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. 

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?

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.

We have had many great holidays in St Tropez. In truth, you have to venture out of Saint Tropez to find the best beaches. We have compiled a list of our 4 best beaches in and around St Tropez, France that you can follow if you are staying near St Tropez this summer. Saint Tropez is a special place but it does get rammed in the summer. So you need some local knowledge about where to find a great beach to soak up the sun, where you will not be packed like sardines or you have to walk miles to park your car.

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.

There are a number of excellent Mediterranean beaches near the town of Beziers in South France. Beziers is located 15kms inland from the Languedoc coast. The city is located on a high rocky plain, overlooking the Orb valley down towards the beaches of the Languedoc. The 4 main beaches near Beziers are: Portirangues Plage, Serignan Plage, Valras Plage and Vias Plage. All of these Beziers beaches can be reached in 20-25 mins.

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). 

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. 

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. 

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.

Argeles sur Mer beach is one of the best beaches near Perpignan in South of France. The beach is a 7km long and sweeps around the bay. With the dramatic backdrop of the Pyrenees mountains, soft golden sand and the warm Mediterranean sea, Argeles Plage is certainly one of the best beaches in South of France and has the European blue flag award in recognition of  the quality of the water and cleanliness of the beach. 

Looking to top up your tan on a great beach in France this summer? Southern France has some of the best beaches to visit in France and along the Mediterranean coast in the Languedoc you have over 200km of coastline and your choice of 130 beaches to visit in 2026. Here is the Go Languedoc! selection of the best beaches in Languedoc, South France.

Serignan Plage is a popular South France beach destination for thousands of holiday-makers each year. Serignan Plage has a wild and natural look to the beach and offers plenty of space to spread out and enjoy beach games. The beach is protected by wild sand dunes at the back, which gives the beach a lovely character.

With its four beaches, Collioure in South France, has to be up the top of the list as the best Languedoc coastal town to visit in 2026. Although the beaches are small and often busy, the views of the tranquil sea and Pyrenees are spectacular. You also have the wonderful town of Collioure on-hand with its restaurants, boutiques and artist trails to keep you amused.

The lovely costal town of Menton is located at the far end of the French Riviera, next to the Italian border. There are 5 great beaches to visit in and around Menton, South France. Menton benefits from some of the cleanest waters on the French Riviera. The Menton beaches are also scrupulously clean. Menton has a wide variety of beaches stretching from the Italian border (Plage de Garavan), right the way to Roquebrune-Cap Martin (Plage de Sirènes). 

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.

Just off the French Riviera coastline, less than a half-hour by boat from the coastal town of Hyeres, there are a cluster of three gorgeous islands with spectacular beaches. The beaches of the Golden Islands, especially Porquerolles Island, are some of the best beaches in France, with clear turquoise waters and dramatic cliffs and pine trees ringing the beaches.

Vias Plage in located on the Mediterranean coast in South France. It is a quiet beach, with shallow, warm waters and golden sand - ideal for children and adults alike. Vias Plage is certainly one of the best Languedoc beaches to visit whilst you are in South France on holiday. This popular beach is sheltered and easily accessible even in the height of summer. 

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.

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. 

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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