Dune du Pilat
 

Is this feature worth driving to for a day? Is it a joke? Is it simply the Gary, IN city beach w/ a French twist? Or is it the grandest dune in the universe? My kids might enjoy jumping around in the sand aimlessly after a week of museums and chateaux. Please advise.
Erik

It depends a lot on where you are driving from.
The dune is around 100m high (by a staircase or directly on the sand). From the top of it you have, weather permitting, a view on the ocean and on Arcachon.
In my opinion, it is not worth a dedicated trip. However, you could add to the dune a visit to the bird reserve in Le Teich (it is not a zoo, visitors walk from lookout to lookout to see migrating birds as they rest there). In this case it could be interesting for the whole family

Agree with Parisian. If you're going to be in the vicinity, it is worth a visit but not worth traveling hundreds of kms specifically to see. Just MHO.

It is worthwhile if you have kids and are in the vicinity. We thought it was pretty cool. I can't imagine anything like it in the US that wouldn't be protected up the wazoo. It is very cool to climb to the top and run down. Your kids will love it and coupled with a trip to the beach may provide a good antidote for the museums.
Cheers,
Jan

Hi ed,

You might find this link useful

http://www.littoral33.com/index2.htm

It's definitely not a joke. It is the largest sand dune in Europe, and certainly the largest one I've seen anywhere in the world. As others have said, it is probably not worth planning an exclusive excursion around, but since it is near to Arcachon and Cap Ferret, and only 40 minutes or so from Bordeaux, there is plenty to see in the area.