Cap Ferret

The red-and-white lighthouse towers over the point at 53 metres and, after 258 steps, offers a view across the basin, the ocean and the Dune du Pilat. Dogs cannot climb the tower, but the garden and the small pine wood around it can be walked on leash.

Two oyster-farming hamlets of low, colourful cabins, sandy lanes and tasting shacks facing the oyster beds. You can stroll on leash along the water, and many terraces welcome well-behaved dogs.

A long ocean beach fringed by dunes and forest, known for its waves and currents. Dogs are generally allowed away from the supervised zones and outside high season, keep them leashed and beware of rip currents and tides.

The tallest sand dune in Europe, on the far side of the basin, rising more than 100 metres above forest and ocean. Leashed dogs may climb the sand, but avoid midday in summer as it turns scorching and shadeless.

A network of shaded cycle paths crosses the pine forest from shore to shore, basin to ocean. Ideal for a cool walk with a leashed dog away from traffic, they link the villages together.

The village's long jetty on the basin side, departure point for the boats that cross to Arcachon in about twenty minutes. Leashed dogs are allowed on board, making a car-free excursion to the other side of the basin possible.