Landes North Coast, Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park

This region of Landes is adjacent to the Gironde bordering to the North and to Lot-et-Garonne to the East. Between land and sea, the coast is characterized by beautiful and very famous seaside resorts such as Biscarrosse or Mimizan, with very long beaches of fine sand for relaxing, walking, surfing, or water sports. The landscape is varied and the large lakes and ponds are ideal for sailing, water skiing, learning to sail, stand up paddle or canoeing/kayaking. Lush vegetation, immense maritime pine forests as far as the eye can see and at the end, the beach, its horizon and the sparkling ocean: a great holiday program!

Sanguinet

Straddling the Gironde and Landes departments, the Lac de Cazeaux Sanguinet is a natural and wild body of water. Water sports are available there and you can swim in clear, shallow waters. This peaceful place is popular with families, as you can walk with your feet in the sand and ride a bike.

• Visit the Lake Museum to learn more about the remains from the Bronze Age and the Gallo-Roman era, when the shores of the lake (which was lower down) were occupied by our ancestors.
• Take a stroll through the village of Sanguinet.
• Go to the Butterfly Paradise to see beautiful insects with multi-colored wings and flowers.

Boat mooring in Sanguinet. On the right, the gentle shores of the lake. Guillaume Commin Cc BY NC ND 2.0

Biscarrosse

Biscarrosse is the largest summer resort in the Landes. It is made up of 3 entities: Biscarrosse Ville, Plage, and Lac and offers a rich variety of natural sites, beaches, freshwater lakes, forests between dunes and valleys.

• Spend a day on the long beach of more than 15km or one of the beaches of Biscarrosse.
• Walk or cycle between lakes and forests on 125 km of cycle paths , divided into 14 circuits.
• Take a stroll through the attractive town centre of this trendy seaside resort to discover plenty of shops, restaurants and a pleasant waterfront.
• Biscarrosse even has a casino, with various machines and gaming tables, to try your luck and hope to extend the holidays!
• Golf enthusiasts can enjoy a magnificent 27-hole green facing the ocean, with a quality restaurant, at the Biscarrosse Golf Course.
• For food lovers, the food market is held in town on Fridays and Sundays. On Saturdays, you can do your gourmet shopping on the beach side.

There is no shortage of leisure activities in Biscarrosse:

• The Museum of Traditions in fine weather for a trip with a boatman on one of the marshes, a Natura 2000 classified site.
• The Historical Museum of Aviation and Seaplanes to learn all about these fascinating machines.
  
• Port Maguide, an exceptional leisure site designed in the 1950s, which today offers you a range of wonderful leisure and relaxation activities.
• Don't miss the outdoor sports and leisure activities like the Aquapark to have fun on giant inflatable structures placed on the water.
• Go tree climbing at Bisca'Aventure and observe the maritime pines up close...
• Take a surfing lesson in one of the schools which offer, with qualified instructors, introductions to this demanding sport and discover all the water sports and leisure activities in Biscarrosse.
• Try mini golf, a fun activity for the whole family.
  
  

Lake Biscarrosse, a wild and peaceful place, perfect for cycling

Lay down your towel, go for a swim or enjoy water activities on this calm body of water

The beautiful beach of Biscarrosse is a popular seaside resort, especially in summer

Biscarrosse golf course and town centre

Parentis-en-Born

Not far from Biscarosse and close to the lake, Parentis-en-Born has beautiful arenas where you can see shows during the Landes racing season. Here, you will find peace and quiet for your holidays and you can quickly go to the nearby lake. For example, to go fishing or a canoe trip, there is also a treetop adventure park (treetop adventure course). Everything you need for a great holiday in Parentis-en-Born !

Mimizan

Mimizan , another large seaside resort on the coast, is also divided into several entities: Mimizan Plage and Mimizan Bourg. It is a very family-friendly resort, pleasant to live in with its many cycle paths that will allow you to walk between Bourg, beach and forest.

• Born from the fashion for sea bathing launched by Napoleon III, Mimizan has 10 km of beaches. Between Mimizan Bourg and Plage, you can visit the abbey and the Mimizan Museum, the bell tower near the old church is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As an associated visit, you will also have the chance to discover the Heritage House. This place invites you to discover the rural heritage of the Landes through the emblematic characters of the resin collector and the shepherd.
• Another visit to the Landes industrial heritage born from the wood industry, that of the Papèteries de Gascogne on the road to Mimizan.
• For lovers of wide open spaces, a visit to the Aureilhan lake and its beach is a must. During this " flowery walk ", you will be explained the history of the formation of the Landes lakes as well as their silting problems. All this is done to the sound of the song of protected bird species that have once again populated the area since their classification as a nature reserve. Water sports centres are available. If you are a fan of water sports, this is the time to try out a boat, take a sailing or windsurfing course, go stand-up paddleboarding or canoeing on the lake and its nearby canal.
• Another walk: the Mailloueyre pond is a beautiful, wild and exotic space. You can take a walk of about 12 km, on a forest path , until you reach a very beautiful viewpoint.
  
• Mimizan also offers a small municipal golf course with 9 holes.
• Mimizan also has an arena, near the beach. This is where in the summer, you can watch small Landes races, to learn a little more about the culture of bullfighting, dear to the hearts of the Gascons.

Mimizan beach, pleasant in all seasons

Leisure activities at the Mimizan Nautical Base on Lake Aureilhan

Saint-Julien-en-Born and the beach of Contis-les-Bains

In the town of Saint-Julien-en-Born, 8km further on, is the coastal town of Contis-les-Bains. There you can admire the only lighthouse in the Landes: Le Phare de Contis, with its beautiful black and white colours. It is one of the most beautiful photo spots in the Landes. But, to do so, you have to climb 183 steps, so be brave! Saint-Julien-en-Born is 7300ha of forest. Tourists who stay there appreciate the natural setting, calmer than on the coast, while keeping a few pedal strokes away. There are cycle paths to easily get around to the attractions of the Landes coast. In Contis, 8km of space awaits swimmers and surfers.

The Contis Lighthouse @Lesley Williamson

Contis Beach @Lesley Williamson

Lit-et-Mixe and the Cap de l'Homy

The commune of Lit-et-Mixe is a calm and authentic place for a holiday in the Landes. It is a popular destination for campers who appreciate the tranquility of this small village.

• There is a very beautiful forest of more than 1,100 ha of pine trees, perfect for hiking and cycling.
• The Lit-et-Mixe pond is ideal for observing biodiversity. It is a classified wetland.
• Visit the Landes d'Antan museum to learn more about life in the Landes countryside in the past, with anecdotes and the discovery of old and typical trades.
• There is also the small Bicycle Museum which will delight fans of the little queen.
• On the way to Cap de l'Homy, a beautiful wild and natural beach of 10 km. It is protected from the flow of holidaymakers, especially in mid-season. You can swim there, go for long walks, surf and there is even a campsite. Free shuttle from the village to the beach in summer. Rather practical, then!

Cycling to Lit-et-Mixe and Cap de l'Homy beach @Lesley Williamson

Vielle-Saint-Girons and Lake Léon

Small seaside resort, 17 km of beaches await you in Vielle-Saint-Girons. The town has some medieval remains and religious buildings, because it is located on the way to Santiago de Compostela, on the coastal route to Bayonne. A forest town, it was once marshy and the great campaign to drain the coast, undertaken by Napoleon to fix the dunes and clean up the region, gave birth to the very beautiful current massif.

Nearby, the Huchet current offers you beautiful canoe trips on the water as well as superb, humid nature, made up of a completely original mangrove atmosphere. The beach at the end of the Huchet current is intimate and preserved!

Not far away, take a stroll in the small village of Léon, where you will find Lake Léon, with its fresh water, its family activities, its cycle path...

Lake Leon @Lesley Williamson

The village of Léon and the lake, ideal for swimming and water activities

Pissos

A little further from the beach, small Landes villages offer a different version of holidays in the Landes. Between forests and rivers, lakes and heritage, an authentic and also gastronomic moment awaits you. Pissos is a green resort. People come here to recharge their batteries and enjoy the attractions of the Testarouman leisure center. There is also an equestrian center, a municipal swimming pool and the possibility of doing tree climbing, tennis, archery, cycling on the dozens of kilometers of trails... And the ocean, a few dozen minutes away for a salty getaway!

Pissos and its nature activities

Sore and the Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park

On the banks of the river, La Petite Leyre is a protected environment that is home to remarkable species of birds, fauna and flora. Sore is an ancient fortified town. You will see remains there through the Porte des Anglais. There are walks there, such as the Balcon de la Leyre, where there is an Orchard Conservatory of endemic species on the way. It is said that there are miraculous fountains in Sore, which can cure ailments and their presence brought pilgrims there in the past.

About twenty minutes from Sore is the village of Sabres. You can visit the Marquèze Ecomuseum which will give you a good overview, with an attractive museography, of life in the Grandes Landes in the 19th century.

Marquèze Ecomuseum in Sabres

Labouheyre

Well located to radiate on one side towards the forest and on the other towards the ocean, Labouheyre enjoys 3 bodies of water. It is a perfect destination for fishing. There is also the nautical base of Mexico not far away and all the walks to do on the forest trails.

Onesse-Laharie

On the way to Santiago de Compostela, Onesse-Laharie is a small, typical Landes village with beautiful houses. The beaches are about twenty kilometers away and there are hikes to do in the pines to discover old small wash houses.

Morcenx

In the Pays Morcenais , there is the pretty Arjuzanx reserve. Find more than 200 ha of preserved ecosystem , perfect for observing birdlife and in particular common cranes. There are guided tours organized in season and nature activities to discover there. It is a former lignite mine, now managed by a joint union for the protection of the environment.

Tartas

In Pays Tartusate, people come to enjoy nature: canoeing on the Midouze, walking on the trails, cycling on the Sacandibérique... This great pilgrim cycle route (Eurovélo 3) crosses Europe from Norway to Spain. Small fountains, churches, traditional festivals and charming little shops, we take the time to live in this region of Landes!

The Landes forest, magical and generous