Grand Hotel

The Grand Hôtel, in Arcachon

The Grand Hôtel of Arcachon, today the Résidence Carnot, is a majestic Haussmannian building built by the Pereire brothers. The Arcachon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this witness of the great seaside era, when the town became a prized fashionable resort.

The palace of the great seaside era

Here is the former Grand Hôtel of Arcachon, today become the Résidence Carnot. This majestic Haussmannian façade conceals an extraordinary history, intimately linked to the birth of the resort. Built by the Pereire brothers, these powerful financiers and entrepreneurs who developed Arcachon in the nineteenth century, it was inaugurated in the great era when the town, become accessible thanks to the railway, was transforming into a fashionable seaside and climatic resort, prized by the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. The Grand Hôtel was then one of the most luxurious establishments of the coast, welcoming an elegant clientele come to enjoy the sea bathing, the iodised air and the gentleness of the climate. Its opulent architecture, its balconies and its ornaments testify to the pomp of this period and to the ambition of the Pereire to make of Arcachon a destination of prestige. Reconverted into a residence, the building keeps its splendour of yesteryear and remains a major witness of the golden age of the town. A witness of the seaside history of Arcachon, the Grand Hôtel is a fine stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

You admire the former Grand Hôtel of Arcachon, today the Résidence Carnot, with a majestic Haussmannian façade, built by the Pereire brothers who developed the town in the nineteenth century, one of the most luxurious establishments of the coast in the great seaside era, a witness of the pomp of this period and of the ambition to make of Arcachon a resort of prestige. The Grand Hôtel is a witness of the golden age of Arcachon. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Grand Hôtel, become the Résidence Carnot, lies in the heart of Arcachon, reachable on foot. You admire its façade from the street; it is today a private residence. You discover it during a walk in the town.

Who built the Grand Hôtel of Arcachon?

The Pereire brothers, these powerful financiers and entrepreneurs who developed Arcachon in the nineteenth century; the Grand Hôtel, with a majestic Haussmannian façade, was one of the most luxurious establishments of the coast in the great seaside era, and it has today become the Résidence Carnot.

Where is the Grand Hôtel of Arcachon?

In the heart of Arcachon, in France.