The pine forest at the Plage du Petit Nice

Dreamy and still a little insider tip

If you want to avoid the crowded beach sections of the Dune de Pilat, you should take your time and drive a few meters further to the Plage du Petit Nice. Here, the world still seems to stand still. #vanlifetour22 - travel day 9-10 / 56

France | Dune de Pilat | Plage du Petit Nice

After more than 6 h drive from Paris to the west and more than 100 euros less tolls, we finally arrived at the French Atlantic coast. We agreed, after the many impressions of the past days we wanted to experience for the first time the peace and seclusion we had always dreamed of in the preparations for this trip. So we decided to avoid campsites and put ourselves in a somewhat secluded place, which I had previously read about on the Internet. That such a place because of its popularity among campers can no longer be as pristine as perhaps years before, of course. Nevertheless, we were lucky and got one of the coveted places on the free parking in the pine forest at the Plage du Petit Nice near Arcachon and within walking distance to the Dune du Pilat.

And what can I say, the magic of this place is really worth the trip. The scent of the forest alone provides grounding, in the middle of nature, rough, rustic and surrounded by diverse, international travelers who are all looking for the same thing - some peace, seclusion and perhaps one or two contacts with like-minded people. The beach is about 100 meters away, vast and beautiful, the sea calm and idyllic.

„Not only one of the most beautiful places for me on the whole tour - but also the beginning of a journey to myself.”

Parking lot in the middle of the pine forest at the Plage de Petit Nice on the French west coast

We stayed here for two nights because we really needed to arrive and let go. During the day we frolicked on the beach, collected shells, splashed our feet in the water, hiked to the dune - although we hadn't quite made it to the Great Dune du Pilat with the little one, the first spur before was enough for us.

From here one could look down wonderfully on the sea and watch the many paragliders, which let themselves be driven up with the wind on the dunes to start then from above their spectacular gliding flights. In the evening there was home-cooked food, card games or a nice book. And to end the day, a full-bodied glass of French red wine - at sunset by the sea, of course. Sounds cheesy? It really was :)

However, we did find one small drawback, which we should encounter again and again on our travels: On the dune itself, we unfortunately found some trash. Our shell bucket was thus converted into a trash can, which made us all very sad.

Then the seahorse statue filled with plastic bottles at the entrance to the sea made sense again. Because it symbolizes the rapidly progressing and visible pollution of our seas.

Short description of the spot

Name: Parkplatz am Plage du Petit Nice

Adresse: La Teste-de-Buch, Frankreich

Cost: 0 euro / night (low season)

Our recommendation: 4/5 stars

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The parking lot is good for about 30-40 campervans, vans and smaller motorhomes up to 6 meters. There is no height restriction on this side of the parking lot. The approach itself leads over a very narrow, only partly tarred road and ends in a sandy forest road. Mobile over 7 meters, generally cars with caravans and very heavy vehicles will have problems here, because the maneuvering possibilities are very limited - you should know that and take it into account. A few kilometers before there are also two larger campsites as an alternative.

The ground in this part of the forest is mostly sloping, so you should definitely have drive-up wedges on board to compensate. A public toilet is available on the beach, but very simply equipped, partly with latrines and - not unusual for France - without toilet seats and toilet paper.

Barbecuing outside with an open flame or wood is prohibited. This should be avoided as much as possible, because of the extremely dry and hot periods, the danger of forest fires is particularly high.

Directly on the beach there are two smaller restaurants, quite popular on weekends and well attended, even by the locals. We didn't eat here, so I can't say anything about the quality, but it looked really nice. If you are traveling with children, you won't find any classic playgrounds here, but a beautiful stretch of sea with the dunes as the largest sand playground in Europe.