On the Bassin of Arcachon, oyster culture is omnipresent. The Bassin oyster is among the most famous in France. People come here mainly to taste them at the water's edge. If the oyster is one of the sweet sins of the French, it is also a particularly popular seafood in Ireland. And if we go to 1 week trip to Ireland discovering the local oyster?

The Arcachon Bassin oyster: know-how and a local institution!

On the Arcachon Bassin, the oyster beds run along the oyster-farming villages where picturesque huts offer tasty iodized tastings.

Here, the conditions are favorable for the cultivation of oysters. Thanks to the solar radiation, the climate and the salinity of Bassin, this exceptional natural site is the first birth site in France. Oyster farmers use a technique called capture.

When the oysters reproduce during the summer, the young oysters will attach themselves to the collectors placed in the beds. They develop here for a fortnight before becoming spats. While Bassin oyster farmers use this technique for their own production, it also allows them to sell spat to other oyster ponds where natural reproduction is less evident. The production of Bassin from Arcachon provides 50% of spat used by the French, Irish and Spanish oyster basins.

From the Teste de Buch to the in Cap Ferret, the oyster huts that line the Bassin of Arcachon form veritable little villages that attract many travelers as soon as the fine weather arrives. The villages of L'Herbe, Canon or Piraillan promise a gourmet getaway under the sun. On the program: a dozen oysters, a glass of dry white wine and a breathtaking view of the Bassin or the Dune du Pilat.

During the holidays or on a summer evening, oysters are on everyone's plate around the Bassin. Whether flat or hollow, the oyster can be eaten all year round!

Take advantage of a trip to the peninsula of Lège Cap Ferret or around Arcachon to meet local oyster farmers and discover their unique know-how in terms of oysters.

Travel to Ireland to discover the Irish oyster

On a trip to Ireland, a visit to an oyster farm allows you to learn more about the culture of the local oyster. In Ballinakill Bay, in the heart of County Galway, DK Connemara Oysters is one of the oldest producers in the country. Head to this authentic oyster farm to delight our taste buds with a tasty brown beer.

The Irish oyster is celebrated across the country. A trip to Ireland is an opportunity to attend one of the few festivals dedicated to this gourmet seafood. Head for the pretty city of Galway to attend the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival! Tastings, shucking competitions and meetings with oyster farmers, the festival puts the local flat oyster in the spotlight! One thing is certain, the festival is an unmissable event for seafood lovers.

A little further south, head to a charming little village to discover the Clarenbridge Oyster Festival. In 2019, the event celebrated its 65th anniversary!

In Ballyconneely, producers and musicians come together for the Connemara Oyster Festival.

There are plenty of opportunities to feast on around a dozen oysters in the Irish counties. The shell is even widely savored in typical Irish pubs and in seafood restaurants in major Irish cities.