The 13 most beautiful beaches on the French Riviera: sand, pebbles and coves

Almost five kilometres of fine sand facing the Gulf of Saint-Tropez: Pampelonne actually lies in the commune of Ramatuelle, a few minutes from the village of Saint-Tropez. Classified as a protected natural area, the beach lines up about twenty sectors alternating beach clubs and wide stretches of public sand.

This is the heart of the peninsula's beach-club scene: Club 55, Tahiti Plage and L'Épi Plage are the best-known names. In between, the public sections remain free, with water that deepens gently.

Car parks, paid in season, are spread along route de l'Épi and the access lanes; Ramatuelle has no train station, so you come by car or by bus from Saint-Raphaël.

Contrary to popular belief, la Garoupe is a fine-sand beach — one of the few on Cap d'Antibes, where rocky coves dominate. Sheltered from the waves at the back of its bay, it slopes very gently, which makes it a good pick with children.

Two historic concessions, Plage Keller and Plage Joseph, take up most of the beach: the free public stretch is only about forty metres long. Arrive early, or book a lounger.

It is also the starting point of the Tirepoil footpath, a loop of about 5 km (two hours on foot) around the cape, whose finest stretch runs from La Garoupe to Villa Eilenroc.

La Mala has to be earned: this cove tucked beneath the cliffs of Cap-d'Ail can only be reached on foot, down a long staircase from avenue Raymond-Gramaglia, or along the coastal path from Marquet beach. The lack of nearby parking naturally keeps the crowds down.

The setting rewards the effort: clear turquoise water, ideal for snorkelling, enclosed by rock walls covered in vegetation. The seabed mixes sand and pebbles — bring water shoes for the public gravel section beyond the clubs.

Two private establishments share the loungers, Eden Plage Mala and La Réserve de la Mala; the rest of the cove is free but has no services, so pack water and a picnic.

On the south-east side of the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula, Paloma beach (anse de la Scaletta) stretches about 150 metres of pebbles and gravel facing Beaulieu-sur-Mer and the Èze cliffs — bring water shoes, fine sand was never part of the deal here.

A page has recently turned: the private Paloma Beach club, founded in 1948, bearing Paloma Picasso's first name, and run for over 70 years by the Vannini family, was taken down after the 2024 season; cliff-reinforcement works at the Scaletta prevented it from reopening in 2025, and its permanent closure was announced on 4 March 2026. Public access to the beach remains open.

It remains one of the finest swims on the peninsula, along the Saint-Hospice walk: the water is calm, clear and east-facing — perfect in the morning.

Between Antibes' old town and Cap d'Antibes, la Salis is the city's main free public beach: sand, shallow water the tourist office describes as perfect for young children, and a view running to the ramparts on one side and the cape on the other.

It is one of the best-equipped beaches on the coast: seasonal lifeguard post, showers, toilets, a sailing school and a large car park nearby. It holds the Tourisme & Handicap and Handiplage labels, with step-free access to the water.

Very busy in summer — the price of free sand — it is best enjoyed early in the morning, when the light picks out the Alps in the background.

The fine sand of the Croisette owes much to recent works: in 2018-2019, Cannes carried out a major sand replenishment that clearly widened the shore. The result lines the city's most famous boulevard, facing the bay and the Lérins Islands.

The city counts 7.6 km of beaches: 18 free public beaches, 33 private concessions and one municipally run beach, Zamenhof, at the end of the Croisette — picnics allowed, free showers and toilets, lifeguards from mid-June to mid-September and disabled access.

True to its Festival reputation, the palace-hotel private beaches line up loungers and waterfront restaurants; the public sections fill up early in July and August. A free beach library operates opposite Macé beach.

Villefranche-sur-Mer's largest public beach stretches about 700 metres of coarse sand and fine gravel at the back of the bay, with a view sweeping over the colourful old town and its citadel. An anti-jellyfish net protects the swimming area in summer.

Its quirk: the Marseille–Vintimille railway line runs directly above the beach. An occasional soundtrack, but mostly an asset — Villefranche-sur-Mer station is a few minutes' walk away, making this one of the easiest beaches to reach by train on the whole coast.

If you drive, count on the paid car park of around 400 spaces; it fills up fast in high season.

The Baie des Anges lines up kilometres of grey and white pebbles along the Promenade des Anglais, from the airport to the Quai des États-Unis: some twenty free municipal beaches and around fifteen private establishments, with sunbeds, restaurants and changing cabins.

You swim right in the city, between visits to Old Nice or Castle Hill. The water gets deep quickly: these beaches suit swimmers better than toddlers.

Tucked between the ramparts of Antibes' old town and Port Vauban, la Gravette is a fine-sand cove protected by breakwaters: the water stays calm even in a swell, which makes it a favourite with families with young children.

Its real luxury is its location: it is a two-minute walk down from the Provençal market and the Picasso Museum quarter. A swim between two strolls through the old lanes, with no car and no planning needed.

Free and public, it inevitably gets busy at the height of summer; its modest size argues for a morning or late-afternoon visit.

Below Menton's old town, along quai Bonaparte between the Vieux Port and Garavan, les Sablettes lines up about 350 metres of fine gravel facing the colourful facades and, in the distance, the Italian coast. The pedestrian promenade alongside was fully renovated in 2019.

The beach keeps evolving: a €4.1 million project launched in 2026 adds a 57-metre underwater breakwater and a sand recharge to stabilise the shore.

The last major French beach before the border, it pairs naturally with a visit to the Saint-Michel basilica, whose square directly overlooks the shore.

On the north-west flank of the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula, Passable faces the sunset: the beach looks straight over the rade de Villefranche, and it is one of the few places on this coast where you swim facing the sinking sun.

The shore is gravel — coarse sand mixed with small pebbles — and the sheltered cove suits families well. The beach is split between a public section and a historic private club, the Plage de Passable restaurant.

It sits below the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild side of the peninsula: the garden visit followed by a swim makes a fine half-day on the cape.

Below the hamlet of Cabbé in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, plage du Buse is a public pebble beach set at the foot of the railway: you walk straight down from the Cabbé station on the coastal line. Next door, the larger Golfe Bleu beach is a good snorkelling spot with clear, shallow water.

The place has a singular history: on the coastal path overlooking the beach — the promenade Le Corbusier — stand Le Corbusier's Cabanon (3.66 m by 3.66 m, 1952), a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Camping Units and Eileen Gray's villa E-1027, grouped within the Cap Moderne site.

Pebbles oblige, water shoes are welcome; in exchange, the crowds stay reasonable even in summer.

At the western tip of the Alpes-Maritimes, plage de l'Aiguille hides inside the 7-hectare Pointe de l'Aiguille departmental park, where the red volcanic rocks of the Esterel — lava flows around 300 million years old, in pink, orange and purplish hues — plunge straight into the sea.

There are in fact four pebble coves with clear, sheltered water, reachable only via the park's marked footpaths (stay on the trails, the cliffs are unstable); a belvedere overlooks the corniche. From mid-June to mid-September, a marked underwater trail lets you snorkel over Posidonia seagrass beds.

Access: TER train to Théoule-sur-Mer station then the promenade Pradeyrol on foot, or via the RD6098 towards Saint-Raphaël (two car parks, 2 km after Théoule).