Hourtin (; , ) is a commune of southwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, located in the

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

department, administrative region of

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

(before 2015:

Aquitaine Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...

). It is located in the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

Le Sud-Médoc, part of the

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Lesparre-Médoc Lesparre-Médoc (; , ), commonly known as Lesparre (), is a commune in the Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Lesparre is on the Médoc peninsula about 80 km ...

. It is a member of the Community of Communes of Médoc Atlantique.

Population

Geography

Hourtin is on the

Côte d'Argent Côte d’Argent (; ) is a name given to part of the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Aquitaine region in France. Etymology The term was first coined to describe the Aquitaine coast in 1905 by the journalist and poet Maurice Martin. The Con ...

in the Medoc peninsula, at 25 km (15.5 mi) from

Pauillac Pauillac (; ) is a municipality in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The city is mid-way between Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave, along the Gironde, the largest estuary in western Europe. Population Acces ...

to the east, 45 km (28 mi) from the

Pointe de Grave 300px, The American monument marking the country's entry into World War 1 as it was proposed in 1921 The Pointe de Grave (in occitan : ''Punta de Grava'') is the northernmost tip of the Médoc Peninsula and marks the Northern end of the pine-cla ...

to the north, and 60 km (37.2 mi) from

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

to the south east. The town is divided into three main neighbourhoods (Hourtin-Ville, Hourtin-Port, Hourtin-Plage) located several kilometres from one another. Hourtin-Ville is centred around a large square with a grassy area, church and some basic facilities. Hourtin-Plage is the ocean-facing part of the town, about 12 kilometres from Hourtin-Ville, with a large sandy beach that stretches for several kilometres from north to south. This beach is easily accessible by a trail laid on top of the dune. There are also several accesses south and north but they are only accessible by bicycle via the cycle track. Ample parking is available with a few shops and facilities for tourists and visitors. Many of these facilities are seasonal. Hourtin-Port is on the Lac d'Hourtin et de Carcans, one of the great lakes of the Landes. As well as port and boating facilities, many activities are planned for the children with a play park, a mini golf course and the children's island which is a large playground for the younger ones. The lake extends 18 km (11.2 mi) at its longest and 5 km (3.1 mi) at its widest, parallel to the

on the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. It is the second largest natural freshwater lake in France after

Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...

. It lies at an elevation of 14 m (46 ft), and has a surface area of 56.67 km² (21.88 sq. miles). The lake has several sandy beaches left to the port and in Piqueyrot. It is shared with the city of

Carcans Carcans (; , ) is a commune in the Gironde department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine), France. Carcans is one of the 14 members of the Community of Communes of Médoc Atlantique. Geography Location Sit ...

Nature reserve

The 21.5 km² (8.3 sq. miles) area of dunes and marshland between the north-western shore of the lake and the Atlantic Ocean, known as the ''dunes et marais d'Hourtin'', has been designated a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

since 2009.Dunes et marais d'Hourtin
in French

Twin towns

Hourtin is twinned with: *

Pontarddulais Pontarddulais (), also spelled Pontardulais (), is a town and community in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. It is in the Pontarddulais ward of the City and County of Swansea Council. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hend ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

Population

Geography

Nature reserve

Twin towns

See also