Arcachon Ville d'Automne visitor guide

Visit Arcachon Ville d'Automne, France

The Arcachon Port area, and the beaches in the town to the east of here, are the least visited part of Arcachon but if time permits you will enjoy a stroll along the Plage d'Eyrac and around the port. The more southern parts of the Ville d'Automne are less interesting to visitors.

For other parts of this popular town see the Arcachon travel guide!

Arcachon Port and Aiguillon region of eastern Arcachon: the Ville d'Automne

The part of Arcachon to the east of the Jetée Eyrac and the Plage d'Eyrac is mostly given over to the port area. This is the third largest leisure port area in France and also still an active fishing port. Below we broadly walk eastwards along the coast from the town centre.

This part of Arcachon is commonly called the Ville d'Automne.

Start walking east from the town centre at Jetté d'Eyrac (there are two jetties in the town centre - Jetté d'Eyrac is the furthest to the east). From here you first walk along Plage d'Eyrac, one of the attractive sandy beaches in the town centre, to reach the port area.

Just beyond the end of the beach it is then possible to walk right out and around the port.

At the end of the harbour wall there is a viewpoint and a large monument to those who have died at sea - called the Monument des Péris en Mer, it is a very large stone anchor on a raised grassy area.

Also from the port you can see some of the many (more than 1000) leisure craft that are docked here. Just outside the port walls you can watch the sailing schools in action, teaching even very small children how to sail a boat.

You will also find one or two rather upmarket restaurants on the Boulevard de la Plage next to the harbour, and on the port itself you can buy a luxury yacht or sports car or perhaps launch the jet-ski if you have one!

Arcachon Port information

The port is the second largest Atlantic port in France, after the port at La Rochelle. The port can hold 2600 boats and extends over 21 hectares. Within the same port there is a fleet of 27 fishing boats.

If you arriving by boat see Arcachon port plan for details of moorings, fuel, customs etc. or port contact information for phone numbers and email addresses.

One notable historic monument in the Ville d'Automne part of Arcachon is on the hill next to the port. This is the Church of Saint-Ferdinand, and can be seen from all around the harbour because of the large statue of Christ on the church - sort of like a tiny version of the statue that watches over Rio de Janeiro! The church is actually quite recent, having been built as a chapel in 1855 then replaced by a church around 1900 and the clocktower was added in 1927.

Continuing further east you reach the Plage de l'Aiguillon and also the part of Arcachon known as Aiguillon. This area is popular with visitors as cheaper accommmodation is available here, but in truth is less attractive than the central and western parts of the town - so if you stay here you are likely to travel into the town centre quite often rather than stay on the local beach. There are free Eho! buses available into the town centre from most parts of Aiguillon.

Places to visit nearby

As well as the lovely central part of Arcachon known as the Ville d'Eté or "summer town" be sure to also visit the wonderful villas in the Ville d'Hiver or "winter town" of Arcachon. Across the bay near to Cap Ferret are the picturesque oyster villages of Le Canon and L'Herbe.

Explore elsewhere in the Bassin d'Arcachon. You can find more travel ideas in the Gironde guide and the Aquitaine guide.