Arcachon is located on the west part of the region on the Atlantic coast. Until the beginning of the 19th century, Arcachon was reduced to a few fishermen and resin huts on the edge of the Arcachon basin. In 1841, a railway line finally connects Bordeaux and La Teste-de-Buch.
Arcachon, former district of La Teste de Buch, is promulgated common by imperial decree May 2, 1857. In the first part of the XIX century, it is already appreciated for the quality of its climate; it is one of the largest seaside resorts of the Atlantic coast. Bankers Pereire, owners of the railway between Bordeaux and La Teste, decided to extend the line to Arcachon, with the idea of making this place a tourist, commercial and port. The winter city and its extravagant villas are then, under their impulse, built of a single jet in just 3 years. Look for names of the streets because they are “alleys” on this part of Arcachon.
Located on the edge of the Landes de Gascogne forest on the Côte d’Argent at the entrance of the Arcachon basin, the Pilat dune is the highest dune in Europe, 110 meters in 2016.
Dune Pilat (pile “pile” in patois) is a huge sand castle more or less 3 km long and 600 meters wide. It is constantly being shaped and remodelled by the winds and wet sands of the nearby Arguin Bank, directly opposite.