Beaches: the finest sites in France
36 sites listed in this category. Fine sand, wild coves or long lifeguarded stretches: the French coast offers an incredible variety of beaches, on the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Channel and in Corsica, for every kind of seaside trip.
Anse de Rondinara
Pale sand, very pure water, unspoilt environment and perfect geometry... Rondinara is one of the most exotic bays on the island.
Banc d'Arguin
A sandbank at the entrance of Arcachon Bay, a nature reserve and bird refuge, facing the Dune du Pilat.
Hossegor
A seaside resort renowned for its powerful waves that make it one of the world's surfing meccas, built around a marine lake ringed with pines.
L'anse de Paulilles, un bijou de la Côte Catalane
Located in the commune of Port-Vendres towards Banyuls-sur-Mer, encircled by the famous Banyuls-Collioure vineyard, the Anse de Paulilles is one of the most beautiful on the Catalan rocky coast.
La Baule
A chic seaside resort with one of the most beautiful bays in Europe, whose eight kilometres of fine sand border a pine-lined promenade.
Plage Notre-Dame (Porquerolles)
White-sand beach on the island of Porquerolles, often cited among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean.
Plage de Donnant
Large wild beach on the west coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer, between dunes and cliffs.
Plage de Lostmarc'h
Wild beach on the Crozon peninsula, between dunes, cliffs and the remains of an Iron Age fort.
Plage de Pampelonne
The most famous beach of the Saint-Tropez peninsula, with four kilometres of fine sand.
Plage de Roccapina
Turquoise bay in Corse-du-Sud dominated by the Lion of Roccapina rock and a Genoese tower.
Plage de Saleccia
White-sand beach in the Agriates desert, in Haute-Corse, bordered by dunes and a pine grove.
Plage des Grands Sables (Groix)
One of Europe's rare convex beaches, on the east coast of the island of Groix, with white sand and turquoise water.
La Plage de l'Estagnol
Estagnol beach is one of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in the Mediterranean. Its fine sand, shaded pine grove and turquoise water make it a much-prized place on hot summer days.
La grande plage d’Hendaye
Hendaye's Grande Plage is one of the largest beaches on the Basque Coast. It stretches over several kilometres along Hendaye's seafront, only a few steps from Spain.
La plage de l'Ile Vierge à Saint-Hernot
The Île Vierge is at the Pointe de Saint-Hernot on the Crozon peninsula in the Finistère in Brittany.
Plage d'Arone
A long beach of golden sand in the Gulf of Porto, at the foot of the maquis, near the Piana calanques.
Plage de Cap Blanc-Nez
Cap Blanc-Nez beach is one of the wonders of the Opal Coast. Below Cap Blanc-Nez and its white chalk cliffs, this pebble and sand beach is a magnificent place.
Plage de Cupabia
A long wild white-sand beach in the Gulf of Valinco, dominated by a Genoese tower.
Plage de Deauville
An elegant beach on the Côte Fleurie, known for its Planches, colourful parasols and cabins bearing the names of stars.
Plage de Gigaro
A large sand beach bordered by pine groves and protected by the Conservatoire du littoral, near Cap Lardier.
Plage de Palombaggia à Porto-Vecchio
Palombaggia beach is in the commune of Porto-Vecchio in Corse-du-Sud between the hamlets of Picovaggia and Bocca dell'Oro.
Plage de Piémanson
A huge wild beach of the Camargue, near Salin-de-Giraud, without facilities, open to wind and dunes.
Plage de Saint-Nicolas (Les Glénan)
Only eight nautical miles from the south coast of Brittany, the Glénan archipelago has the bewitching charm of a wild atoll on the edge of the immensity of the Ocean.
Plage de Santa Giulia à Porto-Vecchio
South of Porto-Vecchio, the bay of Santa Giulia unrolls a turquoise lagoon ringed by pine groves and white sand, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Corsica.
Plage de l'Escalet
A sand cove of Ramatuelle, at the foot of Cap Camarat, quieter than Pampelonne.
Plage de l'Espiguette
A huge beach of sand and dunes in the Gard Camargue, dominated by the Espiguette lighthouse.
Plage de l'Ostriconi
A vast wild sand beach at the mouth of the Ostriconi, at the gates of the Agriates desert.
Plage de la Calanque de Sugiton
The Sugiton calanque is made up of two coves each with a small pebble beach.
Plage de la Conche des Baleines
A large wild beach at the western tip of the Île de Ré, at the foot of the Baleines lighthouse.
Plage de la Côte des Basques
Biarritz's historic surf beach, under the cliffs, facing the Pyrenees.
Plage de la Franqui
A seaside resort of Leucate, between the Étang de Salses and the Mediterranean, renowned for wind and gliding sports.
Plage de la Palue
A wild beach on the Crozon peninsula, battered by waves, at the foot of the Cap de la Chèvre.
Plage des Dames (Noirmoutier)
A small sand beach in the Bois de la Chaise, on Noirmoutier, with its coloured cabins and its jetty.
Plage des Sables-d'Or-les-Pins
The brilliance of its sand gave rise to a legend saying that the islet of Saint-Michel, off the little estuary, which once sheltered a treasure, was engulfed by the waves that scattered the gold ingots it hid.
Plage du Val-André
A large sand beach of the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, bordered by a promenade seawall and Belle Époque villas.
Plage d’Etretat
This beach stretches between the Falaise d'Aval and the Falaise d'Amont that frame the pretty pebble beach of Étretat.