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Travel guide
Hossegor and Capbreton
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Hossegor and Capbreton, in a few days
Hossegor means La Gravière, a wave that draws surfers from all over the world, and a tidal lake where you eat oysters with your feet in the sand. Next door are Capbreton and its jetty facing the undersea canyon, Basque-Landes villas from the 1930s, the beaches of Seignosse and two nature reserves.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · La Gravière beach free · about 1 hOne of Europe's most powerful waves, where swell funnelled by the nearby Capbreton canyon breaks in fast, hollow tubes close to shore.
- Afternoon · Hossegor's tidal lake free · 2 to 3 hA former arm of the Adour joined to the ocean by a canal and filled by the tides; oyster farmers serve oysters by the water.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel du Parc€130 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Basque-Landes architecture in Hossegor free · about 1 h 30A 1920s and 1930s garden town under the pines, with half-timbered villas, Place des Landais and the Sporting Casino, built between 1927 and 1931.
- Afternoon · Capbreton harbour free · about 1 hA major Adour port until the river was diverted to Bayonne in 1578, now the only marina in the Landes opening straight onto the ocean.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Mercedes€140 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Capbreton jetty free · about 30 minA pier of about 190 metres at the harbour mouth, first built in wood under Napoleon III, now on concrete piles with a small light.
- Afternoon · Seignosse beaches free · 2 to 3 hGolden sand backed by dunes and pines, from Les Estagnots to Le Penon, with gentler waves than La Gravière and many surf schools.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel de la Plage€150 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Étang Noir Nature Reserve free · about 1 hA national nature reserve created in 1974 near Seignosse, where a raised boardwalk crosses swampy alder forest among ferns and willows.
- Afternoon · Marais d'Orx Nature Reserve free · about 1 h 30A large marsh drained under Napoleon III for farming, since reflooded and made a national nature reserve in 1995.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel du Parc€130 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €110 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/hossegor-capbreton
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.