The Landes coast is quite possibly our favourite and we can’t seem to stop booking holidays there. It runs from Biscarrosse down to Capbreton and the Basque border, and it’s part of our wider Landes campsite guide. This page is for the days out, the beaches and lakes and towns around the campsites rather than the pitches themselves.
We’ve stayed at nine campsites along this stretch now, from Le Ruisseau in Bidart up to La Rive in Biscarrosse, and we’ve worked our way along most of the coast in between. If you’ve been following us for a while now you’ll know that Capbreton and Hossegor are our favourite towns in the whole of France.
We’ve already written a separate page on family things to do in Biscarrosse, so this one covers everywhere else: Hossegor, Seignosse, Capbreton, Messanges, Lac de Léon, Soustons and Biarritz. The Dune du Pilat, Arcachon and Bordeaux are just over the border in the Gironde, so they’re on our Gironde page.
Our favourite days out in the Landes with kids
- Hossegor beach and lake
- Seignosse beach and forest
- Base de Pop
- Capbreton port and markets
- Biarritz
- Messanges, Le Vieux Port and Vieux-Boucau
- Lac de Léon
- Soustons lake
- Biscarrosse (short version)
- Rainy day ideas
Hossegor beach and lake
Hossegor is our favourite town in the whole of France, it’s perfect. The beaches here are famous for huge Atlantic surf, genuinely some of the best waves in the world, and the town itself is small enough to wander round in an afternoon with a pushchair. The lake, Lac d’Hossegor, is connected to the ocean and moves with the tides, so it has its own ecosystem: oysters, sea bass, shellfish and birds. There are four lake beaches that are shallow and good for paddling with young children, and three of them are lifeguarded in high season.
The whole area is good for both toddlers and teens. Pack a wetsuit or rash vest even in summer, the Atlantic doesn’t warm up much. If you want to walk rather than drive, there’s a 6km pedestrian-only path round the lake. Watch the surf flags on the ocean beach, green for safer, red for stay out, and keep little ones in the shallower lake beaches instead if the sea’s wild. We’ve witnessed ourselves how dangerous this coastline can be.
Seignosse beach and forest
Seignosse is where Camping Natureo sits, and it’s a genuinely unique spot, you’ve got the beach and the forest all within a short walk or cycle of each other. The beach is a golden stretch with big surf, around 600 metres from Natureo and reachable on foot. Behind it the forest covers about 70% of the town and has over 40km of colour-coded walking and cycling trails through oak and pine. There’s not much shade on the beaches, so make sure you have a hat and suncream. If your legs are tired, hire bikes rather than walk, the paths here are excellent and go on for miles.
Base de Pop
Base de Pop is an outdoor lake aqua park with water jumps, a zipline and an inflatable circuit, is about 45 minutes away in Guiche and makes a full day out. Good for all ages, Base de Pop has a dedicated toddler area called Mini Pop, mainly running in July and August. But, the main event is the human catapult, which flings you into the air before you hit the water. It’s such an epic activity for the bravest members of your family. Mike’s done it a couple of times now and he definitely recommends it.
You’re also able to swim and paddle in the lake as well as paddleboard and kayak, so it’s fantastic for the entire family if the slides aren’t appealing to them.
Capbreton port and markets
We booked La Civelle purely to be close to Capbreton and Hossegor it’s that good. Strolling the port, browsing the seafood markets and just sitting with an ice cream watching the boats come in is a lovely slow afternoon with kids. Capbreton also has a municipal swimming pool (the one La Civelle guests use) if the sea’s too rough, a 25 metre lane pool with a toddler splash area. The whole area is flat and brilliant for cycling, we hired bikes and rode to the beach and different towns most days with our 5 year old, who’d never ridden further than our own village before.
Good for all ages, especially families without a car since the cycle network links straight through to Hossegor. Evenings around the marina get lively with younger crowds and surf camps in August, so if you want an early night, pick a quieter spot a bit further from the centre.
Biarritz
Biarritz is technically just over the border in the Basque Country, but it’s an easy day out from the southern Landes campsites and we’ve ended up there from more than one of them. It’s the St Tropez of the west coast, famous for its glitz, its glamour and its big waves, so it’s a very different feel to the laid-back surf towns further north.
For kids, the big one is the Musée de la Mer (the Biarritz aquarium). There are 7 sharks, jellyfish, rays, turtles, octopuses and more, and we went when we knew it was going to rain during our stay at La Civelle. You’ve also got the Cité de l’Océan et du Surf, a museum all about the ocean and why it works the way it does, which is worth a look if you’re there for the day.
Good for all ages, and a lifesaver on a wet day. If you want to be based close by, Le Ruisseau in Bidart is right next door, and Uhabia beach in Bidart was our favourite beach on that trip. It’s a very hilly area though, so you’ll want a car rather than bikes.
Messanges, Le Vieux Port and Vieux-Boucau
Le Vieux Port campsite in Messanges has access to a gorgeous sandy beach with two surf schools nearby. Just along the coast, Vieux-Boucau is a lovely little town that genuinely transforms in summer, the population jumps from under 2,000 in winter to tens of thousands. It has its own man-made lake, the Lac Marin de Port d’Albret, with swimming, paddleboarding and kayaking and a circuit walk of around 4km round it that takes about an hour.
Good for families who want surf lessons for older kids and a calmer lake for younger ones. Pack a parasol and plenty of water, there’s no shade at all on the beaches. Inflatables aren’t a good idea in the sea here, the waves will drag them out.
Lac de Léon
Lac de Léon is one of the biggest lakes in the Landes at 340 hectares, and we stayed right on it at Le Col Vert. There’s a quieter private beach inside the campsite gates and a busier public beach just outside the front entrance, which is lifeguard supervised in summer. From the public beach you can hire pedalos and boats, and the lake is popular for fishing and paddling too.
Good for younger kids who want calmer water than the Atlantic. There’s a free shuttle bus from Le Col Vert into Léon and to nearby beaches, so you can manage without a car for the week. Bring mosquito repellent and candles, being by the lake they can be an issue.
Biscarrosse (short version)
We’ve already written a full guide to Biscarrosse, the beach, the lakes, Bisc’aventure treetop park and the Aqua Park, so we won’t repeat it all here. Short version: it’s where we stayed at La Rive, the beach is around 5km of clean sand, and the lakes are brilliant for young kids who want shallower water than the ocean gives you. Read the full page here: family things to do in Biscarrosse.
Rainy day ideas
The Atlantic coast is famously changeable, grey mornings and glorious afternoons are normal, so it’s worth having a backup plan. The Biarritz aquarium is our go-to, and the Cité de l’Océan et du Surf is there too. There’s also an aviation museum in Dax with a good collection of aircraft and helicopters, and a bowling alley with laser quest in Capbreton for older kids on a really wet day. Several campsites have indoor pool areas, though they get cramped if everyone’s had the same idea.
Where to stay
- Camping La Rive, Biscarrosse: lake and sea access plus two indoor kids pools. Read our review, check prices.
- Sylvamar, Labenne: close to Hossegor and Capbreton, sport-focused with a new volcano pool. Read our review, check prices.
- Camping le Vieux Port, Messanges: the best beach access on this list, sand right outside the gate. Read our review, check prices.
- Camping Natureo, Seignosse/Hossegor: beach, lake and forest all within walking distance. Read our review, check prices.
- La Civelle, Capbreton: a municipal site, your own tent on a budget, walking distance to the marina. Read our review.
- Le Col Vert, Vielle-Saint-Girons: pitch-side access to the 340 hectare Lac de Léon. Read our review, check prices.
- Soustons Village: entirely car-free, right by the Étang de Soustons. Read our review, check prices.
- Le Soleil des Landes, Lit-et-Mixe: budget, right in the town centre, shuttle to Cap de l’Homy and Contis Plage. Read our review, check prices.
- Le Ruisseau, Bidart: treetop course and a mini farm, the pond on site is for fishing and looking at, not swimming. Read our review, check prices.
See the full Landes campsite guide for more on each of these, including prices we actually paid.
FAQ
What is there to do in the Landes with toddlers?
Stick to the lakes rather than the open Atlantic. Hossegor’s lake beaches are shallow and far calmer than the sea. The Atlantic surf beaches like Messanges and Hossegor’s main beach have bigger waves and are better suited to older kids and strong swimmers.
Which Landes beach has the best surf for families?
Hossegor, Capbreton and Messanges are all well known for surf schools that take beginners, usually from around age 6 depending on the school. Watch the flag colours, green generally means safer conditions, orange is risky and red means stay out.
How far is Bordeaux from the Landes coast?
If you stay at Yelloh! Village Bordeaux Lac you’re only 8km out, with a bus and tram into the city from just outside the gates (more on our Gironde page). From the Landes campsites further south it’s a longer drive, so it works best as one full day trip.
Not sure which of these campsites suits your family? Try our find your campsite quiz, it takes two minutes. And if you’re booking for the school holidays, check our summer holiday deals before you pay full price.
Camping somewhere else in France? We’ve also got guides to Brittany, the Vendée, the Gironde and the Dordogne.
