Best Beaches with Sunbeds in France

We rank the top 40 of 46 beaches with sunbeds and umbrellas in France. Palombaggia (France) comes first with 4.8 / 5, followed by Plage Notre-Dame, Plage d'Argent.

The sea reaches about 22 degrees C in season, and most of these beaches are at their best from June to September. 38 of the 40 have easy access, and 7 are hidden gems.

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1Palombaggia

Corsica, France · 4.8 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Red granite boulders, parasol pines and soft pale sand — Corsica's most photographed shoreline.

2Plage Notre-Dame

Porquerolles Island, Provence, France · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A wide, gently shelving sand beach on car-free Porquerolles, with shallow turquoise water backed by pines and a national park setting.

3Plage d'Argent

Porquerolles, Var · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A long, silvery-white beach on Porquerolles, the largest of the Iles d’Hyeres, within a national park and without cars.

4Algajola Beach, Corsica

Algajola, Balagne, Corsica · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Algajola is a small walled town in the Balagne on the north-west coast of Corsica, with a Genoese citadel beside a long beach of pale sand.

5Gigaro Beach

La Croix-Valmer, Var, France · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

A long sandy beach on the Var coast near Cap Lardier, backed by pine woods and protected coastline.

6Pampelonne Beach

Ramatuelle, Provence, France · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A long arc of fine sand, about 4.

7Plage de Collioure

Collioure, Occitanie · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

Collioure is a painters town on the Vermilion Coast, with small pebble beaches on either side of a royal castle and a bell tower on the water.

8Plage des Marinieres, Villefranche

Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cote d Azur · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Plage des Marinieres is a small pebble beach in the deep natural harbour of Villefranche-sur-Mer, between Nice and Monaco.

9Cargese Beach (Peru), Corsica

Peru, Cargese, Corse-du-Sud · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Peru is a small sandy bay below the village of Cargese on the west coast of Corsica, with clear water and green maquis hills around it.

10La Baule Beach

La Baule-Escoublac, Pays de la Loire · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 19 °C

A sweeping semicircular bay of fine pale sand, about 9 km long between Pornichet and Le Pouliguen.

11Plage de Carnac

Carnac, Brittany · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 18 °C

Carnac-Plage is a sheltered sandy beach in southern Brittany, with colourful beach huts and calm water at high tide.

12Plage de Cavaliere, Le Lavandou

Le Lavandou, Var · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

Cavaliere is a long, wide beach of fine sand west of Le Lavandou, backed by pines and facing the Iles d Or.

13Plage de la Garoupe

Antibes, French Riviera · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

Plage de la Garoupe is a sheltered crescent of sand on the cape of Antibes, with calm clear water and a green backdrop of pines.

14Plage de la Grande Mer, Cassis

Cassis, Provence · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

Plage de la Grande Mer is the main beach of Cassis, a Provencal fishing port east of Marseille, with a mix of pebbles and sand below the high white limestone cliffs of Cap Canaille.

15Plage de Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Basque Coast · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 19 °C

Saint-Jean-de-Luz has a calm, curved bay of fine sand protected by sea walls, with a lively promenade and Basque houses behind.

16Plage de Tahiti

Ramatuelle, Var, Provence · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

The northern end of the long Pampelonne bay near Ramatuelle on the French Riviera, with fine sand and a line of beach restaurants.

17Plage des Sables Blancs, Concarneau

Concarneau, Brittany · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 18 °C

Plage des Sables Blancs is a sheltered beach of pale sand beside the harbour town of Concarneau in southern Brittany.

18Pramousquier Beach

Pramousquier, Le Lavandou, Var · 4.4 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

Pramousquier is a quiet sandy bay between Le Lavandou and Cavaliere on the Var coast, backed by pine woods and low hills.

19Argeles-Plage

Argeles-sur-Mer, Pyrenees-Orientales · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

Argeles-Plage is a long beach of fine sand on the Vermilion Coast in the south of France, close to the Spanish border, with the Albera mountains in view behind.

20Calvi Beach

Calvi, Corsica, France · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

A long sandy beach on the Calvi bay in northwest Corsica, with a view across the water to the mountains.

21Dinard Beach

Dinard, Brittany · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 18 °C

The main beach of Dinard is a long sandy bay below Belle Epoque villas on the Emerald Coast of Brittany.

22Ile-Rousse Beach, Corsica

L Ile-Rousse, Balagne, Corsica · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Ile-Rousse is a lively seaside town in the Balagne on the north coast of Corsica, with a long town beach of sand and fine gravel and a small red-rock islet linked to the shore by a causeway.

23Plage de Cavalaire

Cavalaire-sur-Mer, Var · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 21 °C

The main beach of Cavalaire-sur-Mer is a long arc of fine sand with a gentle slope into the water.

24Plage de Gruissan, Occitanie

Gruissan, Aude, Occitanie · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

Gruissan Plage is a long beach of fine sand on the Mediterranean coast of Aude, known for its colourful wooden stilt houses behind the shore.

25Plage de la Grande Conche

Royan, Charente-Maritime · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 18 °C

The Grande Conche is the main beach of Royan, a wide curve of fine sand backed by a promenade and 1950s architecture.

26Plage de la Palmyre

La Palmyre, Les Mathes, Charente-Maritime · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 20 °C

La Palmyre is a wide sandy beach on the Atlantic coast of Charente-Maritime, beside the Foret de la Coubre.

27Plage de Pornichet, Loire-Atlantique

Pornichet, Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 19 °C

Pornichet is a seaside town on the Atlantic coast beside La Baule, with a long curved bay of fine sand and shallow water.

28Plage de Saint-Aygulf, Frejus

Saint-Aygulf, Var · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

Saint-Aygulf is a long, family-friendly sand beach near Frejus, with clear shallow water and a backdrop of pines and the red Esterel hills.

29Plage de Sainte-Maxime

Sainte-Maxime, Var · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

The main beach of Sainte-Maxime is a long stretch of fine sand on the gulf of Saint-Tropez, with calm shallow water and a view across the bay to the old town of Saint-Tropez.

30Plage de Soulac-sur-Mer

Soulac-sur-Mer, Nouvelle-Aquitaine · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 20 °C

Soulac-sur-Mer is a seaside town at the tip of the Medoc with a wide beach of fine sand and traditional striped beach tents.

31Plage du Touquet

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Hauts-de-France · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 19 °C

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage has a huge beach of fine sand, backed by dunes and pine woods, on the Opal Coast.

32Pornic Beach, Loire-Atlantique

Pornic, Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire · 4.3 / 5 · Easy access · about 19 °C

Pornic is a small harbour town on the Atlantic coast south of the Loire estuary, with a medieval castle above the port and a small sandy beach beside the harbour.

33Almanarre Beach, Hyeres

Almanarre, Hyeres, Var · 4.2 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Almanarre is a long, wind-swept beach of fine sand on the Giens peninsula near Hyeres, famous for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

34La Capte Beach, Hyeres

La Capte, Hyeres, Var · 4.2 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

La Capte is a long beach of fine sand on the Giens peninsula near Hyeres, with pine trees behind and calm, shallow water.

35Plage d Arcachon, Gironde

Arcachon, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine · 4.2 / 5 · Easy access · about 21 °C

Arcachon is a seaside town on the bay of the same name in south-west France, with a long promenade and a sandy beach along the shore.

36Plage de Cabourg

Cabourg, Normandy · 4.2 / 5 · Easy access · about 18 °C

Cabourg is a belle epoque seaside town on the Normandy coast, with a very wide beach of fine sand and an iconic promenade lined with colourful cabins.

37Plage de Canet-en-Roussillon

Canet-en-Roussillon, Occitanie · 4.2 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Canet-en-Roussillon is a family resort on the Catalan coast, with a long wide beach of fine sand and the snowy Pyrenees on the horizon.

38Plage de Granville

Granville, Normandy · 4.2 / 5 · Easy access · about 18 °C

Granville is a seaside town in Normandy with a sandy beach below its old town on the cliff.

39Plage de la Croisette

Cannes, French Riviera · 4.2 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

The sandy beaches along the famous Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes, a mix of private beach clubs and free public sections.

40Plage de La Grande-Motte

La Grande-Motte, Occitanie · 4.2 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

La Grande-Motte is a modern seaside town with a very long beach of fine sand, backed by fenced dunes and the pyramid-shaped apartment blocks of its 1960s architecture.

Quick comparison

How we picked these beaches

Included when our practical info says sunbeds or umbrellas can be rented on or next to the beach, then ranked by editorial score. Prices change each season, so confirm locally. See how we rate beaches for the full method.

Frequently asked questions

More lists

• Best Beaches in France in May
• Best Beaches in France in June
• Best Beaches in France in July
• Unspoiled Beaches Without Sunbeds in France
• Best Beaches with Free Parking in France
• Best Sandy Beaches in France
• Best Pebble Beaches in France
• Best Family Beaches in France

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