Cap Ferret (English: ''Cape Ferret'') is a

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...

, situated at the south end of the ''commune'' of

Lège-Cap-Ferret Lège-Cap-Ferret ( Gascon: ''Lèja e lo Horet'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The commune stretches along the length of the Cap Ferret peninsula, from the village of Lège in the north to ...

in the French ''department'' of

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...

and ''region'' of

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

. The headland takes the form of a spit, which separates the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

from

Arcachon Bay Arcachon Basin or alternatively Arcachon Bay (French: ''Bassin d'Arcachon'') is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest coast of France, situated in Pays de Buch between the Côte d'Argent and the Côte des Landes, in the region of Aquitai ...

. At the same time, the entrance to Arcachon Bay separates Cap Ferret from the resort town of

Arcachon Arcachon ( ; ) is a commune in the southwestern French department of Gironde. It is a popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux, in the Landes forest. It has a sandy beach and a mild climate said to be favourable for inv ...

. Cap Ferret is famous for its

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

and as an up-market resort that has retained its natural feel at the heart of the Landes of Gascony and the

Pays de Buch Pays de Buch (, literally ''Land of Buch'') is one of several areas that make up the Landes forest in France. It extends across seventeen towns around the Arcachon Bay and the valley of the Eyre River. The village of Porge is at the north end a ...

. It is also famous for its ostreicole (oyster-farming) activity and numerous tasting sites. Cap Ferret is accessible by road from the north, and by passenger

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

from Arcachon. The

Tramway du Cap-Ferret The Tramway du Cap-Ferret, also known as the Petit train du Cap-Ferret, is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge railway on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of France in the ''department'' of Gironde. The tramway is situated on the Cap Ferret, ...

, a diesel operated narrow-gauge railway, links the ferry landing at Bélisaire on the shores of Arcachon Bay with the beaches on the Atlantic coast.

Gallery

File:CapFerret.JPG, Cap Ferret looking north File:Cap-ferret fme 135a.jpg, The lighthouse at Cap Ferret File:Tramway Cap-Ferret.JPG, The Tramway du Cap-Ferret

References

External links

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Panoramas of Cap Ferret
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Official web site of Cap Ferret
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Discover Cap Ferret in catamaran
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Ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, Domestication, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), evidenced by their Hybrid (biol ...

Surfing locations in France Tourist attractions in Gironde Landforms of Gironde Sports venues in Gironde {{Gironde-geo-stub