Page 415 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

32 GREAT VIEW
Dax Royan
Lighthouse
! B6 ⌂ Landes £ @ n 11 The historic Cordouan
cours Foch; www.dax-
tourisme.com Lighthouse (Phare de
Cordouan), off the coast
The thermal spa of Dax is of Royan, can be visited
second only to Aix-les-Bains by boat at low tide, and
(p386) in importance. Its hot offers incredible views
springs, with a constant tem- of the Gironde estuary
perature of 64° C (147° F) and and coastline.
tonic mud from the Adour,
have been soothing aches
and pains since the time of this weather-beaten coast.
The immense Dune du Emperor Augustus. With five beaches of fine
Pilat, south of the inlet Apart from the 13th-century sand, here called conches, it
to Bassin d’Arcachon doorway of the otherwise becomes busy in the summer.
17th-century Cathédrale Built between 1955 and
Notre- Dame, there isn’t much 1958, Eglise Notre-Dame is a
number of traditional auberges of architectural interest in this remarkable early example of
landaises (wooden houses peaceful town. But the prom- reinforced concrete architec-
with sloping roofs) found here. enade along the River Adour ture. Its interior is flooded
is charming and the bullring with colour and light by the
Ecomusée Marquèze is world renowned. stained-glass windows.
"-= ⌂ Route de la The notable Renais sance
Gare, 40630 Sabres Phare de Cordouan, visible in
# Hours vary, check 33 the distance from the coast,
website ∑ marqueze.fr offers a change from all the
Royan modern archi tec ture. Various
lighthouses have been built
! B5 ⌂ Charente-Maritime
31 £ @ g To Verdon only on the site since the 11th
century. The present one was
Mont-de-Marsan n 1 bd de la Grandière; finished in 1611, with a chapel
www.royanatlantique.fr
! C6 ⌂ Landes £ @ inside, and was later reinforced
n 1 pl Charles de Gaulle; Badly damaged by Allied and heigh tened. Since 1789,
nothing has changed but the
bombing in World War II,
www.visitmontde
marsan.fr Royan is now thoroughly lighting method. Boat trips in
modern and different in tone summer ferry visitors to Phare
A bullfighting mecca, this from the rest of the towns on de Cordouan from the harbour.
medieval town attracts all the
great bullfighters of France
and Spain in summer. A less
bloodthirsty local variant of
the sport is the course landaise,
in which the object is to vault
over the horns and back of a
charging bull. The town is
also home to a medieval keep.
Sculpture from the first half of
the 20th century can be seen at
Musée Despiau-Wlérick, on
place Marguerite de Navarre.
The administrative capital of
the Landes is also known for its
hippodrome, poultry farming
and foie gras production.

Bathed in light, the
spectacular interior of
Église Notre-Dame at Royan
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