Soulac-sur-Mer
Soulac-sur-Mer is a small town and beach resort in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. In July and August it is crowded with ten of thousands of tourists, mainly French, some Dutch, some German and some from the UK.
Understand
In the past, Soulac sur Mer was a small town which sold wine to English people. But in 1741, neighborhoods were submerged by sand, so people evacuated "Vieux Soulac" to go to "Jeune Soulac". Therefore there are still today 2 Soulac. If you go to the beach, you can see blockhouses due to the German Occupation during the Second World War.
Get in
To go to Soulac you can take the train. Indeed there is a station in the city. You can also take the bus, there are many bus lines. Of course you can take the car. In addition you can take the plane to Bordeaux, then take the car, the bus or the train. The distance between Bordeaux and Soulac is short, only 90km.
Get around
In Soulac sur Mer you can take your car but it is difficult due to the many pedestrian streets, so it is not the best solution. But you can ride a bike because there are many bike lances. You can also walk, indeed there are plenty of pedestrian streets.
See
In Soulac you can see Notre-Dame Basilica in the center and Notre-Dame Church in "Jeune Soulac". If you go to the seafront, you can observe a copy of the Statue of Liberty. If you like gambling you can go to the casino and if you like to tan you can go to the beach. On the beach you can observe blockhouses due to the German Occupation during the Second World War. And if you go to Soulac on 14th July you can see the famous fireworks with a beautiful view on the ocean.
Do
Soulac lies directly next to the beach. The main shopping street ends at the beach. There you find a youth club, where you can do sports. In Soulac you can take an icecream, indeed there are plenty of icecream makers. You can also do shopping in the many pedestrian shopping streets or take lessons of surfing. There is the market every day in the summer in the morning and in the evening. You can do surfing in the waves and play volleyball in the sand. If you go to Soulac, you can have a walk to see the "maisons soulacaises" and their poetic names. In the summer you can see artists, like painters and singers, in the streets and you can give them money.
Buy
If you go to Soulac you can buy the "Noisettine du Médoc" which is a famous homemade chocolate hazelnut spread. In Soulac sur Mer they also sell wine, especially red wine. There are plenty of memory stores so you can come back home with nice souvenirs.
Eat
In Soulac, there are plenty of restaurants and bars. For example there is "The Grill Océan" a French food restaurant. It is near the ocean so if you go at night you can admire the sunset. There is also "La Table Médocaine" a French food restaurant too. But it is in the center of the village so there is a cosy atmosphere with music.
Drink
If you want to go in a bar, you can go to "Le Comptoir du Vin", a wine bar in the shopping streets.
Sleep
In Soulac there are many accommodations ranging from low budgets to high budgets. For example you can go to "L'Ecume des Jours", a two star hotel. It is in the central square and you have a view on the basilica. One night in this hotel costs €76. You can also sleep at "Le Neptune" which is near the shops. It has a view on the ocean and a beach access. One night in this hotel costs €66. And if you want to be away from the center you can go to "Résidence Las NaÏadas". One night costs €60. There are also other hotels and there are many guesthouses.