Page 367 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

century. Its four little
quarters are romantically
named for each of the TOP TIP:
seasons, with villas that OYSTER TASTE TEST
evoke the town’s golden
past amid a scattering of Oysters from each of the Bassin d’Arcachon’s
1950s architecture. four oyster-breeding zones hint at subtly different
flavours. See if you can detect these:
Arcachon’s sandy
beach, Plage d’Arcachon, Banc d’Arguin – milk and sugar
Île aux Oiseaux – minerals
is flanked by two piers.
Lively Jetée Thiers is at Cap Ferret – citrus
Grand Banc – roasted hazelnuts
the western end. In front
of the eastern pier, Jetée
d’Eyrac, stands the town’s ited ‘bird island’ in the spreading eastwards at
turreted Casino de la middle of Arcachon bay. 4.5m a year – it has swal-
Plage, built by Adalbert It’s a haven for tern, lowed trees, a road junc-
Deganne in 1953 as an ex- curlew and redshank, so tion and even a hotel.
act replica of Château de bring your binoculars. In The view from the ATLANTIC COAST 33 HERITAGE WINE COuNTRY
Boursault in the Marne. summer there are regular top – approximately
Inside, it’s a less-grand all-day excursions (11am 114m above sea level – is
blinking and bell-ringing to 5.30pm) to the Banc magnificent. To the west
riot of poker machines d’Arguin, the sand bank you can see the sandy
and gaming tables. off the Dune du Pilat. shoals at the mouth of
On the tree-covered the Bassin d’Arcachon,
hillside south of the Ville 54 p367 and dense dark-green
d’Été, the century-old The Drive » Dune du Pilat is pine forests stretch from
Ville d’Hiver (Winter 12km south of Arcachon down the base of the dune east-
Quarter) has more than the D218. There are restrictions wards almost as far as
300 villas ranging in on car access in summer for the the eye can see. The only
style from neo-Gothic last part of the route. address to have a drink
through to colonial. or dine afterwards is La
For a different view of Co(o)rniche (%05 56 22
Arcachon and its coast- 9 Dune du Pilat 72 11; www.lacoorniche-pyla.
line, take to the ocean This colossal sand dune com; 46 av Louis Gaume, Pyla-
waves on one of the boat (sometimes referred sur-Mer; 2-/3-course lunch
cruises organised by Les to as the Dune de Pyla menu €53/58, seafood platters
Bateliers Arcachonnais because of its location in €40-85), a 1930s hunting
(%08 25 27 00 27; www. the resort town of Pyla- lodge transformed by
bateliers-arcachon.com; 75 sur-Mer) stretches from French designer Philippe
bd de la Plage; c). It offers the mouth of the Bassin Starck into one of
daily, year-round cruises d’Arcachon southwards France’s most stunning
around the Île aux for almost 3km. Already seaside restaurants.
Oiseaux, the uninhab- the largest in Europe, it’s

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