Languedoc has many quality sandy beaches along its extensive coastline, and below we mention some of the most popular - note that there are lots of other smaller resorts along the coast in Languedoc-Roussillon, sometimes little more than a long beach, a car park and a small cafe...
You will also find two very interesting cities close to the coast at Montpellier and Narbonne. Both are worth visiting, and Montpellier is one of our favourite towns in France.
We should issue a word of warning - while Languedoc-Roussillon has some very lovely beaches it also has some that are much less so with excessive amounts of development and very little character. As a general rule we have not included these beaches and resorts below - but of course there may be other small resorts and beaches we have overlooked that may be very lovely so omission doesn't necessarily mean unpleasant!
The region is also well known for its naturist beaches such as Cap d'Agde and Aphrodite. The Mediterranean coast in Languedoc, moving from south-west to north-east, is divided into two regions:
Cote Vermeille
The Cote Vermeille follows the coast north from the Spanish border, with the popular fishing villages and resorts around Collioure, Argeles-sur-Mer and Banyuls. Moving from south to north the principal resorts are:
Banyuls-sur-Mer
See the Banyuls-sur-Mer guide.
Port Vendres
See the Port Vendres guide.
Collioure
Collioure is one of our favourite traditional coastal towns in France, with a beautiful and colourful old town to explore, with a beach in the town centre. See the Collioure guide.
Argeles-sur-Mer
Argeles has a very popular and attractive beach. See the Argeles-sur-Mer guide.
Saint-Cyprien
See the Saint-Cyprien guide.
Leucate
Leucate has one of our favourite beaches in the region. See the Leucate guide.
Port-la-Nouvelle
See the Port-la-Nouvelle guide.
Other beaches along this stretch of the Languedoc coast include Racet, Saint-Marie, Torreilles, Le Barcares and Le Franqui.
Cote d'Amethyste
- the Cote d'Amethyste is further north-east, from Narbonne and St Cyprien and on beyond the Etang de Thau and its traditional fishing villages and as far as La Grande Motte. Some of the more popular resorts along this part of the coast include:
Gruissan
See the Gruissan guide.
Cap d'Agde
Close to Agde is the popular resort of Cap d'Agde, well known for its large naturist beach - but actually with several non-naturist beaches as well! See the Cap d'Agde guide.
Marseillan
Marseillan is one of several resorts along the Etang de Thau. See the Marseillan guide.
Palavas-les-Flots
The beach is rather overdeveloped at Palavas but the town is lively. See the Palavas-les-Flots guide.
La Grande-Motte
We love La Grande-Motte because of its lively atmosphere and 1970's architecture. See the La Grande-Motte guide.
Le Grau-du-Roi
See the Le Grau-du-Roi guide.
Other beaches along this stretch of the Languedoc coast include Valras, Serignan (a nice if rather remote beach), Portiragnes, Vias and the beaches along the Etang de Thau such as La Comiche, Frontignan and Maguelone.
Further east near the border with Provence the beach at Espiguette is backed by sand dunes and one of our favourites in Languedoc-Roussillon.
France This way comment: the beaches near Sete such as La Comiche are often noisy (there is a busy road that follows the coast here) and Sete itself is not among our favourite towns - but I know several other people who say it is a vibrant and fascinating town and the beaches such as Frontignan are among their favourites in France, so I reserve judgement until I can go back for another look!
See more about the places to visit near these resorts in the Languedoc travel guide.