{"id":13322,"date":"2013-05-20T09:31:48","date_gmt":"2013-05-20T13:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/?p=13322"},"modified":"2013-07-01T12:30:47","modified_gmt":"2013-07-01T16:30:47","slug":"top-10-best-beaches-south-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/20\/top-10-best-beaches-south-france\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Best Beaches in the South of France"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13324\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/villefranche-beach-mediterranean-sea-france.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of a harbor and beach in Villefranche-sur-Mer in the South of France\" width=\"585\" height=\"390\" \/>\n\t<div>The Villefranche-sur-Mer beaches near Nice in the South of France<\/div>\n<\/div>With the summer just around the corner, we thought it was about time to start writing about beaches! And it just so happens that the Mediterranean coast contains some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Since we offer <a title=\"Apartments for rent in the South of France\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/south-france-apartment.html\">apartments for rent all around the South of France<\/a>,\u00a0we&#8217;ve\u00a0\u00a0come to know the area well. That\u2019s why we chose to create a list of our 10 favorite beaches in the South of France, categorized by different areas: the French Riviera, Provence, the Montpellier region and even the Southern Alps.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps\/ms?msa=0&amp;msid=208857790003288562267.0004db330fd0db20ae972&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=m&amp;ll=43.937462,5.789795&amp;spn=3.164462,6.416016&amp;z=7&amp;output=embed\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"585\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Of course there are so many great beaches in these regions that it\u2019s impossible to list all of them here, but we still hope this list can be of some use if you choose to visit the beautiful South of France!<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Beaches in the French Riviera<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13328\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/porquerolles-mediterranean-hyeres-sea-beach-france.jpg\" alt=\"Image of the island Porquerolles in the French Riviera\" width=\"585\" height=\"295\" \/>\n\t<div>The island Porquerolles with its clear blue waters in the French Riviera<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>1.<\/strong> The area around <strong>Nice<\/strong> and<strong> Villefranche-sur-Mer<\/strong> has an abundance of beautiful white sandy beaches. One of our favorites is <strong>Paloma Beach<\/strong> on the peninsula <strong>Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat<\/strong>. This small town has long been a popular holiday destination for millionaires and celebrities, such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. You might even get to spot a celebrity yourself at Paloma Beach, as half of the beach is private (rented by jetsetters) and the other half is open to the public.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>2.<\/strong> Roughly between <strong>Nice<\/strong> and <strong>Marseille<\/strong> you\u2019ll find <strong>Plage de l\u2019Almanarre in Hy\u00e8res<\/strong>. The beach runs from the coast to a rustic peninsula town called Giens. This beach is especially popular among windsurfers and kite surfers. There\u2019s also a marsh area just behind the beach where you can spot the region\u2019s famous wild pink flamingos! Furthermore, just south of Giens there\u2019s an island called <strong>Porquerolles<\/strong>, which offers beautiful pine forests and has several small beaches where you\u2019ll find some of the bluest water in the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13325\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/cannes-beach-mediterranean-french-riviera-france.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of deckchairs and the Mediterranean Sea in Cannes\" width=\"585\" height=\"385\" \/>\n\t<div>Deckchairs at the beach next to the Mediterranean Sea in Cannes<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>3.<\/strong> Perhaps one of the most famous beaches of the French Riviera can be found in <strong>Cannes<\/strong>. The beach along the <strong>Boulevard de la Croisette<\/strong> in the city center of Cannes is world-renowned, and it is located just east of the Palais des Festivals where the Cannes International Film Festival is hosted every year. The small strip of beach next to the Boulevard can get quite crowded, so if you\u2019re looking for some peace and quiet consider paying a visit to the town <strong>Th\u00e9oule-sur-Mer<\/strong> just west across the bay from Cannes, which has a lovely gold-colored beach.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>4.<\/strong> Of course we can\u2019t finish the list of French Riviera beaches without talking about <strong>Saint Tropez<\/strong>. The famous seaside resort attracts many jetsetters every summer, and boasts some of the coast\u2019s most exclusive clubs and beaches. Most of these are located about 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of the town of Saint Tropez at <strong>Pampelonne Beach<\/strong>. This well-cultivated beach boasts many clubs and restaurants, but also offers great facilities such as toilets, showers, lifeguard patrols and sun loungers you can rent. If you want to discover more of St. Tropez, see <a title=\"48 Hours In and Around Saint-Tropez, French Riviera\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/04\/48-hours-saint-tropez-french-riviera\/\">48 Hours in and around Saint Tropez<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Provence Beaches<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13329\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/prado-beach-marseilles-windsurfing-mediterranean-provence-france.jpg\" alt=\"Image of a windsurfer at the Plages du Prado in Marseille\" width=\"585\" height=\"378\" \/>\n\t<div>A windsurfer braving the waves at one of the Plages du Prado near Marseille<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>5.<\/strong> As the second city in France, <strong>Marseille<\/strong> is known for a lot of things. Oddly enough, people never seem to associate the city with beaches. This is a shame because the area around Marseille boasts many beautiful sandy and pebble beaches. One popular beach among the locals is the <strong>Bor\u00e9ly Beach<\/strong> next to the Parc Bor\u00e9ly. Besides being a nice beach for swimming and sunbathing, the beach also offers many great facilities such as a volleyball area, toilets and lockers, a skateboarding park and a lifeguard station. Bor\u00e9ly Beach is part of a collection of beaches south of the city center of Marseille known collectively as the <strong>Plages du Prado<\/strong>. Together, these beaches are very popular among windsurfers when the mistral is blowing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>6.<\/strong> West of Marseille you\u2019ll find the <strong>Frioul Islands<\/strong>: a group of four islands that can be reached easily by taking a ferry from the old port in Marseille. The two larger of the quiet islands offer many secluded small rock beaches where the water is a pure azure blue. The group of islands is a great destination if you want to leave the hustle and bustle of the city for a day.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>7.<\/strong> South of Marseilles you\u2019ll find the <strong>Calanques<\/strong>, which are beautiful rock formations with deep valleys that create a one-of-a-kind coastline. Because of their extraordinary topography, the calanques are most easily visited by boat. Close to the town of <strong>Cassis<\/strong>, there\u2019s a beach in the calanques called <strong>L\u2019Ille de Riou<\/strong>, which is only accessible by boat. The small beach is a fantastic starting point for snorkelers and scuba divers, as the whole area of the calanques is full of underwater wonders.<\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13330\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/vacation-rental-mediterranean-south-france.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of a South of France vacation rental apartment with swimming pool\" width=\"585\" height=\"439\" \/>\n\t<div>A vacation rental apartment with swimming pool in the South of France<\/div>\n<\/div>If you want more time to explore the beautiful Calanques, consider staying in a <a title=\"Vacation Rentals in Marseille\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/south-france-apartment\/vacation\/provence\/marseille\">vacation rental apartment in Marseille<\/a> for your holiday! Our apartments offer all the comforts of home, including a living room and bathroom where you can dry your towels after a great day at the beach. You\u2019ll also have a proper kitchen where you can easily prepare a picnic for the next day of exploring the Calanques! And if you\u2019re really fond of swimming but don\u2019t want to visit the beach every day, there\u2019s also plenty of apartments that come with a swimming pool!<\/p>\n<p>If you prefer to stay in another area along the Mediterranean coast, have a look at our entire selection of <a title=\"Vacation Rentals in the South of France\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/south-france-apartment\/vacation\">South of France vacation rental apartments<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Beaches in the Montpellier Area<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13326\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/espiguette-beach-montpellier-south-france-mediterranean-camargue.jpg\" alt=\"Image of dunes at the Plage de l\u2019Espiguette near Montpellier\" width=\"585\" height=\"439\" \/>\n\t<div>The dunes and sandy beach of the Plage de l\u2019Espiguette in the Montpellier area<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>8.<\/strong> One of the nearest beaches to the city of <strong>Montpellier<\/strong> is <strong>Palavas-les-Flots<\/strong>, which lies about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) south of Montpellier. The beach is part of a seaside resort with the same name that was built on sand dunes. The town itself is very quaint and boasts many great seafood restaurants, but the beach can get quite crowded in summertime.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>9.<\/strong> A quieter alternative is the <strong>Plage de l\u2019Espiguette near Le Grau-du-Roi<\/strong> east of Montpellier. The Espiguette beach is a huge deserted sandy beach very close to the National Park <strong>Camargue<\/strong>. This is made evident by the natural dunes and unlimited space all around, and by the fact that the only buildings in sight are lighthouses. It may be quite a drive from Montpellier, but the great stretch of beach makes it worth it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Southern French Alps Beaches<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13327\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/lake-serre-poncon-south-french-alps-france-beach.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Lac de Serre-Pon\u00e7on, the Southern French Alps\" width=\"585\" height=\"379\" \/>\n\t<div>The Lac de Serre-Pon\u00e7on in the Southern French Alps<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>10.<\/strong> Now this title is slightly misleading, as there are no actual seaside beaches in the<strong> Southern French Alps<\/strong>, because the Alps don\u2019t border the Mediterranean Sea. However, there\u2019s one particular lake in the Alps that offers such splendid beaches that we simply had to include it in the list. The <strong>Lac de Serre-Pon\u00e7on<\/strong> is one of the largest artificially created lakes in the whole of Europe. It has also become the place to go for water sports lovers in France. From windsurfing to sailing, the Lake Serre-Pon\u00e7on offers something for everyone. There are beautiful beaches all around the lake, where families can enjoy the cool blue water on a hot summer\u2019s day. The nearby town of Embrun has\u00a0benefited\u00a0great from the touristic appeal of the lake.<\/p>\n<p>Thus we\u2019ve come to the end of our list of the best beaches in the South of France. We hope you\u2019ve enjoyed the article! What\u2019s your favorite beach of all time?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the summer just around the corner, we thought it was about time to start writing about beaches! And it just so happens that the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[44],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13322"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13446,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13322\/revisions\/13446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}