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French beaches - a guide

It is impossible to say which is the best French beach, because it depends, of course, on what you are looking for in a beach. But somewhere in France there is the perfect beach for you, whatever you are looking for.

The surfing beaches of the Atlantic will suit the sport enthusiast, while families will like the coves of Brittany and sun-lovers will head for the French Riviera on the coast of southern France. Those with small children will like the gently sloping beaches of the Vendee, and others the beaches of the islands off the west coast of France.

Not forgetting of course the amazing beaches on Corsica, the French island in the Mediterranean south of Marseille and the Cote d'Azur.

There are many beautiful beaches around the French coastline, which is almost 3,500 kilometres long - and it is not practical to list them all! Here we simply try and show what you might expect of the beaches in each region of France.

We have also given the 'popular' names for the stretches of coast, since these are commonly used in marketing and tourist literature.

Explore the coast and beaches for the main coastal regions of France:

• Normandy beaches (north coast of France on the English Channel)
• Brittany beaches (north-west France)
• Vendee beaches (western France Atlantic coast north of La Rochelle)
• Atlantic coast beaches (west France coastline south to Biarritz)
• Languedoc beaches (Mediterranean coast of Languedoc-Roussillon)
• French riviera beaches (Mediterranean coast: cote d'Azur and French Riviera)
• Beaches in Corsica (external site)