Port de Larros visitor guide

Visit Port de Larros, France

The Port de Larros is one of several traditional oyster villages situated on the Bassin d'Arcachon, the coastal destination to the east of Bordeaux.

Explore the Port de Larros

France This Way review: I should mention that the Port de Larros is small and there is perhaps not a great deal to see, but it is also close to Arcachon and a pleasant excursion from that resort if you tire of the beach!

We recommend you check the tide tables before visiting, and if at all possible visit during high tide - the oyster ports are always more attractive when the boats are floating on water!

Some of the oyster villages around the Bassin d'Arcachon are now largely centred on attracting tourists, others are still very industrial and not very appealing to visitors: the Port de Larros is a bit of both, an authentic oyster village but with additional appeal for visitors!

The main village is a long row of traditional wooden cabins along the side of the port, all of them involved in the oyster catching business. They are typically still made of treated wood, rather than painted in the bright colours that you will see in some of the more visited oyster villages here.

Some of the cabins have now become oyster restaurants: note that they are not officially restaurants, and (as with all the oyster villages) the restaurants at Port de Larros are only licenced to serve oysters and wine - so no ice creams, cold beers, or steak and chips! They are however the best way to sample the local oysters, as fresh as they can be, and what better way is there to pass an afternoone than to enjoy a few oysters and a glass of wine...

Beyond the oyster cabins there is a pier with a cross at the end, that you can walk along for better views across the bassin.

There is a small beach here as well, although it is only very practical to visit the beach at high tide: at other times there is a rather extended mud-flat between the sand and the sea. Perhaps a useful beach if you find yourself staying very close to here but not really a beach that attracts visitors from other places.

Attractions nearby

Another oyster village nearby is the Port de Biganos, which is quite different in character and worth visiting as a comparison with the Port de Larros. Perhaps the most charming oyster villages on the Bassin d'Arcachon are at Canon and L'Herbe on Cap Ferret but to get to them involves quite a long drive (or a ferry crossing) from Arcachon.

Of course you will visit Arcachon while you are in this region: as well as the resort, please see highlights near Arcachon for other places to visit in the area.

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