| The Côte d'Argent's chief curiosity is the Dune du Pyla. At over 100m it's the highest sand dune in Europe – a veritable mountain of wind-carved sand, about 12km south of Arcachon. Buses leave from the gare SNCF (where you can also rent bikes in summer) every hour in July and August – two to five a day at other times. From the end of the line the road continues straight on uphill for about fifteen minutes and, if you're driving, it costs €2.29–3.05 to use the obligatory car park. There's the inevitable group of stands selling ice cream, galettes and junk, but from the top you get a superb view over the bay of Arcachon and the forest of the Landes stretching away to the south. It's a great sandy slide down to the sea (the sides as steep as an Olympic ski-jump) and a long haul back up but well worth the effort. At LE TEICH, about 14km east of Arcachon in the southeast corner of the Bassin d'Arcachon, one of the most important expanses of wetlands remaining in France has been converted into a bird sanctuary, the Parc Ornithologique du Teich (daily: July & Aug 10am–8pm; Sept–June 10am–7pm; €5.49), one of only two in the country. There's no accommodation in Le Teich beyond a couple of campsites, but you can easily come here on a day-trip by train from Arcachon or Bordeaux.
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