Arcachon travel guide

Arcachon is a commune of the Gironde département, in France.
Arcachon is a popular watering-place, with a fine beach and a mild climate, said to be favourable for invalids suffering from pulmonary complaints, on the Atlantic coast of southwest France, 34 miles southwest of Bordeaux and in the Landes forest.
Arcachon is known for the "Arcachonnaise", the local name for Arcachon villa, which is the architectural style of many of the older houses built there. It is a type of Victorian architecture. The Arcachon villa style was criticized for generations, but it is now considered to be charming and deeply human.
The town of Arcachon is only 150 years old. No long before 1857, when emperor Napoleon III signed, the 2nd may of 1857, its official "birth certificate", it was just a forest of pine trees, oaks and strawberry trees (arbutus), linked by no road to anywhere, where lived - mostly when the weather was supposed to be nice and warm, and more in wood huts than in real houses - less than 400 people basically fishermen or peasants. The previous years, when some hygienists approved sea bathing, three sea establishments where laid out by some wise entrepreneurs, especially for the Bordeaux bourgeoisie or any other wealthy people. This was the beginning of a new style of life and some of the locals got the opportunity to claim their independence from La Teste-de-Buch their properties were a matter for, in order to found a "free" new town, Arcachon.
At its south entrance from the Atlantic ocean, the Arcachon Bay is crowned by Europe's largest sand dune, the Dune de Pyla (or du Pilat), nearly 3 kilometres long, 500 metres wide reaching 107 metres in height, and moving inland at rate of 5 metres per annum.
The area is served by La Teste-de-Buch Airport and the TGV Atlantique. (...) more....