The small, pretty municipality of Biganos is located in the Gironde Department of France in the region of Aquitaine which is just to the southwest of Bordeaux. The city has a great location, because on the one hand you have the big city 

excitement of Bordeaux if you drive just half an hour with your rental car from Biganos and on the other hand the city borders on the unique natural environment of Bassin d’Arcachon. This huge Atlantic Bay is practically an inland sea and there are unique high and low tides, which is why so many rare birds have made this habitat their home. Due to these conditions a large bird sanctuary was established here and which is within a short drive if you come with a rental car from Biganos. When you go to visit just drive or walk towards Arcachon and follow the signs for the “Parc Ornithologique du Teich”.

However, the area surrounding Biganos has much more to offer than just wonderful experiences in nature. The Atlantic Ocean awaits you and there you have plenty of opportunities to take part in all kinds of water sports. Especially surfing, sailing, swimming and diving are popular here and you are sure to have fun. Also the wide, white sandy beaches and blue skies constantly provide enough areas to retreat to, in case you want some peace and quiet.

Once you have had enough of lazily lying around you should definitely get in your rental car and drive around to enjoy the beautiful scenery all around Biganos. There is much to see, too. For example. Arcachon is only a few minutes drive to the west of Biganos. The city of Arcachon is a beautiful, old seaside resort that still entirely has retained its looks from the 19th century. To the south of Arcachon you will find one of the highest dunes in all of Europe. You can climb up the 374 foot high dune and have a wonderful, panoramic view of the Atlantic and romantic sunsets, which will surely impress anyone.

After that you have to drive further inland. Now you can choose from two great options. You can drive with the rental car from Biganos to the north towards Bordeaux and go to the Médoc Peninsula. Here you can admire famous palaces and castles and of course taste some of the various wines of the region. The most famous wines in the world are found here, such as Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, Margaux, etc. Old Hemingway even found the Margaux wine to be so good that he named his daughter after it. Up in northern Médoc you can also climb up a nearly 262 foot high ancient lighthouse, which become famous because of its Renaissance style. The Phare de Cordouan is very well worth seeing.

You should also take the route heading south from Biganos. Here, once again, you will be able to visit many more beautiful vineyards. On top of that, there are medieval villages and many castles to visit. Fans of this time period will love visiting the water castle La Brède, because here is where the famous state theorist Montesquieu (1689 to1755) wrote much of his works that are so important to us today. His office can still be seen. If you drive further along the well developed and picturesque highways you will reach Uzeste. This small village with only 350 residents is home to a huge cathedral. The Gothic facade of the mighty building is very impressive. Those who would like to travel back a couple centuries in time should go next to Uzeste and visit the Castle of Cazeneuve. A tour through the different Renaissance halls, which are so realistic and life like, will have you believing that at any moment you will run into a castle maiden.

Once you get hungry, though, you will come back to the here and now. In this region there are many simple country taverns that offer all the delicacies of the area. Highly recommended, of course, are the oysters from the Bassin D’Arcachon and to go along with that a glass wine from one of the many wineries that you just drove past. After all, you are on vacation and should treat yourself to a well deserved meal.