12 Epic Travel Destinations for Fans of Fantasy and Science Fiction

21. Dune du Pilat, France: A Giant Sand Dune on the Edge of the Sea

Rising unexpectedly from a dense pine forest on France’s Atlantic coast, the Dune du Pilat is the tallest sand dune in Europe—and it truly feels like a portal to another world. Stretching nearly 1.7 miles long, over 300 feet high, and flanked by ocean on one side and forest on the other, it’s a striking collision of ecosystems that makes you feel as though you’ve stumbled onto a planet where landscapes are stitched together by dreams. Climbing its ever-shifting slopes is a workout, but once you reach the summit, the views are otherworldly: the endless Atlantic shimmering to one side, and an ocean of green pine canopy on the other. At sunrise or sunset, the sand glows in warm tones of gold and amber, casting long shadows that resemble the windswept dunes of Dune’s Arrakis or Star Wars’ desert planets like Tatooine or Jakku. And because the dune is constantly moving—advancing inland a few meters each year—it feels alive, an impermanent, restless monument to nature’s power. There’s a reason writers, filmmakers, and dreamers find inspiration here: it’s a place where earth seems untethered from time, where you can sit in silence and feel the story of the world shifting beneath your feet.