Arcachon and Bordeaux

After a week in the wine country of Burgundy and the Loire the kids and I were about done with vines, so while Lisa hobnobbed with French winemakers across the Bordeaux region we bunked down in the quaint seaside enclave of Arcachon. With our Eurail passes it’s so nice to be able to look ahead a few days to where we’d like to go and choose places to stay on any of the surrounding rail lines. Arcachon is only about 60 kilometers/40 miles from the city of Bordeaux, we knew nothing about the town before we arrived but the internet pics showed beautiful beaches and lots of oysters… We didn’t need much more.

Arcachon Bay – on which Arcachon is situated – is a huge protected tidal area renowned for its oysters, there are 10,000 tonnes of the delicious mollusks pulled out of its waters each year. We stayed at a turn-of-the century little apartment at the western end of the town center, less than 100 meters/330 feet from the beach and a roughly 10 minute walk from all the shops and restaurants in the town center. Our garrulous AirBNB host met us at the train station upon arrival and proceeded to give us a walking tour of Arcachon en route to our abode, without a doubt the friendliest and most welcoming AirBNB host we’d ever had (he actually drove 60 kilometers/40 miles from Bordeaux to welcome us, noting that he greets guests how he’d like to be greeted himself!). He even gave Lisa a bottle of wine from his cellar when he discovered she’s a winemaker!

The center of Arcachon had obviously seen some major upgrades in the prior decade or two, with beautifully-paved pedestrian streets crisscrossing the town center filled with and endless array of boutique clothing stores, homewares shops, wine caves, restaurants and a handful of oyster bars. Such a relaxed, beachy atmosphere strolling about town with the smell of the ocean in the air… There was a market each day in the central town square – which we missed because we were either in Bordeaux or at the beach – and so many great spots at which to enjoy a drink in the late afternoon autumn sun. A standout for us in town was our dinner at Le Pitt, an out-of-the-way seafood bar that served a concise menu of fresh oysters, prawns and whelk. The oysters – harvested that day from Arcachon Bay – and prawns were absolutely divine, some of the best oysters we’d ever had (we ordered another round after the first dozen!). And the kids couldn’t get enough of the giant prawns, very reminiscent of the sweet king prawns in South Australia. At Le Pitt, Lisa and I both commented that we were definitely missing the Bordessas, our typical oyster partners in crime.

It was great to be back at the ocean after bidding it goodbye in Vis more than a month ago in Croatia. When we arrived in Arcachon we basically dumped our bags, grabbed our bathing suits and headed straight for the sand, which was a short walk from our little apartment. It was only about 20°C/68°F in the sun, but given the water in the bay was 21°C/70°F it didn’t take the kids long to transition from the sand to the ocean. They were in heaven being back at the beach, and with a handful of cold Kronenbourgs Lisa and I weren’t complaining either. The kids and I also spent an afternoon at the Arcachon main beach of Plage Thiers after a morning trip into Bordeaux one day, such beautiful warm water and endless white sand to keep everyone busy for the afternoon. (Note Lilia has almost fully adopted Euro-style bathing and rarely dons a biking top these days!)

We all ventured into Bordeaux one morning on the train to accompany Lisa on one of her journeys to the châteaux and domaines of the surrounding wine country. For such a large city, the center of Bordeaux was very approachable, with a beautiful riverside promenade along the front of the old town – the Saint-Pierre district – and an excellent network of trams we used to explore. Lisa wanted to take the kids to the famous Cité du Vin (Museum of Wine) in the northern portion of the city center as it had a lot of interactive exhibits suitable for the kids as well as a plethora of material for the winemaker of the family. The three of them spent a couple of hours at the museum (and then Lisa went back for more on her own) while I explored the beautiful Saint-Pierre district. Both Max and Lilia thoroughly enjoyed the museum and learned so much about the winemaking process, they were both brimming with new facts about wine and winemaking when I met them for lunch. The ultra-modern exterior of Cité du Vin was very impressive, so much engineering must have gone into its construction, truly a sight to behold. From everyone’s accounts of the visit, a very worthy stop if ever in Bordeaux (especially with kids).

Another highlight of our time in Arcachon – and a must do if ever in the area – was a visit to the behemoth Dune du Pilat. I’d only ever seen such huge swaths of sand in Pismo and Rainbow Beach, the single dune was almost three kilometers/two miles long. A very popular tourist destination, the main path to the top of the dune was quite busy when we visited but most visitors seemed to hike to the top just to take in the view without descending to the beach. We went prepared, with quiches and croissants, bathing suits and beach toys and had a wonderful day on the almost deserted Plage de la Corniche at the base of the dune. It was about 20°C/68°F and 21°C/70°F in the water, the kids had a ball hurtling themselves down the steep face of the dune and playing in the tide pools that revealed themselves as the tide went out. Me, well, I just worked on my vitamin D intake with the occasional Aerobie game of man-in-the-middle with the kids. The day flew by so quickly, before we realized it was time to hike back across the sand – a journey which took us a full 30 minutes – to the bus bound for Arcachon.

So fun to be back on the coast after our month exploring the inland countries of Western Europe. Great sand, fun beaches, a charming town and the seafood was just divine!