Beaches and seaside resorts in France

With over 3400 km of coastline, the French beaches are among the most touristic of Europe. The Mediterranean beaches are the most populated in the summer. The South-East of France offers a wide variety of beaches with the PACA region. Small secret coves, large supervised beaches or calanques towards Marseilles or Esterel. The Var beaches are very popular with an exceptional coastline and relatively well conserved. The Languedoc-Roussillon is mainly composed of wide sandy beaches and resorts built in the 70's. The Corsican beaches provide an idyllic setting as long as you leave the tourist trails.

Atlantic Ocean beaches are popular with surfers. In the south, the Pyrenees Atlantiques beaches provide a rugged contrast to the beaches of the Landes and Gironde, which are bordered by extensive forests and dunes. North of the Gironde estuary, the Charente Maritime resorts with its famous islands (Oléron, Ré and Aix) remain very pleasant but are often only usable at high tide for swimming. The beaches of the Vendee are huge and are very popular in the summer.

Brittany beaches, between the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel, are sought after by lovers of nature, with many small coves. At low tide, the searching of hidden shellfish becomes the main past-time.

And when It comes to the coast of Normandy, sandy beaches in Lower Normandy and high cliffs with pebble beaches in Upper Normandy offer a wide choice of magnificent landscapes.

In Northern France, the Picardy beaches with its “Baie de Somme” mark the return of the dune areas. The beaches of Nord Pas de Calais are also very attractive with an exceptional coastline marked by two major sites, the Caps Gris Nez and Blanc Nez.