Maison de l’Huître


The small but fascinating House of the Oyster at Port de Larros explains how oysters are farmed in the Bassin d'Arcachon – from the baby beginnings when oyster larvae stick themselves to terracotta half-pipes laid out in rows by ostréiculteurs (oyster farmers) in shallow waters near the seashore, to their removal a year later to oyster banks in deeper waters where they mature and acquire their distinctive taste over a two- or three-year period.

The museum also organises guided walking tours (adult/child €4/3) of Port de Larros, the largest oyster port around Gujan Mestras, where flat-bottomed oyster boats rest moored to weathered wooden shacks. Alternatively, it rents audioguides (€2.50) covering the entire port area. No visit is complete without sampling locally harvested oysters afterwards in one of the many waterfront seafood restaurants.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Aquarium

4.73 MILES

In a wooden shack opposite the casino, this aquarium has a small collection of Atlantic fish in floodlit tanks.

2. Plage d’Arcachon

4.88 MILES

In the delightful Ville d'Été (Summer Quarter), Arcachon's deep sandy beach, Plage d'Arcachon, is flanked by two piers. Lively Jetée Thiers is at the…

3. Ville d’Hiver

5.09 MILES

On the tree-covered hillside south of the Ville d'Été, the century-old Ville d'Hiver (Winter Quarter) has more than 300 villas, many decorated with…

4. Dune du Pilat

7.74 MILES

This colossal sand dune (sometimes referred to as the Dune de Pyla because of its location 4km from the small seaside resort town of Pyla-sur-Mer), 8km…

5. Phare du Cap Ferret

8.69 MILES

Scale 258 steps inside the cape's 53m-tall, red-and-white lighthouse for a stunning view of Cap Ferret, the Bassin d'Arcachon and the stunning Dune du…

6. Site Archéologique de St-Seurin

27.72 MILES

Not to be confused with the small crypt inside Basilique St-Seurin, this archaeological site was uncovered in 1910 when archaeologists excavated part of…

7. Basilique St-Seurin

27.72 MILES

It was around this vast Romanesque complex that the quartier of Saint-Seurin grew in the 11th century. As early as the 5th century, a church dedicated to…

8. Musée des Beaux Arts

27.72 MILES

The evolution of Occidental art from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century is on view at Bordeaux’s Museum of Fine Arts, which occupies two wings of the…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "france/gujan-mestras/attractions/maison-de-l-huitre/a/poi-sig/1193687/1003108",
      "position": "superzone"
    }