The Dune du Pilat, at La Teste-de-Buch (Gironde), is 101 meters (331 ft) high, 616 meters (2,021 ft) wide and 2.9 km (2 mi) long according to the Grand Site: it is the tallest dune in Europe. Access is free and open at any hour; only the visitor-area car park is charged, and it is closed between 2 am and 5 am. Allow about 15 minutes to climb to the crest. This page brings together the official rules, access by bus and train, and, for each month, sunrise and sunset times, the two moments the Grand Site recommends in summer.
The dune is at the entrance to the Arcachon Basin, 45 minutes from Bordeaux-Mérignac airport according to the Grand Site. Our guide to visiting Bordeaux suggests a day trip to the basin and gives the climate month by month.
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Dune du Pilat: key facts
- Access: natural area open at any time; parking banned between 2 am and 5 am — checked on 23 October 2026 on ladunedupilat.com
- Price: free access on foot, by bike or by bus; paid parking in 4-, 8- or 12-hour blocks, 30-minute drop-off stop free; annual pass €15 (car or motorbike) or €30 (motorhome) — checked on 23 October 2026 on ladunedupilat.com
- Booking: none; parking spaces cannot be reserved
- Time needed: about 15 minutes to climb
- Staircase: about 140 steps, installed from the spring school holidays to after All Saints
Key figures: a dune on the move
- Height: 101 meters (331 ft); width: 616 m (2,021 ft); length: 2.9 km (2 mi) (Grand Site de la dune du Pilat).
- Volume: 55 million cubic meters (72 million cubic yards) of sand, witness to 4,000 years of history.
- Movement: 1 to 5 meters (3 to 16 ft) a year toward the forest, driven by the wind.
- Protected site: 6,875 hectares (16,989 acres), whose main owner is the Conservatoire du littoral.
- Visitors: an estimated nearly 2 million visitors each year.
The dune is no longer fed with sand today, the Grand Site explains: it keeps advancing by burying the forest, but its height changes. Always give the height with its source and date. The correct spelling is « Pilat » (from Gascon, « heap »); « Pyla » comes from the neighboring seaside resort created in the 1920s.
Parking and prices
The visitor-area car park has three options: « Discovery » (4 hours), « Immersion » (8 hours) and « Day » (12 hours), with different prices in high season (from the winter school holidays to the end of the All Saints school holidays, all French zones) and in low season. As the price table is shown without a complete legend on the official website, we do not reproduce it: check the prices page before you go. The revenue, which is public, funds the management of the site.
- Night parking (2 am–5 am): €50 penalty.
- Parking on the roadside or in the forest: €135 fine and possible towing.
- In July–August, if the live crowd tool shows « restricted parking », use the park-and-ride at the La Teste-de-Buch exhibition center.
Best time to climb
In summer, the Grand Site recommends coming early in the morning (at sunrise) or in the evening (at sunset), and avoiding the hottest hours: there is no shade or water point on the crest. Here are the times calculated for the summit, with the Bordeaux-Mérignac normals.
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Max | Rain days | Sun / day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:38 am | 5:50 pm | 9 h 12 | 10.5 °C (51 °F) | 12.2 | 2.9 h |
| February | 8:05 am | 6:33 pm | 10 h 28 | 12.0 °C (54 °F) | 10.1 | 4.2 h |
| March | 7:17 am | 7:10 pm | 11 h 53 | 15.5 °C (60 °F) | 10.7 | 5.5 h |
| April | 7:21 am | 8:49 pm | 13 h 28 | 18.0 °C (64 °F) | 11.2 | 6.2 h |
| May | 6:37 am | 9:25 pm | 14 h 48 | 21.7 °C (71 °F) | 10.0 | 7.1 h |
| June | 6:19 am | 9:51 pm | 15 h 33 | 25.0 °C (77 °F) | 8.3 | 7.9 h |
| July | 6:33 am | 9:47 pm | 15 h 14 | 27.1 °C (81 °F) | 7.1 | 8.3 h |
| August | 7:07 am | 9:10 pm | 14 h 04 | 27.6 °C (82 °F) | 7.0 | 8.0 h |
| September | 7:43 am | 8:16 pm | 12 h 33 | 24.2 °C (76 °F) | 9.3 | 7.0 h |
| October | 8:19 am | 7:21 pm | 11 h 01 | 19.6 °C (67 °F) | 10.7 | 4.8 h |
| November | 8:00 am | 5:37 pm | 9 h 36 | 14.1 °C (57 °F) | 13.3 | 3.3 h |
| December | 8:34 am | 5:25 pm | 8 h 51 | 11.0 °C (52 °F) | 12.7 | 2.7 h |
How to read it: in June and July, the sun sets around 9:50 pm; a climb around 8 pm avoids the heat and leaves almost two hours of light. In winter, sunset is before 6 pm and rain is more frequent (more than 12 days a month in November, December and January): choose a dry day, without the staircase, and wear good shoes.
Getting to the Dune du Pilat
- Bus: Baïa network, line 3 toward Plage de la Salie, stop « Dune du Pilat » (25 min); it runs all year except Sundays and public holidays. In July–August, the line 101 Express leaves from Arcachon station or the La Teste-de-Buch market.
- Train: TER line 41.2 U to Arcachon (terminus), then bus.
- Plane: Bordeaux-Mérignac airport, then the 30’Direct shuttle to Saint-Jean station.
- Car: from Bordeaux, A630 then A660 toward the Arcachon Basin / Biscarrosse, exit D259 toward Dune du Pilat.
- Bicycle: the dune is on the Vélodyssée; the visitor area, which has the Accueil Vélo label, has racks and connected lockers.
- Boat: under your own power or with the basin’s boat companies.
Regulations: what is banned
- Smoking anywhere on the dune (three tolerance zones exist in the visitor village).
- Lighting a fire, camping or bivouacking.
- Removing sand or plants.
- Sliding sports (skiing, sledding, etc.).
- Flying a recreational drone.
- Driving a motorized vehicle.
- Dropping cigarette butts or litter: there are no bins on the dune, take everything away.
The neighboring forest, hit by the July 2022 fire (more than 6,000 hectares / 14,800 acres burned according to the Grand Site), is classed as high wildfire risk and access is regulated. Free flight (paragliding) is regulated by order. Dogs are tolerated on a leash in the visitor area and on the dune, not on the beach.
Accessibility
The dune itself is not wheelchair accessible: you have to walk 150 meters (492 ft) in sand through woodland, then climb a steep slope. The visitor area (huts, restrooms, restaurants) is accessible and has the Tourisme & Handicap label for four disability types. Accessible viewpoints exist on the Daniel Meller beach promenade (Pyla-sur-Mer) and on the Moulleau pier (Arcachon). For the Ville d’Hiver, the Thiers pier and the basin, see our guide to things to do in Arcachon.
Checklist before you go
- Water, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
- Footwear: hiking shoes in winter, sneakers in spring and autumn, something to protect your feet in summer (burning sand).
- Weather forecasts: summer thunderstorms can be violent.
- Live car park occupancy on the official website.
- A bag for your litter.
What to see nearby
The Arcachon Basin and the Banc d’Arguin sandbank face the dune. For a longer stay in the region, see our guide to things to do in Bordeaux and our page on travel to France.
Frequently asked questions
How high is the Dune du Pilat?
101 meters (331 ft) according to the Grand Site de la dune du Pilat, with a width of 616 m (2,021 ft) and a length of 2.9 km (2 mi). It moves 1 to 5 meters (3 to 16 ft) a year inland.
Is the Dune du Pilat free?
Yes: access is free. Only the visitor-area car park is charged; arriving on foot, by bike or by bus costs nothing.
How long does it take to climb the Dune du Pilat?
About 15 minutes to the crest according to the Grand Site, with or without the staircase installed from April to October.
Is it hard to climb the Dune du Pilat?
The climb takes real effort in the sand and the slope is steep. The staircase of about 140 steps helps during the season. It is not wheelchair accessible.
Can you get to the Dune du Pilat by bus?
Yes, with line 3 of the Baïa network from Arcachon (except Sundays and public holidays) and, in July–August, the line 101 Express.
When can you see the sunset on the Dune du Pilat?
Around 5:25 pm to 5:50 pm from November to January, and around 9:50 pm in June and July, according to our astronomical calculation for the 15th of each month.
Our sources
- Grand Site de la dune du Pilat (ladunedupilat.com): The Grand Site, The dune, Getting there, Regulations, Prices and annual pass, Visiting tips, On site, Accessibility, FAQ, consulted on 23 October 2026
- Météo-France: 1991–2020 statistics, Bordeaux-Mérignac station, taken from our Bordeaux page
- Astronomical calculations: NOAA solar algorithm, IANA Europe/Paris time zone, applied by Destination de Voyage to the approximate coordinates of the summit (44.59 N; 1.21 W) (15th of each month, year 2027)
- Our methodology
Updated October 2026. Prices and hours may change: check the official website before you go.