Dune of Pilat

The tallest sand dune in Europe, at the entrance to Arcachon Bay in Gironde. It measured 103.6 m in 2023 and runs for about 3 km along the Atlantic coast.

The Dune of Pilat rises at the mouth of Arcachon Bay on France’s Atlantic coast, about 60 km southwest of Bordeaux, in the commune of La Teste-de-Buch. Some 3 km long from north to south and about 500 m wide, it reached 103.6 metres in 2023, making it the tallest sand dune in Europe.

The dune borders the vast pine forest of the Landes de Gascogne. From the top, visitors can look out over the ocean and the bay on one side and the forest on the other. Campsites, restaurants and shops sit between the dune and the coast road.