Les Landes camping: a day in Dax, on the banks of the Adour

What to do in Dax for a day? The spa town in the Landes region has a thousand treasures to reveal to you. Here are the places not to be missed if you plan to visit Dax during your camping holiday!

What to do in Dax for a day? The spa town in the Landes has a thousand treasures to offer. Here are the places not to be missed if you plan to visit Dax during your camping holiday!

A town with many facets

In the heart of the Landes, between Bayonne and Mont-de-Marsan, 30 minutes from Lou Pignada campsite, Dax is a thousand-year-old spa town with a well-preserved heritage. A cultural and festive town that has preserved its authenticity and undeniable character, making it an unmissable tourist stopover on your discovery of the Landes.

Two thousand years of history and urban architecture

Behind its Gallo-Roman ramparts, the historic capital of the Landes offers many treasures to those who know how to look. A few metres underground, in the heart of the historic centre, an archaeological crypt contains the remains of a vast 2nd century ancient temple, unearthed in 1978.
Just next door, the Borda Museum will tell you more about the history of the town and its Gallo-Roman heritage. Housed in a 16th century chapel, the museum is home to a remarkable bronze statue of Mercury, god of trade, travellers and thieves.
Continue your visit to the Notre-Dame de Dax Cathedral. It is said to have been built on the plans of Vauban, the famous fortress builder Take the opportunity to visit the market in Dax, in the cathedral and Halles districts.
Has this little walk whetted your appetite? Let yourself be tempted by the Atrium brasserie with its incredible Art Deco architecture. Or maybe you'd rather try the famous madeleines of Dax. Founded in 1906, Maison Cazelle is a must for food lovers!

Dax and the Art Deco style

Take a walk along the green banks of the Adour and go back to the time of the Roaring Twenties. The Hôtel Le Splendid, an emblematic place in the city of Dax, stands with its admirable Art Deco façade in the heart of the city. Along with the thermal baths designed by the famous architect Jean Nouvel, the former 1930s palace, magnificently renovated in 2008, embodies the revival of the spa industry in Dunkirk.

The Fontaine Chaude, the bubbling heart of the city

Continue your day in Dax by going back up to the "Hot Fountain" from which water gushes at 64°C! The Nèhe spring, named after a Celtic water goddess, is the symbol of the town's thermal tradition. Since Antiquity, Dax has been renowned for its curative waters and its peloid, a natural mud with analgesic properties. This was all it took to become France's leading spa resort!

In the clamour of the arena

And the heat of the Dax Festivals! Every summer, around the 15th of August, the town dresses up in red and white and comes alive to the rhythm of the bandas, the bullfights and the Landes races. With a million visitors over five days, it is the biggest féria in the Landes! But, whatever the season you come, you won't be disappointed. The hundred-year-old bullring in Dax can be visited free of charge, all year round! This is an opportunity to discover the backstage of these 8,000-seat Moorish-style bullrings and the bullfighters' chapel.

Did you like the atmosphere in Dax? Experience a new experience in the Landes at the fish market in Capbreton!