Gujan-Mestras

Gujan-Mestras
Commune
Oyster port
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Gujan-Mestras
Gujan-Mestras Show map of France Gujan-Mestras Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 44°38′11″N 1°04′00″W / 44.6364°N 1.0667°W / 44.6364; -1.0667
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Gironde
Arrondissement	Arcachon
Canton	Gujan-Mestras
Intercommunality	CA Bassin d'Arcachon Sud
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Marie-Hélène des Esgaulx[1]
Area ^1	53.99 km^2 (20.85 sq mi)
Population  (2023)[2]	22,153
• Density	410.3/km^2 (1,063/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	33199 /33470
Elevation	0–28 m (0–92 ft) (avg. 4 m or 13 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Gujan-Mestras (French pronunciation: [ɡyʒɑ̃ mɛstʁas]; Occitan: Gujan e Mestràs) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France. It is twinned with Santa María de Cayón, Spain

Population

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 1,639 —     1800 1,797 +1.32% 1806 1,785 −0.11% 1821 1,809 +0.09% 1831 1,929 +0.64% 1836 2,183 +2.50% 1841 2,440 +2.25% 1846 2,574 +1.07% 1851 2,685 +0.85% 1856 2,579 −0.80% 1861 2,686 +0.82% 1866 2,833 +1.07% 1872 3,029 +1.12% 1876 3,433 +3.18% 1881 3,906 +2.62% 1886 4,056 +0.76% 1891 3,916 −0.70% 1896 4,019 +0.52%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 4,136 +0.58% 1906 4,264 +0.61% 1911 4,659 +1.79% 1921 4,014 −1.48% 1926 4,038 +0.12% 1931 4,065 +0.13% 1936 4,394 +1.57% 1946 4,317 −0.18% 1954 5,033 +1.94% 1962 5,694 +1.55% 1968 6,687 +2.72% 1975 7,613 +1.87% 1982 8,600 +1.76% 1990 11,433 +3.62% 1999 14,958 +3.03% 2007 17,195 +1.76% 2012 20,136 +3.21% 2017 21,152 +0.99%
Source: EHESS[3] and INSEE (1968-2017)[4]

Geography

Gujan-Mestras is located in the southern part of the Arcachon bay. It is considered a major regional center for oyster farming, and is home to seven ports, which are from west to east:^[5]

• The Port of La Hume which focuses both on oyster farming and yachting,
• The Port of Meyran,
• The Port of Gujan,
• The Port of Larros which offers a promenade pier and is an active center for shipbuilding,
• The Port of the Canal,
• The Port of La Barbotière, a major oyster farming center close to the Technical High School for Maritime Science and Technologies
• The Port of La Mole which has neither been dredged nor used due to its difficult topography. From the former windmill bordering the port, only a millstone has withstood time. It gave its name to the Port of La Mole, “mole” meaning millstone in Gascon.

Neighbouring communes

Gujan-Mestras is surrounded by three communes. It is west of Le Teich, east of La Teste-de-Buch and north of Sanguinet.

Neighbourging communes of Gujan-Mestras

Transports

The TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine from Arcachon to Bordeaux has two stops in Gujan-Mestras (respectively named La Hume and Gujan-Mestras). The city is otherwise served by lines 4 to 7 of the Baïa bus network, the local public transport system of the Arcachon Bay which links the Dune of Pilat to Facture-Biganos.^[6] Nearest airport is Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, around 50 km away.

• 
  La Hume train station.
• 
  Gujan-Mestras main train station.

Twin towns – sister cities

• Santa María de Cayón, Spain, autonomous community Cantabria

See also

• Communes of the Gironde department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
2. "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2025.
3. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Gujan-Mestras, EHESS (in French).
4. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
5. "Vie maritime". ville-gujanmestras.fr.
6. "Se déplacer".