La Promenade Fleurie, a lakeside garden near Mimizan in south-west France

Visit La Promenade Fleurie

The Promenade Fleurie near Mimizan on the south west coast of France is a beautiful gardened walk around part of the Etang d'Aureilhan. The walk is about 1 km in length and the area has been beautifully gardened all along its length.

Explore the Promenade Fleurie

To get to the lake and its gardened walk leave Mimizan Plage on the Rue des Trois Pignes which becomes the Avenue de Wolsack. Turn right onto the Avenue du Lac and you will come to a car park on the edge of the lake.

The Promenade Fleurie is well sign posted and so should not be difficult to find.

The parking area also has a picnic area and a small kiosk selling drinks and ice creams. The lake and garden area is free to visit as is the parking. The garden is open all year round and the excellent seasonal planting means there is lots to see and admire throughout the year.

The path goes around a small body of water which is separated by the main lake by an island. The path is easy to follow and well maintained and suitable for wheelchair users.

The lake area gives a back drop of large trees and along the length of the walk there are regular glimpses of either the large lake or the small off shoot. The lake views mixed with the superb planting makes the Promenad Fleurie a real treat.

The path is shaded by a number of small ornamental trees as well as larger trees. One of the main trees used is Lagerstroemia also known as cape myrtle. It is one of our favourites and in August is full of bright pink or purple flowers or occasionally white. Its leaves turn a fiery red in autumn and so it is good for several seasons worth of interest.

Underneath the trees the planting is a mix of shrubs, perennials and annuals with a good number of exotic plants in the mix. In August the colours were stunning with flowering shrubs including lots of hydrangeas as well as dahlias, salvias, geraniums, canna lilies and many more.

A beautiful variegated hydrangea with a blue flower was particularly stunning and the huge feathery pompoms of the Papyrus plant added drama along the path.

In total there are over 500 different plant varieties. As well as a very well thought out layout and selection of plants the maintenance was truly impressive too. The garden is looked after by the municipal gardeners and there was barely a weed or a spent flower in sight.

After walking around the Promenade Fleurie you can continue your walk and walk around the whole lake. This ia about 13 kilometers in total and will take about 3 hours. It is possible to hire canoes, electric boats or sailing boats as well as stand up paddle boards if you wish to explore from the water.

Attractions nearby

The town of Mimizan and Mimizan Plage (the beach town) has been awarded 4 flowers in the 'Villes et villages fleurie' which is the French version of 'Britain in Bloom' and 4 flowers is the highest award.

You can find more local travel ideas in the South West France guide,