Villefranche-sur-Mer is a popular French Riviera resort located in between the city of Nice and Monaco. Compared to other beaches on the French Riviera, the Villefranche beaches are relatively quiet even in the summer months.

The coastal town of Antibes on the French Riviera, has had a long association with the rich and famous. Since 1870 the glamorous Hotel du Cap, high up on the hill above the town, has been one of the most luxurious resorts in the world. Antibes is a really special place to spend time on the French Riviera. Here is our selection of the best Cap d'Antibes beaches to visit this summer.

Perpignan is situated 8kms inland from the Mediterranean coast in South France and close to the Spanish border and Pyrenees mountains. If you are looking for the best beaches to visit in 2026 near Perpignan, France, then there are many to choose from, but they are of varying quality. In my opinion, the best beaches Perpignan has to offer are on the Cote Vermeille. Here is our selection of the 8 beaches that are worth visiting near Perpignan.

Some of he best beaches in France are undoubtedly found on the French Riviera coastline in Southern France. If you are coming to the France on holiday this summer, then we have hand-picked the best French Riviera beach resorts to visit in 2026. All of these beaches have been road-tested by our 3 sons during many days spent on the beach in the Cote d'Azur. 

Here is the Go Languedoc selection of the 10 best free public beaches in South France to visit in 2026. We live in the South of France and we have spent the last 20 years exploring the coastline of Southern France. Here is our insider's guide to the most beautiful South of France beaches you will find along the French Riviera coastline and the Languedoc coast. 

Theoule-sur-Mer is a stunning beach holiday destination for the rich and famous, tucked away in an idyllic cove among the rocks of the Esterel Mountains, close to Cannes in South France. It is one of the most beautiful coastal resorts on the French Riviera. Theoule sur Mer is only 10 km from Cannes and 40 km from Nice and is therefore easily reached by car or boat. With stunning Mediterranean views of the bay of Cannes, good restaurants, a number of public and private beaches, together with a Marina and its iconic Bubble House - Théoule-sur-Mer has it all.

This collection of South France beach holidays rentals are all available to rent for summer 2026. We have grouped the collection of beach houses around the most popular Mediterranean beach resorts in Southern France, from Montpellier and Cap d'Agde and down the Languedoc coast to Perpignan.

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Here is a list of the 5 best beaches near Montpellier, France, to visit in 2026 and a guide of how best to reach them, including if you don't have a car. A lot of the Mediterranean beaches near Montpellier can be accessed simply by taking a tram from Montpellier city centre (Line 3 to Perols Etang de l'Or). The nearest Montpellier beach is just 13kms from the city (at Carnon Plage beach). 

Cassis is one of my favourite places in the South of France. This lovely coastal town on the French Riviera is blessed with some of the most dramatic beaches in France. The stretch of Southern France coastline between Marseille and Cassis has quite a few dull beaches, but the beautiful fjord-like inlet near Cassis, called Calanques de Port Miou, offers the most amazing beach in the South of France.

If you are looking for one of the best beach resorts to visit in 2026, close to the city of Montpellier in Southern France, then you could probably do no better than La Grande Motte. The beaches at La Grande Motte feature long stretches of golden sand with sheltered, shallow waters, safe for small children and plenty of bars and restaurants nearby. What more could you ask for?

The lovely old Roman port town of Frejus is one of my favourite spots on the French Riviera. The beaches around Frejus are also some of the best sandy beaches in the Cote d'Azur. There is even a nice beach (Fréjus-Plage) located right in the heart of the town. The beach has a nice palm-tree lined promenade at the rear, providing stunning views out over the beach and the Bay of Saint-Raphael.

Valras Plage beach close to Beziers, is a typical Southern France beach resort. Ringed with lots of decent restaurants, a harbour and plenty of shops, Valras plage also offers you plenty of things to do when you want a break from the beach. This Southern France beach has clean, warm water and the beach itself is well maintained.

Gruissan Plage is probably the best beach close to Narbonne on the Mediterranean coast, South France. Although,  is a close run thing with the nearby beach at Narbonne Plage. Gruissan Plage is a marvellous wide open stretch of flat sand that guarantees you and your family plenty of space, even in the height of summer. This is one of our favourite Languedoc beaches. 

Rochelongue Plage is in my opinion the best of the beaches in Cap d'Agde. Cap d'Agde is the largest beach resort in France and is located on the Mediterranean coast in the South of France, in between Cote d'Azur and the Spanish border. The nearby cities of Montpellier and Beziers both provide both local airports and TGV train stations for accessing Cap d'Agde. Rochelongue Plage is a wide, long expanse of golden sand with lovely views down to the Pyrenees and Spain in the distance. 

St Jean Cap Ferrat is one of the richest areas of Europe. It rivals Monaco for more millionaires per hectare. Cap Ferrat, South France first became the destination of the rich and famous just after the First World War. King Leopold II of Belgium, started the trend for building magnificent villas on this exclusive section of the French Riviera.

Les Issambres is a popular French Riviera beach resort, situated on the beautiful coastline of the Bay of St. Tropez. This French Riviera resort provides a calm and tranquil holiday base and is especially popular with the French, Scandanavian, German and British holidaymakers.  The 8kms of fine sandy beaches at Les Issambre are sandwiched between the Mediterranean sea and the wooded hills of the Massif des Maures.

The pretty French Riviera vacations resort  of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, is one of the most picturesque places to visit on the Côte d'Azur. Roquebrune enjoys spectacular views of the bay of Menton and the Italian Riviera. The beaches around the Roquebrun Cap Martin are stylish and chic, offering visitors a true taste of the French Riviera lifestyle. 

The best beaches in France are located on the Mediterranean coast of Southern France. The Brittany coast has some lovely coves and the Vendee and the Atlantic coast between Bordeaux and Biarritz have some fantastic beaches, with great rollers for surfing. But if you are looking for the best beaches in France to chill out on during summer 2026, then there is only one place you need to head for and that is the French Riviera.