WONDERING WHAT TO DO AT THE PORT OF LE-VERDON-SUR-MER? EXPLORE THE LOVELY SOULAC-SUR-MER
If your cruise itinerary includes the port of Le-Verdon-sur-Mer (or it may be called rather misleadingly Port of Bordeaux), you may struggle to find information about what to do there (I did).
But no worries – there is an easy solution: the quaint and beautiful town of Soulac-sur-Mer makes for a fun, relaxing, and inexpensive shore excursion. Indeed, it was one of the prettiest places I have ever seen!
What to do if your cruise stops at the port of Bordeaux (Verdon-sur-Mer)?
If you are like me, you probably have never heard of Le-Verdon-sur-Mer. Not surprising as it is a tiny place with just over 1,000 inhabitants. This is probably also the reason that cruise lines like to bill this port as Port of Bordeaux. And they are not wrong – Verdon-sur-Mer is indeed the port for Bordeaux.
However, Bordeaux is about 100 kilometers to the South and getting there by car takes at least an hour and isn’t really feasible by public transportation on a cruise stop. Given the small size of Verdon-sur-Mer and its remote location at the very tip of the Gironde estuary, your options as a cruise passengers are very limited (more limited than almost any other port I have been) and it is crucial to decide ahead of time how you want to spend your time.
bEST OPTIONS FROM LE-VERDON-SUR-MER
The first option is a trip to Bordeaux. Bordeaux is a beautiful city and well worth a visit but will require a lengthy bus ride (about two hours each way) and you pretty much will have to book with the cruise line (or possibly a private operator if you plan far enough ahead).
The second option is a tour of the region’s vineyards. Again, this is best done with the cruise line or possibly a private operator if you manage to find one ahead of time.
Tip 1: Do not plan on just finding a taxi/driver either at the port or in Soulac! These are tiny and remote places and you will be disappointed!
The third option (and the first you can do independently from the cruise line) would be to make your way up to Pointe de Grave (about 3 kilometers) and catch the ferry across to Royan. I read about this option when researching possible activities from Verdon but have not tried it myself. As a matter of fact, I would hesitate to recommend this as it would be easy to miss the ship if anything happened with the ferry.
My recommendation from Verdon-sur-Mer would be to visit the lovely town of Soulac. Though not famous, big, or astonishing, this little town is adorable and offers a suprising variety of activities.
A lovely day in Soulac-sur-Mer
Getting to Soulac from the port of Verdon/Bordeaux
Your cruise line will probably offer excursions to Soulac. However, based on my research and my personal experience, there is generally a shuttle service offered between the port and Soulac. There may be a small fee for this or it may be free (it was free for us, hurrah!) but it will definitely be cheaper than a shore excursion.
Do keep your eyes and ears peeled – this shuttle is often only announced the night before or even in the morning as the cruise lines obviously would rather sell their excursions! Consequently, it is easy to miss out on the information. There were several cruise vloggers on this trip and even Emma Cruises missed out on Soulac!
Tip 2: Carefully check your daily announcements for any mention of a shuttle to Soulac.
Anyway, when travelling on Carnival Miracle, the buses were waiting right in front of the ship and you just hopped on and were driven to Soulac (about 10 minutes).
The shuttle bus stopped right in front of the local church, Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres. Here representatives of the local tourist board were giving out maps and answering questions. A couple right in front of me was asking where to find a taxi as they wanted to explore the local vineyards. The anwer was: There are no taxis here. So you are forewarned: if you plan to venture further afield either book with the cruise line or make arrangements ahead of time!
Exploring the lovely Soulac-sur-Mer
However, if you are looking for a relaxing day (or if you are reading this too late), there is plenty to do right in Soulac to have a wonderful time. I basically wandered around for a couple of hours and had a lovely time. Soulac is pretty small and you can’t really get lost so my following itinerary is just a suggestion for a walk that will cover the different highlights.
I do want to apologize for the picture quality. My photos are generally not outstanding but on that day I apparently was not able to even keep the camera straight (and no, I had not sampled the local wine!). Still, I figure it is better to include them as they will give you an idea of what to expect (and if Soulac is something you would enjoy or if you should splurge on a cruise excursion to Bordeaux).
Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres
The shuttle bus drops you off right in front of this Romanesque style church which was constructed between the 12th and 15th century. Due to shifting sand dunes and flooding it was severely damaged and restored in the 19th century (yes, this info is from Wikipedia).
It is a fairly small church and unless you are an art/architecture buff, visiting it will probably not take a lot of time. But it has a serene atmosphere and is worth a peek (and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Explore Soulac’s main shopping street
Right across the street from the Church Plaza you can enter Rue de la Plage, a short street with cute shops leading straight to the beach.
Tip 3: Many shops will close in the afternoon for several hours. So don’t postpone your shopping without planning for this!
Soulac Town Market
As you wander down Rue de Plage you will see a larger building on your left. This is the market hall for various stalls selling fruit, cheese, wine, and all kinds of other French delicacies.
This market is worth a quick visit even if you are not planning on buying anything as it is very pretty and makes for great photos.
The market is only open in the mornings (currently from 8 am to 1 pm) though so plan accordingly!
Tip 4: Due to the opening times of stores and market, it is best to start your visit to Soulac in the morning!
If you get there too late but want to buy some French delicacies (or if you like me are too cheap to buy upscale market products), you will find a regular Spar supermarket in the street behind the market building.
Place Jean Francois Pintat
After looking around at the market, I made my way further along the main street and within minutes found an adorable little square in front of a bank.
This square was not only very pretty, but it also offered benches to sit and relax as well as free WIFI (and if you have ever been on a cruise without an internet package you know how precious this is during a port stop!)
Soulac Beach
After a nice break in the sunshine (the weather had been rather cloudy in Bilbao and La Coruna), I finished my walk along the Rue de Plage, looking at various shops. The actual walk from the church all thw way to the end of this street at the beach will only take about five minutes. But depending on how much time you spend exploring the market, looking at shops, or browsing the internet, you may need much longer.
The beach in Soulac is wide and sandy and looked very inviting. In early May it was of course still too chilly to go into the water. Consequently, the beach was empty – I am not sure whether it gets crowded during the summer but given its length and the size of the town I don’t think it will be packed.
Beachside Promenade
At the beach, I turned right and walked along the paved promenade (where you see the flags in the picture above). Along this path, there are plenty of benches and a low wall to sit on. Perfect for a small picnic (if you picked up food and drink at the market) or for reading and relaxing.
After about 10 minutes, I came upon something surprising:
Soulac’s Statue of Liberty
Yes, a smaller version of the Statue of Liberty! So if you are from New York you will feel right at home.
Apparently, this commemorates that Soulac was the last thing the Marquis de Lafayette saw of France in 1777 when he sailed across the ocean to join the cause of the American Revolution.
The statue isn’t huge but it is a curiosity and worth a visit if you are in Soulac!
Monument de la Liberation de la Pointe de Grave
Just a minute or two further on along the path you will get to a war memorial. This commemorates the soldiers that died in April 1945 when the tip of the Medoc peninsula was liberated.
It is a well-kept and serene memorial that will be of special interest if you are a WWII buff.
Dune Walk
The road ends near the war memorial but there are various paths along/through the dunes.
If you are looking for some nature, fresh air, and exercise this is a great place. I walked along the path for a bit, admiring the plants and the smell of ocean and pines.
After a little bit I did get to a dead end but I am sure you could explore further and spend quite a while walking over/along the beach and dunes. Unfortunately, I had (once again) neglected to bring water or food, so I decided to turn back instead of wandering down other paths.
Tip 5: Make sure to pick up water and maybe a snack in Soulac if you plan to explore further!
Walking back to the town center
As I was thirsty, hungry, and looking for a bathroom, I started to walk back. There is a public toilet near the Statue of Liberty but unfortunately it required a credit card to operate and once again I had left mine behind in my cabin. Not sure when I will finally learn!
Tip 6: Bring both cash (coins) and a credit card in case you want to use one of the public bathrooms in Soulac!
Soulac is quite small so you can’t really get lost and there are various streets that would lead back to the town center (and shuttle stop). I happened to walk along Ave. de la Pointe de Grave, but you may want to explore one of the others running parallel to it.
Along the streets you will see many small beach cottages. Most were still boarded up but they looked to be in good shape so will probably be in use during summer or weekends.
Soulac had so many pretty houses! I can’t think of many towns that have more fanciful, colorful houses. It definitely was a wonderful surprise as I had no expectations of this destination!
Just like in Le Havre on a previous cruise the lack of expectations was probably part of the reason why I enjoyed my day so much.
Back to town for a rest break and tasty treats
A short ten minute walk took me back to the center of town. Here, I managed to find a public toilet that worked with coins. You will find this one a bit hidden away in a parking lot along Rue Trouche (one street over from the main shopping street).
I also bought water and a couple of treats to take home as presents at the Spar grocery store behind the market hall. After resting a bit at the nearby Place Jean Francois Pintat (did I mention the free WIFI?), I bought a small ice cream (tasty but nothing extraordinary) at Henriette et Olga for €2.50.
There were some nearby benches with a view of the beautiful city hall. Really, practically every building in Soulac was so cute, like something out of Candyland!
Sorry about the slant, the actual building is not crooked! But I took four photos and hard as it may be to believe, this was the best one.
On my way back to the shuttle stop, I still stopped at one of several bakeries and bought a “Canéles de Bordeaux” for €1.50.
This bakery treat was pretty small (thumb for comparison) but quite rich. When I first bit into it I wasn’t quite sure if I liked it as it had a different texture than expected. It is rather gooey, almost like Turkish delight, and you can taste the alcohol. However, I ended up really liking it and wish I had gotten one or two extra to take back to the ship with me! Definitely something to try if you like sweets and don’t mind alcohol.
How long do you need for Soulac?
This will largely depend on you and your style of travelling. You could probably do the entire walk/exploration (without the dunes) in thirty minutes if you don’t stop anywhere. I spent almost exactly four hours in town and took plenty of breaks and did some back-tracking etc.
As I am more of a slow traveller, four hours is probably enough for most people. However, if you wanted to eat in a restaurant, take a longer hike over the dunes, do a lot of shopping, or spend time at the beach, you might need up to six hours or so.
Conclusion
I loved my day in Soulac – it was one of the cutest towns I have been to. It does not offer any major sights and can of course not compare to big must-see destinations like Paris, Lisbon, or London that make up most port stops on cruises in Europe. But it does offer an adorable town, a beautiful beach, several smaller attractions, and a great French vibe!
