Arcachon, France

Today is the only full-day tour offered on the trip. We had two options: one was this full-day tour of the Bay of Arcachon and the other option was a half-day tour of the wine museum. I opted for Arcachon because I wanted to balance out my wine experiences with other experiences. 

The Bay of Arcachon took us 1.5 hours to drive there. Part of the reason it took so long is that it can be difficult to get out of Bordeaux by large coach bus. The streets are narrow and we must go a certain route to exit. It is also rush hour and the roads are congested in the city. I spend the time listening to my audio book and also falling asleep.

We arrive to the bay, and it is not what I was expecting. We see several shacks near the water. These shacks are strictly used for oyster harvesting. A couple of my friends have done an oyster tour and they had told me about their experience. My experience was not like their experience and was a bit of a disappointment. There was a guy who talked to us for about 10-minutes about oysters, but we didn’t really see any of the process. We saw the end process where they are served up on a platter and ready to be eaten. I didn’t really need to sit on a bus for 1.5 hours to see a platter of oysters. We saw a platter of oysters earlier in the trip and that would have been sufficient for my oyster needs. I think the other option to the wine museum would have been a better choice. We can’t all pick winners!

Oyster Experience

The second half of the tour is to ride over to the town of Arcachon. Here we have lunch. The restaurant is ready for our group and we are all served the same meal. It makes sense they would serve fish when we are near the sea, but unfortunately for me, I don’t eat fish. I prefer the food from the ship, but it’s nice to see what a local restaurant offers.

The highlight of the tour is the seaside town of Arcachon. There is a nice beach here and a beautiful boardwalk. I really enjoyed walking along it and could have spent the entire day here instead of seeing others eat oysters by the bay. There is a train that goes from Bordeaux to Arcachon so this is a nice daytrip if you ever find yourself in Bordeaux. There is a casino here as well, but keep in mind that your passport is needed if you want to enter the casino.

Exploring Arcachon

The weather was gorgeous today and I really enjoyed being outside and by the Atlantic Ocean. A few years ago, I visited Hastings, England and this town in France reminded me a lot of that town. It’s a cute beach town!