Phare de Contis

Built in 1862 by decree of Napoleon III, the Contis lighthouse was erected nearly one kilometre from the Atlantic Ocean, 15 km south of Mimizan. Originally all white, it was repainted in the 1930s with two black Archimedean screw bands wrapped around the construction. In 1944, it narrowly escaped destruction, the Germans having bombed only the lantern.
With its 38-metre tower, the only lighthouse in the Landes region raises its lantern to 52 metres above sea level. For a long time inhabited by guards, it now operates alone, automatically. To reach the dome, take the 184-step cast iron staircase. Your effort is rewarded by the exceptional panorama that stretches out before your eyes: on one side the immensity of the ocean, on the other the vast Landes forest; between the two, a long stretch of fine sand and dunes.