Summer Town, Winter Town

The town of the four seasons, in Arcachon

Arcachon is the town of the four seasons, with its districts named Ville d'Été, Ville d'Hiver, Ville de Printemps and Ville d'Automne. The Arcachon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this unique particularity, inherited from the seaside and climatic history of the resort.

The districts of the four seasons

You are here in the town of the four seasons! The districts of Arcachon are indeed called the Ville d'Été, the Ville d'Hiver, the Ville de Printemps and the Ville d'Automne, a unique particularity that tells all the history of the resort. In the nineteenth century, when the Pereire brothers developed Arcachon thanks to the railway, they designed a town thought for tourism throughout the year. The Ville d'Été, along the Bassin, welcomed the summer visitors come to enjoy the sea bathing and the beaches. The Ville d'Hiver, sheltered on the wooded heights, was laid out as a climatic resort: its dry air, perfumed by the pines and protected from the winds, was recommended to treat respiratory diseases, and sumptuous villas were built there to welcome a well-off clientele come to spend the bad season. The Villes de Printemps and d'Automne complete this ensemble. This visionary organisation makes of Arcachon a town like no other, where each district has its atmosphere and its heritage. A unique particularity and a key to the identity of the resort, the town of the four seasons is a fascinating stop of the discovery of Arcachon.

What to see

Here you discover the unique particularity of Arcachon, town of the four seasons whose districts are called Ville d'Été, Ville d'Hiver, Ville de Printemps and Ville d'Automne: the Ville d'Été along the Bassin for the sea bathing, the Ville d'Hiver on the wooded heights as a climatic resort with sumptuous villas, designed by the Pereire brothers in the nineteenth century. The town of the four seasons is the key to the identity of Arcachon. It is a fascinating stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The districts of the four seasons extend in Arcachon, reachable on foot: the Ville d'Été along the Bassin and the Ville d'Hiver on the wooded heights notably. They are public districts freely accessible. You discover them by strolling, to grasp the atmosphere and the heritage proper to each.

Why is Arcachon the town of the four seasons?

Because its districts are called Ville d'Été, Ville d'Hiver, Ville de Printemps and Ville d'Automne: designed by the Pereire brothers in the nineteenth century for tourism all year round, the Ville d'Été runs along the Bassin for the sea bathing, while the Ville d'Hiver, on the wooded heights, was laid out as a climatic resort with sumptuous villas.

Where are the districts of the four seasons in Arcachon?

In Arcachon, the Ville d'Été along the Bassin and the Ville d'Hiver on the wooded heights, in France.