Living in Arcachon's Ville d'Été: why people settle here

Ville d'Été, where it all began

When people ask me why Arcachon, I often start with the Ville d’Été. It is the seafront and the town centre, between the Eyrac jetty to the east and the Chapelle jetty to the west, with the Ville d’Hiver just above. This is where the town was born.

In the early nineteenth century, Arcachon was little more than a few fishermen’s huts. In 1823, a Breton sailor, François Legallais, opened the first sea bathing establishment. At the time the railway stopped at La Teste, and travellers finished their journey by boat to the Eyrac jetty, the oldest in town. Villas multiplied along the shore, and Napoleon III made Arcachon a commune in its own right on 2 May 1857. The Pereire brothers then designed a town in four seasons. The Ville d’Été is the town of sea bathing, and it is still where everyday life happens.

The jetties, the beating heart of the seafront

The Eyrac jetty, now named after Pierre Lataillade, was rebuilt in concrete in 1903 to withstand storms. It saw the sardine fishermen come and go at a time when Arcachon was one of the great French fishing ports. A wooden horse carousel has replaced the oyster tastings of the past.

A little further on, the Thiers jetty is the best known. Named the “New jetty” in 1903, it took the name Thiers in 1907 and was entirely rebuilt in 2003. Since 1995, its entrance has displayed the bronze footprints of great sailors. In 2021, three sailors from the Bassin joined them: Yannick Bestaven, Arnaud Boissières and Philippe Presti. This is also where boats leave for the Île aux Oiseaux, along with the shuttle to Cap Ferret, which saves around fifty kilometres by road.

All summer long, the jetty hosts sea festivals, regattas, fireworks and concerts. Right next to it floats the famous whale tail, a nine metre sculpture installed in 2011 and repainted every spring.

A beach in the heart of town

Between the jetties lies the main beach of Arcachon. The Bassin is sheltered here, the water calm, and the beach is cleaned every morning. Its red benches are part of the scenery. The esplanade is lined with restaurants, and every summer sand sculptures appear, then disappear at the end of the season.

The seafront can be explored on foot, from boulevard Veyrier-Montagnères to boulevard Gounouilhou, with a wooden boardwalk leading to the small harbour. A morning run, a walk at sunset, watching the boats: these are the simple habits you pick up very quickly here.

The town also brings art to its seafront. In some years, monumental sculpture exhibitions are set up in the open air, such as Bruno Catalano’s in 2021.

A real town centre, all year round

Arcachon is often imagined as a town that falls asleep after the summer. The Ville d’Été proves the opposite. Everything revolves around Place des Marquises, opposite the town hall, a meeting place for more than a century.

The covered market, in its Baltard style hall, is open from Tuesday to Sunday, and every day in summer. You will find seasonal vegetables, fish from the auction, oysters from the Bassin, cheeses and flowers, and it is a pleasant place for a quick lunch. In summer, the square also comes alive with craft stalls and a night market.

Around it, avenue Gambetta, the pedestrian rue de Lattre de Tassigny and boulevard de la Plage bring the shops together. The Château Deganne, built in 1853 by the man who would become the town’s mayor, now houses the casino. It is said he wished to offer it to Napoleon III, who apparently declined because of the upkeep costs. The Olympia theatre and the town hall exhibitions keep cultural life going out of season.

Everything on foot, and Bordeaux within reach by train

It is an argument I hear more and more: in the Ville d’Été, you can live without a car. The market, the shops, the beach, the restaurants, the cinema and the station are all a few minutes’ walk away.

The station, opened in 1857, is right in the centre. Bordeaux is less than an hour away by TER regional train, and Paris a little under three hours via Bordeaux. For those who work partly remotely, this is often what makes a year round move possible. A lift also links the seafront to the Parc Mauresque and the Ville d’Hiver: in a few seconds, you go from the beach to the villas and wooded lanes. And for a change of beach, Pereire is only a few minutes away by bike.

Main home or second home

Those who move here year round are looking for a rare balance: a town on a human scale, shops and services open in every season, the sea at the end of the street, and Bordeaux close enough to keep a foot in the city.

Those who buy a second home come for the opposite of their daily life: park the car on Friday evening and not touch it again until Sunday. Market in the morning, beach in the afternoon, dinner on foot in the evening.

Here, proximity to the Bassin, light, a terrace or a balcony, and the calm of a street set slightly back from the seafront often matter as much as the floor area. These are the details that make the difference between two properties that look alike on paper.

If you are thinking of settling in Arcachon, or of selling a property there, I would be delighted to talk it over with you.