France beach: a guide to the best French beaches
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.
An introduction to beaches by region
The surfing beaches of the Atlantic coast between Biarritz and Arcachon will suit the watersport enthusiast, while families will like the coves of Brittany. Those with small children will like the gently sloping beaches of the Vendee (western France), and others the beaches of the islands off the west coast of France such as the Ile-de-Ré.
Normandy to the north also has extensive sandy and family friendly beaches, while the Languedoc region of southern France has many long beaches - sunny but can be a bit windy!
Not forgetting of course the amazing beaches on Corsica (the French island in the Mediterranean) and the popular resorts east of Marseille along the Cote d'Azur and French riviera - these areas have the beaches with the highest number of days of sunshine a year in France, but finding a sandy beach with free access can be more of a challenge.
Photos of some French beaches
Beaches in France by region - details
There are many beautiful beaches around the French coastline, which is almost 3,500 kilometres long - and it is not practical to list (or visit) them all so 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)
Coastline of France
The map shows the names of the principal regions of coast and beaches in France.
See also the characteristics of the Beaches of Southern France.
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