Best beach holidays in France

Know-it-alls like to claim that the trend is against beach holidays. Tourists these days wish to do virtuous stuff — visit museums, climb mountains, that sort of thing — they claim. Fiddle-de-dee. French beaches are as popular as ever, not least because the country has Europe’s very best selection. In the north, the sands extend beneath cliffs, headlands and heathlands, apparently taking up more room than is rightly theirs. Apart from anything else, the magnificent rocky coasts of Brittany bring forth oysters and other shellfish vital to proper seaside sustenance. Moving south, vast Atlantic beaches can accommodate all Europe’s towels with ample space left over for surfers. In the deep south, Biarritz was, incidentally, the Basque birthplace of European surfing in 1957.

Across on the Mediterranean coast, the Côte Vermeille (of Roussillon) takes up where the Pyrenees leave off, before ceding to the flat, unkempt littoral of Languedoc. And so, across the River Rhône, to Provence and the Côte-d’Azur, whose beaches, you will have heard, are overdeveloped and overcrowded. Certainly, their summers are busy — you couldn’t decently expect to have Europe’s most coveted coast to yourself. But much beauty persists and, anyway, there’s something bewitching about being in such a place when it’s at full throttle. That said, there are stretches where crowds and development thin and the elemental Riviera reasserts itself. We detail such spots below, along with hotel suggestions and self-catering options.

Main photo: the village of L’Herbe, Cap Ferret, see number five below (Getty Images)

1. Breeze it in Wissant

Nobody told you that the Côte-d’Opale — mere moments from Calais — had grandeur on this scale. The heath and farmland rock and roll up to the great Cap Blanc Nez and Cap Gris Nez headlands. Between these Channel sentinels curves the seven-mile white-sand beach, opening like an invitation to sand-yachters, kite-surfers, family cricketers and others who appreciate the elements in majestic mode. Bathers too, of course. Some say that Caesar set out from here to conquer Britain in 55BC. Certainly, he’d have had a good view of our country from these parts. So did the Germans, bits of whose Atlantic wall remain visible. It’s weirdly enthralling. Then we retreat to the village of Wissant which, like other small towns and villages along this coast, doesn’t quite realise how disarming its modesty makes it.

Hotel stay Hôtel-de-la-Baie is a practical and contemporary three-star, with sea-views and free private parking

Self-catering For Wissant holiday rentals, contact the Pas-de-Calais’ own English-language agency

2. Bustle in Barneville-Carteret

On the west coast of the Cotentin — the French thumb which sticks up into the Channel — Barneville-Carteret has a sort of Edwardian charm. One should really be affecting bustles and crinoline, parasols, boaters and cover-all cossies to fit in properly. Blue and white cabins on the main, south-facing beach, La Potinière, and villas peppering the hill behind underline an image apparently copied from an early-20th-century postcard. And then there’s more. Barneville beach extends massively southwards while, from the Cap de Carteret headland, the plage de la Vieille Eglise kicks off a seven-mile stretch of sandy beaches backed by dunes and of admirable wildness. Wind-driven seaside sports abound. But there’s no commerce along here, so you’ll have to eat back in town. That will be no problem — the place is rich in family-friendly seafood restaurants.

Hotel stay Best hotel in town is La Marine, overlooking the port, renewed in maritime fashion in recent times and equipped with a Michelin-starred restaurant

Self-catering For an assortment of properties in the locality, try holidaylettings.co.uk; gites-de-france-manche.com or manche.clevacances.com/fr

 

3. Frolic in Fouesnant

This stretch of coast — from Fouesnant to Bénodet — is so much the best bit of the softer, south Brittany seaside that they’ve started calling it the “Breton Riviera”. Marcel Proust was a fan — he thought Fouesnant “an enchanting spot” — though what Proust found enchanting might not suit 21st-century family fun-seekers. So take no notice. Key point is that this “riviera” furnishes a fab beach holiday. Here be nine miles of sands, from the great sweep of Cap Coz plage to creeks around the Beg-Meil hamlet. Beyond the village of Fouesnant, the coast swings headland-to-headland, affording fine walking, cycling and riding, and most beach and waterborne sports known to man. Later, evening life kicks up nicely at Beg-Meil, not least at the Bistrot Chez Hubert. It’s been in the same family since 1903, so they’re largely on top of the job.

Hotel stay By Cap Coz beach, Hôtel Belle-Vue has also been in the same family for ages. Lovely gardens and useful car park are decided pluses

Self-catering Try holidayfrancedirect.co.uk — the gîtes and villa branch of Brittany Ferries — for self-catering options

 

4. Relax in Noirmoutier

It is invariably exciting to leave the mainland for an island. This is especially the case with Noirmoutier if you opt for the three-mile causeway without first consulting the tide tables. Come high tide, you’ll be marooned by rising waters, or swept away. This will be more excitement than you need. Take the bridge instead, because for one thing, you don’t want to look very stupid, and for another, you won’t want to miss Noirmoutier, the comeliest of the islands off France’s west coast. For confirmation, consult Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat; her grandparents lived there.

If you hadn’t noticed the ocean views, the island’s white cottages trimmed with blue shutters and hollyhocks would indicate that you were by the sea. Twenty-five miles of beaches are a giveaway, too. Beach life is at its most intense on the Plage des Dames, backed by woods of oak, eucalyptus and pine, and walking distance from the main village. Beach huts and La Potinière beach restaurant enhance the charm. That said, the 12-mile island is flat, and other, bigger, less crowded beaches are an easy cycle-ride away. The four-mile stretch from Barbatre to La Guérinière is worth considering. Evening-tide should see you back in Noirmoutier-en-Ile or, if pushing out le bateau, at Alexandre Couillon’s La Marine on the port at l’Herbaudière, for Michelin-starred dining.

Hotel stay The classic Noirmoutier hotel is the Fleur-de-Sel, with gardens, a summer terrace and admirable restaurant

Self-catering If interested in going your own way on accommodation, try vrbo.com or ile-noirmoutier.com/en/accommodation/holidayrentals

5. Cool in Cap Ferret

The coolest place on the French Atlantic coast — soothed by the savoir-vivre of the more civilised rich and famous — comes on more as a French colony than as France itself. Perched at the end of the long lick of land separating the Arcachon Basin from the ocean, this was, in the 19th century, distant outlaw territory of dunes, forest and a few fishermen of fewer words. It remains secluded by 20,000 acres of forest in which you could lose an entire A-list. Fifteen miles of beaches on the Atlantic side surge with rollers sufficient to chuck surfers about. Our favourite is Truc Vert, a 15-minute forest walk from the car park. Basin-side sand stretches are calmer, ideal for a family day at the beach. They’re punctuated by oyster villages of ramshackle shacks where everyone gathers at the aperitif hour for a dozen bivalves, brown bread and a glass of Bordeaux white. The small town itself is Cotswolds-on-Sea, tranquil and modest, with the poshest villas unarmed and unguarded and giving onto sandy tracks.

Hotel stay Most attractive Cap Ferret hotel is the Côté Sable, owned by a former French TV presenter and his wife

Self-catering The British outfit Alternative Aquitaine has an array of accommodation for rent in the vicinity

 

6. Getting it on in Guéthary

Basque seaside resorts have perfected the art of providing French beach holidays without ceding their souls to seasidery. Guéthary is the most prepossessing of them. It is, of course, profoundly Basque. Folk have fished, farmed, spoken Basque and whaled round here for ever. Well-to-do outsiders started rolling in during the 19th century, grafting raffishness onto the Basque roots and gradually adopting four beaches hard-won from cliffs, rocks and heathland. The best, and longest, is Parlementia, a little further from the village than the three others, therefore slightly less populated. It affords good bathing and surfing (though not for beginners; unseen rocks will shred them). The village itself comprises substantial white houses trimmed with oxblood-red woodwork, a pelota court and a few shops that local families need. Guéthary carries on as it would if no visitors ever showed up. Which is why we show up. So do the Labèque pianist sisters, French movie star Vincent Cassel and — once upon a time, it is said — Madonna and her family. Nightlife oscillates around the village centre Café de Madrid and the neighbouring Bar Basque. It can grow quite frisky.

Hotel stay Our favourite here is the family-run Briketenia, with father and son overseeing a Michelin-starred restaurant and attendant bistro

Self-catering Alternative Aquitaine would be my first stop for Guéthary rental accommodation

 

7. Catch up with Catalans in Collioure

Collioure is so deeply southern French that it wasn’t French at all, but Spanish, until 1659. It remains profoundly Catalan, fierce of heat — it’s often France’s sunniest spot — and festivity, and yet the only Languedoc-Roussillon resort with the self-conscious allure of French Riviera resorts further east. That said, it lacks the froth and laughable Côte-d’Azur prices. Rugby and anchovies, the local speciality, replace airs and graces. Nestling by the sea, Collioure has had its moments, testified by the vast castle of the Kings of Mallorca (long story), an idiosyncratic seaside church and reproductions of works by Matisse and Derain. They reacted to the heat, light and colour of Collioure by evolving fauvism. Best beach for those on family holidays is the Plage Port-d’Avall, a sandy stretch in the centre. Somewhat out of town, towards Port-Vendres, are slightly hidden creeks. Back in the centre, the castle hill oversees a snuggle of small streets crammed with commerce, including Masashi Iijima’s Cinquième Péché restaurant. Japanese and Med influences mix to toothsome effect.

Hotel stay Hotel La Casa Païral has gardens, a pool and lashings of retro-elegance

Self-catering Both Oliver’s Travels and Pure France have enviable rental properties here

 

8. Pedal on Porquerolles

Twenty minutes off the Giens peninsula south of Hyères, the island of Porquerolles has no cars, barely any development beyond the port village and maybe 17 trillion cicadas, all clicking away in summer sexual frenzy. Thus it recalls the French Riviera before the Riviera started playing to the crowds. Which attracts many people, so ferries fill the village up to Riviera levels, which rather defeats the point. Brighter folk either hire a bike or hike and, forsaking the crowds, make for more distant beaches. Notre-Dame, on the island’s softer north side, is a 20-minute cycle ride out. I’ve called this “the loveliest beach in France” so often that the phrase writes itself: a ravishing curve of white sand from headland to headland, with sea both limpid and brochure-blue out front and, behind, aromatic Med woodland climbs the slope bereft of buildings. One must, of course, also cycle (or walk) elsewhere — through maquis, forest and rocks to the cliffs and creeks of the wilder south side, to the Plage de la Courtade for kayaking and stand-up paddling, to the newish and startling Fondation Carmignac contemporary art gallery — and back to the village, its military aspect softened by oleander and bougainvillaea.

Hotel stay The best, and most expensive, hotel is the Mas du Langoustier, isolated on the island’s western edge. Staying over after day-trippers have gone is especially magical, and recommended

Self-catering Best option for decent holiday rentals on the island is vrbo.com

 

9. Canter through Cavalaire

Quaint and quiet have their uses — but sometimes you need holidays which are full-tilt, especially when you’ve kids in tow. That’s when you go to Cavalaire-sur-Mer. Barely 12 miles from Saint Tropez, the resort shares the same sun, sea and insouciance but without the obnoxious sense of celeb exclusivity. At Cavalaire, they’re delighted to see you — whether in the little town (granted, more practical than strictly pretty), on the port (where some terrific restaurants assemble) or along the grande plage stretching three miles from the town centre. A free summer shuttle bus will whisk you along it. I’d get off around the Avenue de St Raphaël, far enough to distance some of the crowds, and near enough to the Terre de Sable private beach and restaurant, the best of its kind in town. More intrepid spirits might stay on the shuttle until La Croix Valmer and then take a testing hike to wilder beaches (Gigaro, Brouis) and, ultimately, Cap Lardier. Suddenly, the Riviera has gone elemental. Back in town, the Maison de la Mer has details of water and beach sports to knock out the most resistant teenager. Scuba diving is a speciality. Behind, the Maures hills promise further hiking, biking and exhaustion. Invigorating is the word.

Hotel stay Off-centre but near the beach, the Hotel Résidence Beach is a disarming three-star with informal charm, good family rooms, a pool, tennis court and lovely grounds

Self-catering Odalys Vacances or purefrance.com have some cracking properties round here

 

10. Allez to Agay

A hamlet on the territory of St Raphaël — nestling under the Esterel mountains — Agay gives the lie to claims that the Côte-d’Azur is concrete end to end. Overdevelopment here would be a hell of an achievement; you’d have to move mountains. Agay Bay opens up quite magnificently, U-shaped and embraced by scrub-covered hills. A 700-metre, gently shelving beach fronts the hamlet but the bay and its surrounds offer any number of hide-away creeks — some accessible only by vertiginous steps — and also the 200m Plage du Camp Long. Enfolded in forest and red rocks, Camp Long regularly makes the top ten of most people’s French Med beaches. The village itself offers most that’s necessary in the matter of bars, restaurants and the booking of waterborne activities. Should that pale, the Esterel massif provides endless opportunities for exploration by foot, horse or bike (take water, stout shoes and a sunhat). And Agay is, too, a good base for a flip to St Tropez (take the boat from St Raphaël — bateauxsaintraphael.com — to avoid jams) or to Cannes. It is, though, a joy to return to Agay after exposure to these neighbouring hotspots.

Hotel stay Agay’s disarming modesty is reflected in the three-star Relais-d’Agay across the road from the beach: simple, practical and welcoming

Self-catering Seekers of a package or self-catering in Agay might try Expedia

 

11. Tranquil Menton

Menton is the thinking person’s Côte-d’Azur. Nice is grand and Cannes OK, what with its film festivals and all, but both can be a bit full of themselves. Menton is more tranquil, rooted and courteous with a history of receiving well-bred, well-heeled Britons who brought with them both gardening and good manners. “Sedate,” they say. They’re wrong. This is the Med, where France meets Italy at the end of the prom. Sufficient arm-waving vivacity is assured, as is the presence of bronzed bodies on the two big beaches. The Med past stacks up in a steep warren — of twisting alleys and stairs, boisterous children and cooking smells — back from the shore. Walking through is like wandering the town’s family album. The old town is flanked by frothy villas and Belle Epoque palaces created for our wintering forefathers who added style and wealth to Menton’s natural splendour. The last sighs of the Alps rise directly behind, unfiltered sunlight sparkles a sea of different blues as distinct as those on a flag and, off west, the very posh Cap Martin headland once hosted the Empresses Eugénie of France and Sissi of Austria. The place, in short, dissolves moneyed flash in cultured class. And the bathing is ace, too.

Hotel stay Our favourite hotel, of many, is the Riva, whose blockish modern aspect disguises a lovely lightness of touch within. Also most handy for the beaches

Self-catering British operator South France Holiday Villas offer a good range of rental accommodation in and around Menton

Inspired to visit France but yet to book your trip? Here are the best British Airways breaks. If you’re looking for a villa, try Oliver’s Travels. And if you’re still unsure of where you want to go or what type of holiday to book, get in touch here and one of the Designer Travel experts will be in contact to help you arrange your perfect tailor-made break