French Beaches

French Beaches

If you are dreaming of a vacation on the French Beaches. You may find them up north in Brittany, Biarritz and Normandy and in the Mediterranean, the French Riviera, St Tropez and anywhere between Spain and Italy.

Atlantic

The Atlantic side will suit any sports enthusiast, because of the great surfing beaches. Families with children will head for the coves found in Brittany.

Sun worshipers love the French Riviera and 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.

The main coastal regions of France are the following divided into the north region and the Mediterranean coasts of France:

North region

Picardy Beaches

This area is from Belgium to Calais with broad sandy beaches and sand dunes. This area is on the English Channel around the mouth of the River Somme. Here you’ll find beaches with small coves and also many cliffs.

• Normandy Beaches

The area is famous for being the site of the Second World War Normandy Landings.

The area is made of chalk cliffs some the very high, like the Cliffs of Etretat, the highest in France. The Romantic River Seine flows through the area into the Channel.

• Brittany Beaches

The Cotentin Peninsula divides between Normandy and Brittany. The area is very rocky and rugged. As the coast “moves” south towards Spain, they become warmer and offer a variety of coves and sandy beaches.

Atlantic Beaches

South of the mouth of the Loire from Vendee through the area of Charente the coast is mainly made of sandy beaches and beautiful coastal towns. The Aquitaine coast is known for its long sandy beaches all the way to Biarritz, the Basque Country and Spain.

Mediterranean area of France

It is mainly divided into two sections; west of the Rhone to the Spanish border is called Languedoc. To the east is called Provence and the French Riviera. The actual Rhone area is not appropriate for beachgoers because of the proximity of ports like Marseilles.

• Languedoc Beaches

These are mainly long sandy stretches of beach. Being the Mediterranean is calm and quiet, the beaches are not so wide but still very beautiful and appropriate for families with small children.

French Riviera Beaches

Are located east of Marseilles the area of Provence and the French Riviera is characterized by small inlets and awe-inspiring landscapes. This is the region with the most world-known names like St Tropez Beach, Saint Raphael, Cannes, Nice and many others. It stretches all the way through the Principality of Monaco to the Italian border.

Corsica Beaches

For the purpose of identifying the beaches, the island is divided into coastal sections. They are the following in a clockwise direction.

• The North West – Calvi to the Desert des Agriates via Ile Rousse

• The North East – The Desert des Agriates to Moriani via Saint Florent

• The South East – Bonifacio to Porto Vecchio via Palombaggia & Santa Giulia

• The South West – Campomoro to Porto Pollo via Propriano