10 Gorgeous Beaches on the French Riviera You Need to Visit
Looking for the best beaches on the French Riviera to visit? You’re in the right place – read on for my recommendations.
The French Riviera, or Côte d’Azur, holds an undeniable allure, with its picturesque coastline along the very southeastern corner of France offering a stunning variety of beaches.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time in southern France – I’ve visited three different times and spent time in numerous cities and villages. And during these trips, I have absolutely fallen in love with the beauty of France’s coastline and beaches.
The beaches (plages, in French) in southern France are numerous and varied. Some are hidden in discrete coves, others stretch out right in front of a city. Beaches are made up of anything from rocks to pebbles to fine sand. But all on this post are beautiful in their own right and worth a visit.
This post is your guide to the coast of the Côte d’Azur (specifically the area between Menton on the east and Cannes on the west), showcasing the spots that have captured my heart and are sure to enchant you too.
A Note About How Beaches Are Set Up in Southern France
Beaches in France are split between free, public beaches, and private, paid beach clubs. These different “beaches” can be right next to each other on the same stretch of sand.
Public beaches are free sections of the beach that are available for anyone to come and relax on. Sometimes there will be different public services, like restrooms, showers, or lifeguards, available at these beaches.
Beach clubs are set up right on the beach and usually have sun loungers and umbrellas available to rent, as well as drink service, and usually a restaurant. There may be other items (anything from towels to kayaks) available to rent at these clubs as well.
During the high season (July and August), you will often need to reserve your spot at a beach club ahead of time. Be aware that usually sun loungers on the row closest to the beach cost a little bit more money and fill up fastest.
In the following sections, I make note of both public and private beaches at each beach location.
10 Incredible Beaches on the French Riviera
Going from east to west, here are my favorite plages on the Côte d’Azur:
1. Plage des Sablettes in Menton
We’re starting this list off strong with one of the best spots in all of southern France! Menton is one of the most beautiful towns, and Plage des Sablettes beach is one of the absolute best beaches, on the entire French Riviera. The colorful Old Town of Menton is the backdrop for this idyllic beach, where you can enjoy crystal clear, clean water.
The beach is divided into Plage des Sablettes – Ouest (West) and Plages des Sablettes – Est (East). The West side is generally busier and is right underneath Old Town, while the East side is a little quieter but slightly farther away.
A human-made jetty protects a large section of the beach and swimming area, creating calm, protected water that stays fairly shallow all the way out to the rocks. This makes Plage des Sablettes a great swimming beach and one of the best beaches in france for families.
Sand: The beach itself isn’t exactly sandy, rather, it’s mainly really fine pebbles with a few areas of sand. Honestly, it’s not bad – there are a lot of truly rocky beaches on the Côte d’Azur, and I felt like I could walk across this beach in bare feet just fine.
Facilities: There are restaurants and shops along the promenade just behind the beach for when you need a snack or full meal. There are also showers, bathrooms, and lockers on the beach, and a lifeguard during the summer months.
Beach Clubs: Les Sablettes Beach Club is a beautiful, all-white club with a restaurant, lounger rentals, and drink service. Make reservations here.
Access: The closest parking lot is Sablettes Parking. The Menton train station and Menton Garavan train stations are almost exactly the same distance from the beach (about an 18-minute walk)
The whole set is just lovely. I truly cannot gush more about how perfect Plage des Sablettes is!
2. Plage des Fourmis – Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a small village about 8 km from Nice and just a few stops away on the train. The main attraction in Beaulieu, aside from the beaches, is Villa Kerylos, a luxurious villa from the 1800’s that was designed and decorated in ancient Greek style.
You have views of the villa from Plage des Fourmis, which is right next to the small port of Beaulieu-sur-Mer. This is a great beach to enjoy before or after you do a 1-hour private boat cruise on a solar-powered boat around Cap Ferrat!
Sand: The beach is fine gravel, which is decent to walk on in bare feet. The clearest water is on the south end of the beach. The water stays pretty shallow close to the shoreline, making it a good family beach.
Facilities: There are bathrooms and showers on the beach, and lifeguards in summer.
Beach Clubs: Anao Plage is the beach club on Plage des Fourmis, which has a sit-down restaurant and beach lounger rentals. You can get more info and make reservations here.
Access: The closest parking is this small lot by the Port, and the closest train station is about a 10-minute walk away in Beaulieu-sur-Mer.
3. Plage Cros dei Pins – Saint Jean Cap Ferrat
Plage Cros dei Pins is a lovely beach on Cap Ferrat, the large peninsula between Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Villefranche-sur-Mer. This is a really lovely area with great views back over the coastline of France and a lot of nice amenities. The beach sits just next to and below the tiny village of Saint-Jean.
Sand: The beach is made up of a mix of coarse sand + fine gravel, and is gentle enough to walk on in bare feet.
Facilities: Plage Cros dei Pins really shines in the amenities available on the beach. At the back of the sand, there is a little playground for children, a beach volleyball court, and there are also water rentals (kayak, stand up paddleboards, etc) to rent on the beach.
There is a snack shack right on the beach, and restaurants in town only a few minutes away.
Finally, there are also showers, bathrooms, and lockers available here, and lifeguards and an anti-jellyfish net in the summer.
Beach Clubs: Besides the water sports rental, there are no private beach clubs on this beach.
Access: The closest train station is the Beaulieu-sur-Mer train station, 30 minutes away by walking. You can also take the #15 bus from Beaulieu-sur-Mer, and arrive in 15 minutes. There is also a parking lot right next to the beach – you can see the location here.
4. Plage Paloma – Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Paloma Beach is situated in the most charming little cove on the peninsula of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. You can access the beach from a stone stairway that leads down from the road, or from the other side of the beach via the Sentier du Littoral (the coastal pathway) that encircles the peninsula.
In fact, walking the Sentier du Littoral of Cap Ferrat is a great way to explore this adorable peninsula and escape the crowds that descend on southern France.
The section of the coastal walkway that leads up to Paloma Beach is incredibly charming, with a winding stone path with views of the beach as you arrive.
The beach itself is rather small and the vibe is distinctly laid back and chill. Like Plage Cros dei Pin, you get beautiful views back towards Beaulieu-sur-Mer and along the coastline of France.
Sand: This beach is rocky, and you’ll want a decent towel or blanket, as well as water shoes or sandals, to really enjoy the beach and water here.
Facilities: There are bathrooms, showers, and changing rooms available for guests of the beach club.
Beach Clubs: The Paloma Beach Club is an upscale spot on the Plage Paloma that has welcomed many celebrity guests over the years. You can rent loungers, umbrellas, a beach towel, or a changing cabin, or enjoy their classy restaurant for lunch or dinner.
Lunchtime service is walk-ins, but making a reservation for dinner is advised. They also offer shuttles and water shuttles for visitors to the club. Make your meal and sunbed reservations here.
Access: There is limited street parking right next to the beach. Otherwise, you can park by the port in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and walk over to Plage Paloma (about a 12-minute walk).
You could also take the #15 bus from Beaulieu-sur-Mer to Saint-Jean, and walk the rest of the way to the beach.
Finally, as mentioned above, you can access the beach during a hike of the coastal pathway around the entire peninsula.
5. Plage des Marinieres in Villefranche-sur-Mer
La Plage des Marinieres is just outside of Villefranche-sur-Mer, truly one of the prettiest villages in France. The beach is quite large and stretches along the entire curve of the coastline.
It is far back in a deep cove created by Villefranche on one side and Cap Ferrat on the other, creating beautiful views of the landscape and sea.
This is a very popular beach during warm weather, and crowds can get heavy. You’ll have better luck at avoiding the busiest part of the beach if you walk farther down the coast (away from Villefranche). Most of the beach is public and free, although there is also one beach club here.
Sand: The first part of the beach (closest to town) is made up of small pebbles, but they are fine enough that you can walk on them without much discomfort. The beach quickly turns to fine sand, though, as you continue farther down.
The water stays fairy shallow for the first 10m/30ft, making this a nice swimming and playing beach.
Facilities: There are public bathrooms and a lifeguard during the summer. There are also a couple of restaurants on the beach, which serve fresh seafood and regional specialties. These restaurants are La Praia (higher-rated) and La Voile Bleue.
If you are done swimming and are hungry, though, I’d recommend going into Villefranche-sur-Mer and eating at one of the restaurants along the delightfully charming Quai de l’Amiral Courbet.
Beach Clubs: Les Bains de la Plage, which offers meals and sun loungers. You can reserve your spot for this club here.
Access: The Villefranche train station is less than a 5-minute walk from the beach, and the train line actually runs right behind the beach. There is also a parking lot right behind the beach, which you can find here.
6. Nice
Nice is one of my favorite cities in all of France – I just can’t get enough of the bustling, winding streets of Old Town, the gorgeous views from Castle Hill, beautiful Place Massena, and the idyllic long Promenade des Anglais, a 7km (4 mile) long, wide, palm-lined promenade right along the beach.
The entire coastline along the Promenade is one uninterrupted beach. Now, of course, this large beach is divided up into many smaller sections of named beaches.
While Nice does have a rocky beach, what makes this a great beach on the Côte d’Azur is truly the Promenade, the beautiful old town and castle hill behind it, and the way the coastline seems to continue forever.
Sand: Generally pretty rocky, though occasionally there are some areas that have finer gravel.
Beaches and Beach Clubs: There are many beach clubs along the Nice coastline (over 15) offering different amenities and locations. You can find a whole list of the beaches here, but these are a few popular spots:
>>Beau Rivage: Has both a beach club and public beach access, public bathrooms and showers (not all Nice beaches have this), a lifeguard and first aid station in the summer, watersport rentals, and the Beau Rivage Beach restaurant.
>>Castel Beach: Has both a beach club and public beach access, and is the farthest east beach along the Promenade des Anglais. The Castle Plage club has a nice restaurant and chair rentals, and is one of the oldest clubs in Nice.
>>Plage des Ponchettes: Public beach with a lifeguard, first aid station, and a portable toilet in summer. There is also a beach volleyball court here.
Access: The train station in Nice is about a 15-minute walk away, and there are multiple bus stops along the Promenade. You can also find parking lots along the Promenade. A few options are this lot and this lot.
7. Plage de la Gravette – Antibes
While there are multiple beaches in Antibes, I’m partial to Plage de la Gravette. This beach is excellent thanks to the sandy shores, the convenient location, and most especially, because of the protected waters.
This is also one of the most easily accessible beaches, as it is located right by Old Town, near the port, and right off the rampart walkway that surrounds Antibes. (Walking the ramparts is a very fun thing to do in Antibes).
Like Menton, Plage de la Gravette has a human-made rock jetty that breaks most of the waves from the sea, creating a calm area for swimming. While there were plenty of people just lying out, there were also plenty of people doing some legit swimming in the waters here.
Sand: Sandy! However, the sand does get more rocky once you are in the water.
Facilities: There are showers and bathrooms, and some stands selling snacks and drinks just outside the beach.
Beach Clubs: None. The entire beach is free and public. Because of this, though, it can get very crowded during summer.
Access: The closest train station is Antibes, and it’s about a 15-minute walk from the station. There is also a parking lot by Port Vauban, which is just a few minutes walk away.
8. Bay of Billionaires
Billionaire’s Bay is located on Cap d’Antibes, the cape of the peninsula just south of the town of Antibes. This is really a unique spot, as it’s fairly remote and takes a little bit of effort to get to, and until recently, was only accessible by boat.
The coastline around Billionaire’s Bay is rocky and scraggly, and there are little coves, stone staircases, and small caves right near the bay.
Sand: Very rocky. You definitely need water shoes or sandals, and a towel or blanket, to enjoy this beach.
Facilities: None
Beach Clubs: None
Access: To arrive, you can either walk the sentier du littoral of Cap d’Antibes (the coastal walkway around the coast of the cape), which is an excellent and very picturesque hike that takes about 1-2 hours.
Or, you can park at Plage de la Garoupe on the opposite side of the peninsula, and walk the 20 minutes through the streets to get to the beach. There is no real parking by the Bay of Billionaires, though.
9. Juan-les-Pins
Juan-les-Pins is on the opposite side of the peninsula from Antibes, and is a small but lively resort city. The beach has a wide walkway promenade along the beach and the Boulevard Charles Guillaumont, which is lined with palm trees, restaurants with sidewalk seating, and chic boutiques and shops.
Much of the beach is dedicated to private beach clubs, but you can find some public, free beach space here and there. The biggest section of public beach is on the very north end of the beach.
In many ways, Juan-les-Pins felt like a smaller version of Cannes (coming up next). If you want a nice beach club and lots of shopping options, Juan-les-Pins is a great spot for you.
Sand: The beaches in Juan-les-Pins are sandy.
Facilities: Showers and bathrooms, and lifeguards in the summer. There are a lot of restaurants along the boulevard just off of the beach.
Beach Clubs: Juan-les-Pins is packed with beach clubs, all of them offering sun lounger rentals and some also having a restaurant. Some of the clubs have loungers set up on little piers that extend onto the water. There are way too many beach clubs on Juan-les-Pins to discuss in detail in this post, but you can get more information here.
Access: Juan-les-Pins has its own train station, which is less than 10 minutes from the beach. The city is also a short walk (15-20 minutes) from Antibes. A few close parking lot options include this lot and this lot.
10. Beaches off of La Croisette – Cannes
Cannes is the mecca of wide, sandy beaches in southern France. There are multiple beaches in Cannes that are beautiful and great for laying out, with views out to the sea and the myriad of yachts and sailboats out in the waters.
La Croisette is the main, long promenade in central Cannes, where a large number of beaches are located. This long stretch of sand is technically a lot of different beaches, but they flow one right into another, so to me it makes sense to keep it all as one item, here.
Most of the beach is filled with beach clubs – there are over a dozen beach clubs one right after another on this beach! In fact, only the very north end and the very south end have public beach areas.
Of course, thanks to their prime location and high-quality sand, in July and August these beaches can get crazy busy, but if you come earlier in the morning or outside of peak season, you’ll have more space to yourself.
Sand: Very fine.
Facilities: Showers, plus there are different snack and drink vendors on the La Croisette promenade when you need a treat.
Beach Clubs: So many beach clubs, more than I can list here. The beach clubs in Cannes are very nice and many of them even have little “piers” set up over the water with loungers on them. You can explore the full list and breakdown of the beach clubs in La Croisette here.
Access: The Cannes train station is about a 10 minute walk away from the beach. There is limited street parking but you can find close parking lots here and here.
Map of the French Riviera Beaches
Some Practical Information and Tips
Crowds: Expect crowds in summer, particularly July and August. These are the best beaches on the French Riviera, after all! Come first thing in the morning or outside of peak season to enjoy more space on the beach.
Nudity: In France, it is socially acceptable for women to be topless on the beach. It is uncommon for anyone to be fully nude, though. Most people still wear the full bathing suit set, but expect there to be at least several women on every beach that are topless.
Water Temperature: By mid to late summer, the water reaches a welcoming warmth of around 24°C (74°F), perfect for a dip, but not bathwater warm. In late fall, winter, and spring, sea temperatures are bracingly cold.
A Few Beach Essentials for France: You’ll definitely want water shoes/water sandals if you’re visiting one of the beaches that is rockier. Don’t forget to bring some cash, a towel (I often travel with a microfiber towel that packs down small but dries easily), and, of course, a hat and sunscreen.
Top Plages to Visit in Southern France – The Wrap Up
The allure of the French Riviera’s beaches lies not just in their stunning landscapes but in the diversity and charm they offer to every visitor. I love all the secluded coves and bustling beachfront promenades – as each spot along the Côte d’Azur is a combination of natural beauty and picturesque French town.
Whether it’s the calm waters of Menton or the iconic sands of Cannes, these beaches provide a perfect backdrop for both relaxation under the sun and exploration of some of France’s best cities, creating some of the most beautiful and inviting beaches on the Mediterranean.
