The Landes coastline

The Landes region, with its richly varied landscapes, is well known for its coastline, dotted with beaches, dunes and seaside resorts. Often referred to as the "Côte d'argent" (silver coast), because of the silvery reflections on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, the 106-kilometer coastline stretches uninterrupted from the mouth of the Adour to the gates of the Bassin d'Arcachon, and is made up of fine beaches, large protected dunes and sublime lakes. These immense beaches are dotted with fifteen seaside resorts from south to north: Tarnos, Ondres, Labenne, Capbreton, Hossegor, Seignosse, Soustons, Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains, Messanges, Moliets-et-Maâ, Vielle-Saint-Girons, Lit-et-Mixe, Contis, Mimizan and Biscarrosse. On a clear day, from the beaches in the south of the département, you can even see La Rhune(Larrun in Basque), a 900-metre-high peak in the Pyrenees, as well as the lights of the towns in the Basque country.
The Landes coastline boasts a number of large freshwater lakes surrounded by a protective forest, such as Cazaux-Sanguinet, the second-largest freshwater lake in France at 55 km2. Other lakes include Parentis-Biscarrosse, Aureilhan-Mimizan, Arjuzanx, the white and black ponds of Seignosse, Lac de Léon (part of which is classified as a Nature Reserve) and Lac de Soustons. The Port-d'Albret marine lake (in the communes of Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains and Soustons-Plage) is fed by the Courant de Soustons and communicates with the ocean. Its central island is totally wild and home to a wide variety of wildlife. Lac d'Hossegor was originally a freshwater lake, but became an artificial marine lake when a channel was built to clear the Boucarot channel. Oyster beds have even been set up at the entrance, on the eastern shore of the lake.

The Landes forest

Did you know that the Landes is the most densely wooded department in France? Its afforestation rate is around 67%. After its development in the mid-19th century, 58% of the Landes territory is now covered by maritime pine forest. The Landes forest is the largest man-made forest in Europe. It extends over 632,300 hectares into the Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne regions, and is mainly made up of coniferous trees (87%), deciduous trees and poplar plantations. The Landes forest forms a large part of the Parc Naturel Régional des Landes de Gascogne, one of five parks in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, a listed site preserving natural resources and environments that are both rich and fragile.
The Landes forest is managed by both private owners and the Office National des Forêts (ONF). It is located on private and military land, as well as in state, communal and departmental forests.
For economic reasons, it is used by various forestry and wood-processing companies, but certain sectors are preserved for ecological reasons (notably linked to the historical character of moorland wetlands, such as the Courant d'Huchet, Étang Blanc and Étang Noir) and are part of the NATURA 2000 network.

Rolling hills

To the south of the Landes, from the Adour river onwards, the Landes countryside is more undulating. The landscape is made up of deciduous forests, Chalosse meadows and farmland.
Covering 2,000 km2, there are 10 cantons: the Pays de Seignanx (between Maremne and Pays de Gosse), the Pays de Gosse (between Seignanx and Adour, opposite Urt), the Pays d'Orthe (Peyrehorade region), the Pays de la Chalosse (between Adour, Gabas and Béarn) and the Pays du Tursan (or Airais), a well-known wine-growing region south of Aire-sur-l'Adour.
Like Armagnac to the north-west of Mont-de-Marsan, Chalosse, Tursan and Pays d'Orthe are renowned for their gastronomic and viticultural riches, whose products of excellence are rewarded by numerous labels and appellations.

Mild weather

Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and warmed all year round by the influence of the Gulf Stream, the Landes region enjoys an oceanic climate with plenty of sunshine (2,000 hours a year on average). Here, winters are mild and summers are hot and temperate. Despite the mild weather, local residents can attest to the fact that the climate is rather unstable. Precipitation is regular and fairly high, due to westerly and north-westerly winds, with storms in autumn and winter.
But beware: it's not uncommon to be surprised by uneven showers and precipitation across the territory, even in summer! Despite this, the climate remains essentially temperate, contributing to the department's gentle way of life.

An accessible region

Easily accessible, the Landes is one of France's ideal destinations for a weekend or long stay. The department is crossed by the A65 at Mont-de-Marsan and Aire-sur-l'Adour, the A64 at Peyrehorade and the A63 linking Bordeaux to Spain via Bayonne. On the rail front, Dax station is currently served by the TGV on the Paris-Dax line. A high-speed rail link between Bordeaux and Spain is planned for 2027, as an extension to this high-speed line. The TGV is also scheduled to arrive at Mont-de-Marsan. The Landes region has no airport of its own, but benefits from the proximity of Biarritz and Bordeaux for international flights.

Attractiveness of towns and coastlines

Of the department's 409,000 inhabitants, half depend on two catchment areas: Mont-de-Marsan, the prefecture, and Dax. Together, these two towns account for half of the department's population. The catchment area of Dax and St-Paul-lès-Dax alone has a population of 90,000.
On the coast, the most densely populated areas are Biscarrosse to the north and Capbreton to the south, with over 20,000 inhabitants each. In the Landes region, the number of people living along the coast is increasing by more than 1.5% each year, particularly in Biscarrosse, Capbreton, Soustons, Saint-Geours-de-Maremne and Castets, towns that are close to the ocean but relatively more affordable. The appeal of the region's nature, climate and relaxed lifestyle has been felt for several years now: a large proportion of homes on the Atlantic coast are second homes, often unoccupied during the year, and accounting for between 20% and 60% of homes in the most touristic areas. This is becoming an additional challenge for local authorities, whose residents are finding it hard to find accommodation.