French Beaches

With having thousands of miles of coastline, France is known as a favorite vacation destination for millions of people each year.

Villefranche-sur-mer is near Nice, and like Nice has beaches with golden sand and beautiful blue waters. However, unlike Nice, Villefranche-sur-mer is missing the throngs of sunbathers that attract the more popular nearby beaches. If you're looking for a quiet spot to bask in the rays of the French sun, this just might be the most perfect spot on earth!

The big attraction to this beach is that there are tons of things to do. Whether you want to go parasailing, do some swimming in the sea, or enjoy some ten miles of nature trails, this is the beach with something for everyone.

What many tourists don't realize is that for all of France's coastline, most beaches are incredibly rocky, and much closer to the town or highway than they would be in the United States. Nonetheless, there are a few beaches that celebrities and tourists alike flock to each year-and most of them are on the French Riviera near St. Tropez.

Many beaches in the St. Tropez area in particular are privately owned. The proprietors rent out beach chairs, and umbrellas to those who would desire to swim and sunbathe there.

Don't be shocked to find that the women have shed their tops, particularly on beaches in the south of France. In this way, French women are much less inhibited. While many women do wear at least a bikini-it is not uncommon to see women of all different body shapes and sizes who don't.

Cannes is perhaps one of the most famous parts of the French Riviera. Consequently, most of the beaches are owned by hotels who dole out color coordinated chaise lounges to mark their territory. However, generally the hotels are willing to share their little piece of the French Riviera for paying customers-whether those be hotel guests or the general public.

Who wouldn't love such natural beauty? These two picturesque beauties combined boast a whopping 25 kilometers of coastline where upon you can find no less than 48 beaches. Not all the beaches are lush with white sand however, making this destination a hot spot for tourists who love the beach but want other things to do as well. La Plage Juan les Pins is considered the best that the French Riviera has to offer.

If you're panning on visiting one of these world famous French beaches, plan early. The best time to go is generally June or September-both of which are still warm enough to enjoy the beautiful blue coast, but is outside the range of the French vacation season. Also, do what the seasoned traveler does and only spend part of your time on the beaches. Anyone who knows anything about the French Riviera, considers the beaches only secondary to the countryside behind them.