Discover Local Bordeaux & Arcachon Bay: What to Do Around Mercure Bordeaux & Arcachon Bay

At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Bordeaux & Arcachon Bay, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?

Bordeaux & Arcachon Bay in 5 picks

Bordeaux

Place de la Bourse mirrors itself in the water on the quayside, one of the city's most-photographed corners. It's a wine capital first, but the food scene around it has caught up fast.

Arcachon

A seaside town split into four distinct districts, each named after a season. Oyster shacks line the harbour, and the train from Bordeaux takes under an hour.

Cap Ferret

A pine-covered peninsula built on oysters — over 300 independent farmers work this bay. Wooden cabanes tchanquées dot the shoreline, some doubling as informal tasting spots.

Dune du Pilat

Europe's tallest sand dune, at 109 metres. Climb it for a view over the bay on one side and pine forest stretching out on the other.

Andernos-les-Bains

A quieter bay-side town with a long pier and its own oyster huts, popular with cyclists following the bay's coastal paths.

Where to eat
Oysters, straight from a cabane on the water — that's the move here, ideally with a glass of local white and nothing more than a squeeze of lemon. In Bordeaux itself, wine bars around the Chartrons and Saint-Pierre districts pair regional bottles with small plates built for sharing.
On the water
More than 160 kilometres of cycle paths wrap around the bay, making it easy to move between oyster villages by bike rather than car. Boat trips out to the Banc d'Arguin nature reserve, in view of the Dune du Pilat, are worth building into a day.
Getting around
Bordeaux to Arcachon is about 59km, roughly 50 minutes by train, with regular departures throughout the day. From Arcachon, Cap Ferret and the Dune du Pilat are both short onward trips — wherever you're staying across our Mercure hotels in the region, the bay itself is easiest to explore by bike or boat once you're there.
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FAQ

About 59km, and roughly 50 minutes by direct train, with trains running regularly throughout the day.

The bay produces oysters year-round, but many visitors time trips for cooler months when the harvest is traditionally considered at its best. Local oyster huts are open across most of the year regardless.

At 109 metres, it's the tallest sand dune in Europe, and the view from the top takes in the Cap Ferret peninsula, the pine forest and the Banc d'Arguin reserve in one sweep.

Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Bordeaux & Arcachon Bay, ideally placed to explore these picks.

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Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Bordeaux & Arcachon Bay, ideally placed to explore these picks

View hotels