Best Beaches on the French Riviera

April 9, 2023

6 Best Beaches on the French Riviera

Our guide to the best beaches on the French Riviera will take you to the most jaw dropping locations in the region, from the remote Plage Mala in Cap d’Ail to the expansive Plage des Sablettes at the base of the colourful old town in Menton. We provide detailed information on how to reach each destination and exactly what facilities you can expect once you arrive. 

We visited the south of France in summer 2022. It was our first trip and we were surprised at how much we were able to fit. Over 10 days we visited every one of these beaches plus so much more.

If you’re looking for more guides to southern France we have plenty available. Guides include a 10 day south of France itinerary (by public transport), city guides to Nice, Menton, Marseille, Cassis, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Monaco, and a guide to the best day trips from Nice. 

Couple embracing at dusk in front of colourful town

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Tip: avoid the biggest mistake we made. If you ask for water at a restaurant they will give you bottled still or sparkling water. They will never bring you free tap water. To save yourself the money, ask for a carafe of water by saying the following  ‘carafe d’eau s’il vous plaît’.

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In this article

Map of the best beaches on the French Riviera

6 best beaches on the French Riviera

Plage des Marinieres – Villefranche-sur-Mer

Villefranche-sur-Mer not only has one of the best beaches on the French Riviera, it also has one of the prettiest old towns with trendy seaside bars and cafes, and an impressive harbour. You will most likely be traveling to Villefranche-sur-Mer from Nice. If so, take the train towards Ventimiglia (Ventimille) for 10 minutes and get off at Villefranche-sur-Mer (€1-3 each way). You can also catch bus 100 from Nice that takes 12 minutes and will cost €2 each way. This is one of the closest sandy beaches to Nice. So if you’re tired of the pebble beaches in Nice itself, we definitely suggest you head to Plage des Marinieres in Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Plage des Marinieres is one of the prettiest beaches on the French Riviera. It’s a sandy beach that stretches for 1km along a wide bay in front of the colourful old town. This is a very easily accessed beach with the train station only steps behind it so it does get busy. The shallow water extends about 10m into the water making this a great family friendly beach. Showers and toilets are available onsite also. Unlike most other towns in the French Riviera, there are no private beach clubs at Villefranche-sur-Mer. As the bay curves around so much it offers spectacular views towards the colourful old town of Villefranche-sur-Mer. 

Water sports

If you’re looking for an adventure activity, consider parasailing for between €65 to €150, or hiring your own boat (even without a boat license) from €80 for 1 hour. When you work up an appetite simply walk to the promenade at the base of the old town where you’ll find plenty of modern and trendy restaurants and bars. If you’re just after light refreshments you’ll find plenty of kiosks open on the beach itself during summer. 

There are two other beaches in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Plage de l’Ange Gardien and La Darse Beach that are both quieter than Plage des Marinieres. We would suggest checking out Plage de l’Ange Gardien as it’s quite some distance from the port.

  • Facilities: toilets & showers
  • Lifeguards: Yes (in the summer) 
  • Shade: none
  • Beach clubs: none
  • Car park: Yes, large car park right next to the beach
  • Food and drink: drinks stand on the beach, restaurants on the water in front of the old town (about a 10 minute walk from the far end of the beach)

Plage des Marinieres in Villefranche-sur-Mer

Plage Petite Afrique – Beaulieu-sur-Mer 

If we go back to the south of France and hire a car, we would try to stay in an Airbnb in Beaulieu-sur-Mer or somewhere close by in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Often overlooked for more glitzy destinations like Antibes or Monaco, Beaulieu-sur-Mer provides a bit of a reprieve from the crowds. It feels a lot more authentic than most other villages along the coast and is free from souvenir shops and overpriced gelato stands even though it’s only a stones throw from Nice (you can literally walk here if you wanted to). 

To get there from Nice, take the train towards Ventimiglia (Ventimille) for 14 minutes and get off at Beaulieu-sur-Mer (€1-3 each way).

Everything you need in one area

Plage Petite Afrique frequently tops lists for one of the best beaches in the French Riviera. It’s a fine pebble beach (easy to walk and sit on), has all of the amenities you will need including showers, toilets and life guards, there are plenty of water sports available and there is even a line of pine trees to find some shade near the kids playground. But what makes this beach top most lists is its beauty. Plage Petite Afrique is located in an incredibly wide bay that is set against the backdrop of a dramatic mountain range, absolutely stunning! There are plenty of water sports on offer here too including paddle boards and jetskis. 

  • Facilities: toilets & showers, jellyfish nets, childrens playground
  • Lifeguards: Yes (in the summer)
  • Shade: Yes, there is a line of pine trees
  • Beach clubs: Batik Plage and Baia Bella
  • Car park: Yes, large car park right next to the beach
  • Food and drink: beach clubs, multiple restaurants 5 minutes away in front of the harbour

Plage Petite Afrique in Beaulieu-sur-Mer 

Plage d’Èze-sur-Mer – Èze

You need to be careful about getting to Plage d’Èze-sur-Mer. There is Èze village and then the beach at Èze-sur-Mer. To get to the hilltop village you will need to take a bus, however the best way to get to Plage d’Èze-sur-Mer is by train. If you would like to visit both then we suggest that you take the bus to the village and walk down to the beach (it’s a 45 minute walk down Nietzsche path). The train will cost €2-3 each way and will take you to Èze-sur-Mer in 13 minutes. 

Plage d’Èze-sur-Mer extends between Cap Roux and Cap Estel along Avenue de la Liberté. This picturesque beach is right in front of the train station. It’s a narrow pebble beach (wear appropriate shoes) set at the base of limestone cliffs. Although quite narrow, it doesn’t really get busy even in high season. It’s located in an urban area making it very convenient to access, and nearby to many restaurants. There are several zones to the beach depending on what you’re after from a nudist beach at the north end, to a lifeguard patrolled beach with water sports towards the middle. 

  • Facilities: toilets & showers
  • Lifeguards: Yes (in the summer)
  • Shade: None. Once the sun sets behind the cliff in the late afternoon then the beach will be shaded however 
  • Beach clubs: Anjuna Beach Club
  • Car park: Yes, a small car park is located about 300m away. It’s quite a small car park so if you’re driving, try to arrive early
  • Food and drink: None directly on the beach, but there are plenty of restaurants in the village directly behind the beach

Plage Mala – Cap d’Ail

To reach Plage Mala, you first need to get to Cap d’Ail. Take the train from Nice Ville towards Ventimiglia (Ventimille) for 17 minutes and get off at Cap d’Ail ( €2-3 each way). From there you will need to walk along the cost via the Sentier du Littoral which will take you 15 minutes. Strolling around Sentier du Littoral de Cap d’Ail was one of our favourite mornings while visiting the French Riviera. 

The walk is paved the entire way with stairs in parts. It does get closed in bad weather due to access, but it’s not like you’ll be wanting to visit the beach in bad weather anyway! Due to the number of stairs and the distance between the train station and the beach, Plage Mala is not suitable for people with prams or wheelchairs. 

Gorgeous hidden sandy cove

There is a small public beach at Plage Mala. It’s sandy (yay!), has a bit of shade in the morning and there are amenities on site. Plage Mala is very family friendly. If you’re wanting a little more space and don’t mind being out in the sun, there are plenty of other places along Cap Mala where you can jump in the water. It’s a spectacularly beautiful area so it won’t matter where you stop along the Sentier du Littoral! 

  • Facilities: toilets & showers, jellyfish net
  • Lifeguards: Yes (in the summer)
  • Shade: In the morning. There are plenty of spots nearby along Sentier du Littoral where you can put your towel down under a tree, just make sure that there is access to the water 
  • Beach clubs: Eden Plage Mala and La Réserve de la Mala
  • Car park: None. There is parking at the train station (15 minute walk away) but it’s very small and fills up quickly. You’re best arriving by public transport and walking in
  • Food and drink: There are no snack options, just the beach clubs (quite expensive). We highly recommend getting lunch at Restaurant La Pinède. It’s located on the waterfront, with incredible views across to Cap Mala. The staff were SO friendly and the food was fresh and modern. We had a wonderful time here. It’s only a few minutes walk back to the train station from here, making it a very convenient stop.

Plage Mala in Cap d’Ail

Plage des Sablettes – Menton 

You will need to take the train to Menton. From your closest train station (Nice Ville or Nice Riquier) take the line towards Ventimiglia (Ventimille) and hop off at Menton station after 35 minutes. You’ll need to walk 15 minutes into town from here. The trip will cost €3-5 per person one way.  

Plage des Sablettes is very large, sandy, and has THE most beautiful backdrop of any beach we have visited in the south of France. It’s located at the bottom of the old town with a new promenade featuring many restaurants and bars overlooking the water. There are of course a few beach clubs if you prefer, but either way you’ll have stunning views of the colourful buildings in Menton set against the backdrop of the vast Italian mountains. 

The beach itself is very calm and shallow, perfect for families and those wanting to participate in some water sports or beach sports like volleyball. Menton also has some of the cleanest waters on the French Riviera due to the water purification system located in the bay.

Best viewpoint in the South of France

While you’re here, walk down to the port and along the port walls at Quai Impératrice Eugénie for a fantastic viewpoint back towards the pastel skyline. If you can plan your trip to coincide with sunset we highly recommend this. 

  • Facilities: toilets & showers, jellyfish net, children’s playground
  • Lifeguards: Yes (in the summer)
  • Shade: None
  • Beach clubs: Les Sablettes Beach Club 
  • Car park: Yes, directly behind the beach
  • Food and drink: None other than the beach club. However, the new promenade directly behind the beach and is full of restaurants

Plage des Sablettes in Menton

Nice Promenade

Any list of the best beaches on the French Riviera wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the incredible pebble beach stretching 4 miles (6.5kms) along the Nice promenade. You will just need to consider whether you would prefer a private beach or a public beach experience. The public sections can get incredibly crowded, but this comes with great atmosphere. And given the price of beach clubs is much more accessible to most people. The private beach clubs offer lockers and the comfort of lounges which you will appreciate if you’ve ever laid on a pebble beach for any significant amount of time. 

Nice’s private beach clubs 

A lot of beach clubs on the promenade are first in best dressed (or book ahead). You really need to be there by 10am to have your pick. A very popular option is Ruhl Plage (€30 per person) which has the iconic blue and white umbrellas. We arrived at about 10.30 and there was absolutely no availability! We ended up at Plage Beau Rivage which was priced exactly the same and had a wonderful atmosphere and incredible food. 

You can opt for half day passes (if availability allows) which is typically half the price. Note that there is an extra charge in a lot of places to have the umbrella up. Food and drinks are obviously quite expensive no matter which beach club you pick. We saw plenty of people leave their towels and books and leave the beach club for lunch. It’s not a far walk into the Old Town where you can find plenty of cheap options for takeaway lunches like baguettes or socca (a must try local dish). 

Perfect sunset location in Nice

If you’re staying in Nice, make sure to end at least one day with sunset at the beach. Pick up a pizza and a bottle of wine nearby (most corner stores near the promenade will be able to provide you with some paper cups, just make sure you don’t buy a wine bottle that needs a bottle opener). This was probably one of our most favourite nights in Nice, just the two of us on a towel watching the candy coloured sky darken while people played in the water.   

  • Facilities: Toilets and showers are located at various points along the promenade. In summer there will also be portable toilets at most of the public beaches
  • Lifeguards: Yes (in summer) at the public beaches 
  • Shade: None
  • Beach clubs: There are around 15 private beach clubs! We highly recommend Plage Beau Rivage  
  • Car park: There are a couple of car parks near the promenade, just expect to pay a premium given you’re in the heart of Nice
  • Food and drink: Only at the beach clubs. It’s a short walk to the old town where you’ll find plenty of cheap options for lunch.

Nice promenade

What to pack

For the beach

Unless you plan on only visiting organised beach clubs, you will need to bring your own towel. You will be able to find quite a few stalls, bazaars and shops in Nice’s old town that sell beach towels if you have forgotten to bring one with you. A few of the beaches we mentioned in this guide are sandy, however a lot of beaches in the French Riviera are pebble beaches. While you can lay on a towel for a little while, you will be uncomfortable if you’re staying for long. 

This is where a beach mat will be handy. Some hotels will have beach mats that you can borrow but these will also be available from the same shops you’ll find towels in. The pebble beaches can be uncomfortable to walk on (and hot!) so water shoes or sandals will also be really helpful during your visit for getting in and out of the water. 

Finally, there is more or less no shade at the majority of beaches. Again, a lot of hotels will have beach umbrellas that you can borrow but if they don’t and you plan on spending a fair bit of time at the beach you should pick one up when you arrive (ask your hotel to keep it when you leave and lend it out to future guests so that it’s not trashed).  

Universal adaptor 

Don’t forget to bring your adaptor! If you don’t already have one, make sure you buy one that has USB and USB C ports so that you can plug in your phone chargers as well.  

European sim

All European data and minute plans are interconnected, so if you’re arriving from another European country your sim card will work in France. You will only need to worry about picking up a sim card if you’re arriving from outside of the EU. 

Try and pick up a European sim card (like Lycamobile, Giffgaff or Lebara) on your arrival at Nice airport. You can find sim cards at ‘Relay’, a large newsagent which has stores in both terminals at the airport. Relay will close at 9.30pm however, so if you’re arriving late at night you might need to wait until you get into town. In Nice (and most towns on the French Riviera) you’ll be able to pick up cheap sim cards at the tobacco stores and corner shops. If you need help installing the sims however, you will be best off going directly to a provider’s store such as Orange which you’ll only find in major cities like Nice and Monaco.

Left: walk to Plage Mala, Right: Plage Petite Afrique

How to get to the French Riviera

If you’re visiting the French Riviera, you will most likely be flying into Nice. You will pick up flights direct to Nice from most destinations in Europe as well as further afield in the US, North Africa and the Middle East. The closest airport is Nice Cote d’Azur Airport, an international airport situated just 8km away from the city centre. It is the third busiest airport in France after the two that service Paris so that gives you an idea of how popular this destination is! 

Getting from Nice airport into the city is very easy! Inside the airport you’ll see signs directing you to the tram. Take tram line 2 in the direction of Port Lympia for €1.50 each way. There are multiple stops in town depending on where your hotel is. The main stop in the city centre is Jean Médecin. The whole journey won’t take longer than 30 minutes. The tram leaves the airport every 8 minutes and runs from around 4am to 11.30pm depending on the day. You can find more information including timetables here.

Where to stay

We have used Nice as our home base for visiting all of the best beaches on the French Riviera listed in this blog. We definitely recommend making Nice your home base and taking day trips. This is especially true if you’re planning on traveling around by public transport. Nice has an incredible amount of connections to nearby towns and villages by train and bus at very affordable rates. In fact, most places on the Cote d’Azur can be reached from Nice. 

Nice is a fantastic home base to explore the French Riviera due to its: 

  1. Proximity to international airport 
  2. Train and bus connections to nearby villages and beaches 
  3. Accommodation and restaurant options
  4. Sightseeing options for your downtime

We suggest that you try to stay in the area between the train station and the old town / beach. These are the areas of Le Carré d’Or, Thiers or Carabacel. We split our visit between staying very close to the train station for a few days, and then a few days very close to the promenade.

Hôtel Byakko Nice

At Hotel Byakko Nice we paid €490.50 for 3 nights in August 2022 (the MOST EXPENSIVE time of year to visit Nice). The hotel’s location was perfect for day trips, being only a 6 minute walk to the train station. It was also only a 15 minute walk into the old town and a 20 minute walk to the promenade. We really liked this hotel. The staff were really friendly, the aircon was cold, and the room was perfect for a few nights with enough space to spread out our luggage. An added bonus was the rooftop here, perfect for a rose at the end of the day. 

Hôtel de la Fontaine

We also stayed at Hotel de le Fontaine and paid €585 for 4 nights in August 2022. It was only a 2 minute walk to the promenade, which was perfect for our beach days, and sunsets on the beach with a pizza and a bottle of wine. It was a 15 minute walk into the old town, and a 15 minute walk to the train station (or take the tram for €1.50 and you will cut down walking time to just 7 minutes). The distance to the promenade was our favourite thing about this hotel, but again the staff were incredibly friendly and the rooms were super spacious for a few nights.  

Getting around the French Riviera

Southern France is one of the easiest regions to travel around by public transport that I have ever experienced! It’s so well interconnected and affordable. Below I cover all the major options for traveling around southern France including public and private transport. 

Public transport

Train 

Traveling by train is by far the most convenient mode of transport in the south of France. If you have decided to make Nice your home base you will have absolutely no travel getting around. There are two train stations in Nice, Nice Ville and Nice Nice Riquier. If you’re booking your tickets in advance be sure to check which station is closer to your accommodation. Nice Ville is to the north west of the old town. If you’re planning on staying close to the promenade this will probably be the closer option for you. Nice Riquier is further east, just above Quartier du Port. We found using the Trainline app to book our tickets ahead of time to be very easy and convenient. The prices are the same, and the schedule is accurate and up to date. 

Bus 

You will find that the train will get you to most destinations much quicker than the bus, but there are exceptions. A notable example is Èze village. The train station goes to the town on the coast, however there is a popular village at the top of the hill which can only be reached by bus (or a strenuous hike from the train station). Bus tickets can be bought from the bus driver, just bring cash with you (typically a ticket will cost you €1.5 each way) 

Car

Realistically a lot of destinations on the French Riviera are much more convenient to visit by public transport due to the lack of availability and high cost of parking. If you do need to hire a car, there are plenty of options in Nice both at the airport and in town. This is a hugely popular destination, so booking your hire car in advance will help you to secure a good price and the kind of vehicle you are after. If you’re driving make sure you plan your days so that you are arriving at your destination early in the morning so that you can find parking, and also make sure you’re factoring in parking fees in your budget as this will add up.

European summer in Nice

When to visit

We visited the French Riviera in August and honestly I wouldn’t suggest it. It’s very hot and southern France isn’t made for the heat. Between the hot trains, the beaches without shade and all of the outdoor eateries, your trip will be much nicer in June or September. There are obviously crowds in summer, but we didn’t find them so bad. In fact, the crowds create a great atmosphere and add to the European summer vibe.

Some of the trains got a bit uncomfortably packed but we didn’t struggle with anything else. If you are visiting in the summer be sure to book restaurants ahead of time, like you would for anywhere in europe. Between November and May a lot of tour operators, beach clubs and some restaurants will be closed. The weather will still be pleasant though, you will just have a quieter time and will have to plan ahead more to make sure what you want to do is possible.

Thanks for stopping by!

We hope we’ve inspired you to plan a visit to the best beaches in the French Riviera. There are so many beautiful beaches on the cote d’azur that it can be hard which ones to pick! We hope our guide helps you narrow down the selections just a little bit. 

If you’re looking for more guides to southern France we have plenty available. Guides include a 10 day south of France itinerary (by public transport), city guides to Nice, Menton, Marseille, Cassis, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Monaco, and a guide to the best day trips from Nice. 

If you have any questions, please let us know, and please subscribe! 

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