Arcachon

Also known as Arcaishon

Arcachon (; ) is a commune in the southwestern French department of Gironde. It is a popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux, in the Landes forest. It has a sandy beach and a mild climate, said to be favourable for people suffering from pulmonary complaints.

AI overview

Arcachon is a seaside resort town in southwestern France, located on the Atlantic coast near Bordeaux, known for its sandy beach and mild climate. Historically, its favorable weather conditions made it attractive to people seeking relief from lung diseases.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Weather now

cached 20h ago

21°clear sky

63% 1.2 m/s OpenWeatherMap

7-day forecast

via Open-Meteo

Place details

Locality: Arcachon
Region: Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Country: France
Population: 12,321
Timezone: Europe/Paris

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

French commune.name: Arcachon
French commune.commune status: Subprefecture and commune
French commune.image flag: Drapeau d'Arcachon.svg
French commune.image: ArcachonPlage.JPG
French commune.caption: Arcachon, the Landes forest and the Dune of Pilat
French commune.image coat of arms: Blason ville fr Arcachon (Gironde).svg
French commune.arrondissement: Arcachon
French commune.canton: La Teste-de-Buch
French commune.INSEE: 33009
French commune.postal code: 33120
French commune.mayor: Yves Foulon
French commune.term: 2020–2026
French commune.intercommunality: CA Bassin d'Arcachon Sud
French commune.elevation m: 8
French commune.elevation min m: 0
French commune.elevation max m: 45
French commune.area km2: 7.56

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official name: Arcachon
Population: 10895
Area: 7.56
Elevation: 0
Official website: www.ville-arcachon.fr
Image: Moulleau.JPG

Show 12 more facts

postal code: 33120
Commons category: Arcachon
Commons gallery: Arcachon
native label: Arcachon
inception: 1845-00-00
male population: 4849
female population: 6435
P8168: hydroxyl
email address: mailto:[email protected]
contact page URL: www.ville-arcachon.fr/contactez-la-mairie
phone number: +33-5-57-52-98-98
P12749: Jutta Steinruck

Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Get around

thumb|right|A boat in Arcachon, with the Dune du Pilat in the background Lovely surroundings of Arcachon becomes horrendous in summer if you try to drive anywhere — it takes nearly 3 hours to get from Arcachon to Andernos Les Bains in the early evenings. In fact, if you want to go anywhere in the area in summer, you'd better start early in the morning before 08:00. This is not a place for those preferring laziness in the mornings while on vacations.

The town is easy to explore on foot and there are many pedestrian-only avenues in the old town and along the waterfront.

Bicycles are a good alternative for moving around the Bay and beyond.

There is also a small local bus network operating under the name Baïa.

See

thumb|right|Notre-Dame-des-Passes church

Do

thumb|right|The old fisheries of l'Île aux Oiseaux

Buy

thumb|right|A plaza in the centre of Arcachon

Connect

Arcachon is well served by all French telecommunication operators and there is usually good mobile coverage (GSM, 3G and 4G) as long as you stay in the urbanized areas. Obviously coverage may be quite spotty in the surrounding forests or at sea.

As everywhere in France, public phone booths have been completely removed several years ago.

Many restaurants, hotels and campings usually provide WiFi access.

Stay safe

Arcachon is rather safe and there are no major crime-related issues, although usual common sense applies.

When swimming in the Atlantic ocean (though not in the Bay itself), great care must be taken regarding the Baïne, a unique local natural phenomenon occurring during rising tide and which has claimed many lives over the years. Even experienced swimmers may be taken by surprise. Always be mindful of the information and warnings given by the local lifeguards.