Camping In Arcachon

Camping In Arcachon, Biscarrosse & Messanges

I’m taking a slight liberty with this article as I’m not referring solely to Camping In Arcachon but to camping along the whole coastline from the Arcachon Basin down almost towards the Pyrenees and the Spanish border. The French refer to the area as Les Landes, after the forest of the same name which stretches across the area as you move inland.

This coastline has some of the best beaches in France, mile after mile of sandy dunes and is ideal for surfing and other water sports. There are some lovely lakes too.

You’ll be spoilt for a choice of beaches but the best are probably those around Biscarrosse and Messanges.

As this is such a popular holiday area, campsites here tend to sell out early so if you are looking to stay here for any length of time and have a particular place in mind it’s best to book well in advance of departure, especially in the peak August holiday season. The best spots are taken up months in advance.

Camping de la Cote d’Argent is one of the most popular camping parks in this area. Located in the lovely Medoc vineyard region north of Bordeaux, it’s just a few minutes walk from a spectacular beach with huge Atlantic Ocean waves to challenge anyone’s surfing skills. Dune du Pilat, Europe’s largest sand dune is also nearby as is the lovely Lake Carcans-Hourtin, France’s largest freshwater lake.

Nearby Hourtin Plage is a resort that’s brimming with lively restaurants and bars.

On the camping park itself you will find a water park that includes an Aqua Pirates fun park, with endless slides and water cascades, 2 pool complexes and another with a retractable roof, making it perfect for any weather. Other activities include a tennis court, 3 table tennis tables, a volleyball net, cycle hire, playgrounds and a boules pitch.

There are 870 pitches here, well spread out so there should be plenty of space for everyone.

Extending south of Bordeaux are the camping parks of the Arcachon and Biscarrosse areas of this sandy coastline which extends all the way to Biarritz and then the Spanish border.

This area is a mecca for surfers and sun worshippers as the beaches are long and sandy with wild waves ideal for surfers. Lake Biscarrosse offers calmer waters and more sandy beaches if you and your family prefer a more gentle paddle. There is also a network of scenic cycle routes across this region so there’s little excuse for not being active, unless of course you don’t want to be and prefer to just laze in the usually plentiful sunshine.

For trips out, glitzy Biarritz with its art deco casino and colourful half-timbered Basque houses is just to the south of this area and a trip over to San Sebastián for tapas is another option if you’re travelling in that direction.

It’s a long journey from the Channel ports. Ouistreham, the Brittany Ferries destination near Caen, to Messanges is at least an 8 hour drive without a stop, plus some of the faster roads will be toll roads. Summer Saturdays are especially busy for traffic and worth planning to avoid if at all possible. This can be easier said than done with many locations preferring Saturday to Saturday bookings.

The way round this problem, especially if you’ll have young children protesting about the length of the journey, might be to book a stopover of one or more nights on your way down and back or to consider a two centre booking. Another option is to sail to one of the Spanish ports, either Bilbao or Santander. The drive will be shorter but of course the sea journey will be much longer and normally more expensive.

A handy alternative for motorhome and campervan users are “Aires de camping car” sites. These are overnight stopovers for motorhomes and campervans and are FREE to use but you must have a campervan which is self-sufficient, not simply an ordinary van with a mattress in the back. No tables, chairs or tents are permitted at these locations and neither are caravans. Local councils provide these parking sites as overnight stopovers. Rules are strictly enforced and the police will call to check the system is not being abused, so don’t be tempted to.

The book to get if you are using a motorhome or campervan is the Motorhome Guide Camperstop Europe. It’s not cheap at £26 new from Amazon but if you make use of it you will soon be saving money.

If you’ve ever holidayed in this area, especially if you’ve enjoyed Camping In Arcachon or the rest of this area, and would like to share your experiences, or if you have any more information to help you decide whether to make a booking, feel free to say so on any of our Social Media platforms or in the comments section below.

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