VAN-COMPARATOR

VAN-COMPARATOR Guide

The Landes Coast by Van: Wild Beaches, Surf and Pine Forest Between Bordeaux and Biarritz

Mimizan, Contis, Hossegor, Capbreton: the van route along France's Landes coast, through Western Europe's largest planted forest and world-famous surf breaks — route, budget and good practice.

Between the Arcachon Bay and the Basque Country, the Landes coast is often driven through too fast — yet it deserves three or four unhurried days by van on its own: 106 kilometres of near-ruler-straight beach, a forest that runs straight into the sand, freshwater lakes just steps from the waves, and surf breaks the whole world knows by name. Here's how to take it slow.

The coastal route, north to south

Starting from Bordeaux, the road strings together a series of resort towns that are far quieter than their summer reputation suggests: Mimizan and its lighthouse, Contis with its black-and-white striped tower, Vieux-Boucau and its coastal lake, then the Hossegor–Capbreton duo, the world capital of surf, before reaching Biarritz and the Basque coast. Each stage is a 30–45 minute drive apart — this is a route built for slowing down, not for checking boxes.

A forest that isn't natural at all — and that's exactly what makes it unique

What looks like a wild forest is in fact Western Europe's largest planted forest: just over a million hectares of maritime pine, planted following the 1857 French law on draining and developing the Landes de Gascogne, originally to stabilise shifting dunes and dry out unhealthy marshland. A landmark study by Mora and Banos, published in the journal VertigO in 2014, shows how the storms of 1999 and 2009 exposed a widening gap between this industrial forest, its timber sector, and the residential and tourist uses now layered on top of it (Google Scholar page). For a van trip, that translates into hundreds of kilometres of shaded cycling and forest tracks — ideal by bike between swims — and campsites tucked under the pines that stay far cooler than anything right on the seafront.

The lakes: the Landes' other face

Behind the dune line runs a chain of freshwater lakes — Léon, Soustons, Aureilhan near Mimizan — where the water runs warmer than the ocean and there's no swell to speak of: ideal for families with young children, or an afternoon of paddleboarding without a wetsuit. Several offer pitches or campsites right on the shore, a solid alternative when seafront spots fill up in high summer.

Surf, even if you don't ride

Hossegor hosted a stop on the world surf tour for more than twenty years, and La Gravière remains an internationally renowned wave. Even without a board, stopping for an evening to watch the sets roll in at sunset is part of the trip. That rise in popularity hasn't come without friction: a 2021 study in the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management documents growing conflicts of use between surfers, residents and passing visitors along the Nouvelle-Aquitaine coast, the Landes included, as visitor numbers keep climbing (Google Scholar page). In practice: respect right-of-way in the water, park in the designated lots rather than on the dune, and favour June or September if the August crowds aren't for you.

Budget and season

Where to sleep: forest campsites and municipal aires

Wild camping in the strict sense is banned along the entire Landes coastline — our guide to wild camping rules in Europe spells out the difference with simple overnight parking, tolerated at certain aires set back from the dunes. In summer, the large forest campsites (plentiful between Mimizan and Léon) offer the advantage of pine shade, rare right on the coast itself; off-season, the municipal aires at Contis, Vieux-Boucau or Capbreton are more than enough. Our overnight parking etiquette guide covers the ground rules that apply everywhere.

A forest under watch each summer

The Landes forest remains exposed to wildfire risk during dry spells — the summer 2022 fires in neighbouring Gironde were a stark reminder. Always check the current prefectural orders before lighting any fire or barbecue, even on a campsite pitch, and keep an eye on the exit routes out of forest areas in case of access restrictions. Our heatwave and van travel guide covers the same reflexes for the hottest days.

The tip that changes everything

Bring bikes: the Vélodyssée cycle route runs the length of the Landes forest on its own dedicated, shaded track, well away from the road — often the most pleasant way to link two beaches without getting back behind the wheel. A bike rack can be filtered as an amenity on Van-Comparator, and our guide to bike racks for motorhomes covers which mounts fit which vehicles. Deep in the pine forest, pack an effective repellent too: our guide to mosquitoes and insects in a van covers the wetlands near the Landes lakes, which get particularly active in the evening.

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