This month, the campsite takes you on a stroll through the oyster beds of the Bassin d’Arcachon and the Cap Ferret peninsula. Come and stroll along the colorful huts, watch the oysters come and go, and taste oysters with your feet in the water. You can even climb aboard a boat to share in the daily life of an oyster farmer. Discover it!
Discover the oyster beds by boat
Join the Arcachon boatmen for a tour of oyster farming along the Cap Ferret peninsula, around Ile aux Oiseaux and on the sandy-muddy banks of the Bassin. Sail between the oyster beds by pinasse, launch or barge. At low tide, two-thirds of the Bassin empties, revealing vast expanses of land, home to 175 hectares of oyster beds. During this excursion, the captain will explain how oysters are grown, packaged and marketed, from harvesting to bagging. Further information: www.bateliers-arcachon.com
A day in the life of an oyster farmer
For those who want to understand the trade and experience the oyster farmer’s adventure for the duration of a tide, it’s possible! Come aboard a barge, a traditional flat-bottomed boat, and follow an oyster farmer to his oyster beds in the middle of the Bay of Arcachon. You’ll witness his daily work and discover the different stages in the oyster farming cycle. A fun and instructive immersion outing, peppered with local anecdotes.
Visit oyster villages and ports
Discovering oyster villages and ports is a tradition! All around the Bassin, they are legion: La Teste-de-Buch, Gujan-Mestras, Biganos, Andernos, Arès… Not to mention the dozen or so oyster-farming districts on the Cap Ferret peninsula: Claouey, le Four, les Jacquets, Petit Piquey, Grand Piquey, Piraillan, le Canon, l’Herbe, la Douane, le Phare…
To learn all about the history of the oyster, head for the Maison de l’huître, located on the Port de Larros in Gujan-Mestras. With its interactive scenography, this oyster museum lets you discover all the secrets of oyster farming.
During the season, the Bassin tourist offices offer a host of fun and educational activities based around oysters: shucking workshops (to learn how to open oysters), walking tours of oyster beds at low tide, family fishing outings…
DID YOU KNOW? Oyster beds in the Bay of Arcachon are divided among more than 300 operators, who produce almost 10,000 tonnes of oysters a year.
Also read: 5 surprising things you need to know about oysters from the Arcachon Basin
Oyster tasting and direct sales at the hut
Of course, oyster tastings are also included, directly from the farm to the consumer! Let yourself be tempted by oysters accompanied by a glass of white wine, bread, lemon and butter. Or, as tradition dictates, enjoy them with pâté.
From Arcachon to Cap Ferret, via the Sud Bassin, Biganos, Lanton and Andernos, oyster farmers await you in their huts! For those who don’t want to eat, there are also tasty local pâtés, whelks, periwinkles, clams, shrimp bouquets…
Where to eat oysters on the Bay of Arcachon? Here are a few addresses (among many others):
- Oyster Bar: l’Oyster Bar, Halles d’Arcachon, Marché municipal d’Arcachon
- Ostraselect – Cabane 2 & 3: Port de Rocher, 33260 La Teste-de-Buch
- Tasting By Cayouckette: 5 Port De Larros, 33470 Gujan-Mestras
- La Cabane aux Volets Bleus – Antoine Duvignac : Port de Biganos, 33380 Biganos
- Cabane N°10 – O’mils : 10 rue du Port, 33980 Audenge
In Arès, we celebrate the Arcachon oyster every summer!
Make the most of your camping vacation on the Bassin d’Arcachon to take part in the Fête de l’Huître d’Arès, the most traditional oyster festival on the Bassin! This great village festival, where all generations come together, is a must-attend summer event. For 4 days of fiesta, in mid-August, come and feast to the rhythm of the bandas, with funfair, musical entertainment, dances and fireworks fired from the Bassin d’Arcachon! Oysters, of course, but also calamari, mussels and other culinary specialties from the South-West.