay. I’m vegetarian and I’ve never tried any kind of seafood so I can’t offer any advice here but there are oysters on offer all over town.

Note: There were some temporary restrictions on harvesting and selling oysters in the region in late 2023 and early 2024. If you’re planning to try some, it’s a good idea to ask at a reputable restaurant or the tourist office about current local guidance.

Oysters in a box underwater at an oyster farm in Arcachon bay — An oyster farm in Arcachon bay

Festivals

When I visited Arcachon the town was celebrating a literary festival, La Plage aux Ecrivains (Authors Beach). There are festivals and events most months of the year so it’s worth checking out the tourism website to see what’s on.

When you’re ready, the train from Arcachon will take you back to Bordeaux; sit on the left hand side of the train for a final view of fishing villages and harbours along the bay.

What to pack for your day trip to the Dune du Pilat and Arcachon

Plenty of water: It can get very hot in this part of France so staying hydrated is key, especially on warm days or after the climb.
Sun protection: Don’t forget sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat – the sun can be strong and there’s no shade on the dune.
Comfortable shoes: Essential for getting around, exploring Arcachon and standing on the bus! You’ll probably go barefoot on the dune, although I wore hiking sandals which were ideal. It’s a good idea to bring a bag to put your shoes in, and you might want to also bring a towel to wipe the sand off your feet before you head into Arcachon.
Layers: It can be breezy at the top of the dune.
Picnic and snacks: A good way to save money and ensure you have food you enjoy.
Something to sit on: You’ll want to sit down on the dune to take it all in, so a picnic blanket or seat pad is a good idea to avoid a sandy bum!
Camera/phone: For all those photos! A portable charger isn’t a bad idea either. Be aware that wind and sand isn’t a great combination for cameras that aren’t weather sealed – I brought my mirrorless camera but I only got it out for a couple of photos and relied on my phone for the rest. Drones are forbidden.
Payment methods: I used the Bus Baia phone app to buy bus tickets to and from the dune, and contactless payments to buy drinks and snacks at the visitor area, but it’s always a good idea to have some cash on you.

A view from the dune, showing the forest stretching out into the distance — There are spectacular views in every direction

Is the Dune du Pilat and Arcachon day trip worth it?

Definitely! This day trip from Bordeaux offers a fantastic mix of natural wonder and seaside town charm. The Dune du Pilat is an unforgettable sight, and Arcachon is a lovely place to explore. It’s an ideal excursion for anyone who loves impressive landscapes, coastal scenery, and a bit of light adventure.

Have you visited the Dune du Pilat or Arcachon? What were your favourite moments or top tips? Share them in the comments below!