Plan your visit
Étang de Lacanau is one of France’s great natural sites — bring good shoes and a camera. Locate it on the map, book a room nearby in a click, or add it to your travel list to build your itinerary.
About Étang de Lacanau
Sheltered behind the dunes of the Médoc, the Étang de Lacanau is a broad, shallow freshwater lake beloved of sailors and windsurfers, who make the most of the steady Atlantic breezes on its open water. Fringed by pine forest, reed beds and sandy beaches, it offers calm, warm swimming and a full range of watersports, a gentle counterpoint to the powerful ocean surf of Lacanau-Océan just across the forest. A cycle path threads the shore and links lake, town and sea, while herons and migratory birds haunt the quieter margins. Family-friendly and framed by the great Landes pinewoods, the lake is the relaxed, freshwater heart of one of the Gironde's best-loved seaside resorts.