Ville d'Hiver

The Ville d'Hiver is the hilltop neighbourhood above the beach town, reached by a short funicular (or a steep walk) from the Boulevard de la Plage. It is a remarkable collection of 19th-century villas built in every architectural style imaginable — Gothic, Moorish, Renaissance, Swiss chalet, and combinations of all of these — surrounded by old pines that were planted specifically to produce resin-scented air for the wealthy tuberculosis patients who came to winter here.

Wandering the lanes on foot is the only way to do it justice. The Parc Mauresque, at the centre of the neighbourhood, was originally a Moorish garden and entertainment complex with a casino; the casino burned down but the park survives. The Observatoire Sainte-Cécile, a slender iron tower at the western edge of the hill, was built with assistance from a young Gustave Eiffel and offers views over the town and bay. Several of the finest villas are now private residences and can only be admired from the street, but that is enough — the density of architectural fantasy in this small area is remarkable.

things to do neighbourhood
A story
The Ville d'Hiver was developed from 1862 onwards by the brothers Émile and Isaac Péreire, who also built the railway from Bordeaux to Arcachon that brought the first wave of health tourists. Their idea was radical: a neighbourhood designed entirely for winter, with houses sheltered by pines to produce medicated air believed to cure tuberculosis. Wealthy Bordelais families built increasingly fantastical villas in the woods, and the neighbourhood became famous for architectural excess — Moorish towers, Gothic turrets, Swiss chalets, and Swiss-Moorish hybrids all jostle for space.