Dune of Pilat
The tallest sand dune in Europe, a great ridge of sand on the Arcachon Bay about 60 kilometres south west of Bordeaux. From the top the Atlantic stretches away on one side and a pine forest on the other, and the dune creeps slowly inland year by year.
- Where
- Arcachon, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
- Grade
- Well known
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 1 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 44.5900, -1.2117
Get the Dune of Pilat stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Dune of Pilat. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Nouvelle-Aquitaine volume with your photos and a note.
Near Dune of Pilat
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux 58 km
An opera house fronted by a portico of twelve Corinthian columns, inaugurated on 17 April 1780 and still the home of Bordeaux's opera and ballet. The ballet La fille mal gardée had its premiere here in 1789.
Place de la Bourse 58 km
A grand square on the Garonne, built from 1730 to 1775 to designs by Jacques Gabriel and his son Ange-Jacques Gabriel. Its classical palaces open onto the river rather than enclosing a space, with the Three Graces fountain at the centre.
Miroir d'Eau 58 km
A reflecting pool of 3,450 square metres laid out in 2006 on the quay of the Garonne, in front of the Place de la Bourse. A thin sheet of water mirrors the palaces behind it, and every so often a cool mist rises from the stone for children to run through.
Cité du Vin 60 km
A museum of wine on the banks of the Garonne in Bordeaux, in a curving building meant to evoke wine swirling in a glass. Its exhibitions explore the history and cultures of wine around the world, and a lookout at the top gazes over the city.
Île de Ré 180 km
A flat island off La Rochelle, 30 kilometres long and five wide, joined to the mainland by a 2.9 kilometre bridge opened in 1988. Cycle paths run between salt marshes, oyster beds and whitewashed villages with green shutters.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes 190 km
A Catholic shrine around the grotto of Massabielle, where Bernadette Soubirous said the Virgin Mary appeared to her in 1858. Millions of pilgrims come each year to pray at the grotto, take its water and join the candlelit evening procession past its three basilicas.
Lascaux 195 km
A cave near Montignac whose walls and ceilings carry over 600 paintings of horses, deer, aurochs and other animals from the Upper Paleolithic. The original is closed to protect it, and visitors see the art in faithful replicas, the newest of them in a centre at the foot of the hill.
Pic du Midi 213 km
A Pyrenean summit of about 2,877 metres crowned by an observatory, reached by cable car from La Mongie. Its terraces look along the whole chain of the Pyrenees, and its dark night skies are protected as an International Dark Sky Reserve.
More famous places to visit in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Questions
Where is Dune of Pilat?
Dune of Pilat is in Arcachon, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux (58 km), Place de la Bourse (58 km), Miroir d'Eau (58 km).
How do I get the Dune of Pilat stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Dune of Pilat and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Nouvelle-Aquitaine volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Dune of Pilat before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Nouvelle-Aquitaine volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.