If it's Tuesday, it must be St-Tropez
Published: 14 January 2006
Beach-hopping is not yet a widespread holiday sport. But it should be, especially along France's Mediterranean coast. You can plan a week's sojourn, from west to east, that will introduce you to seven very different beaches.
SATURDAY: THE NEW PROVENCE
Start the week at the western end of the French Med in the unhurried Languedoc-Roussillon region, touted as the new Provence. As well as being one of the world's largest wine-growing areas, the Languedoc is home to a number of excellent beaches. At the southern tip of the Vermillion Coast, snuggled in the foothills of the Pyrenees, lies the resort of Banyuls-sur-Mer where terraced vineyards plunge down to the sea. There are two main beaches - the town beach and Les Elmes - and both offer safe swimming and watersports. Boats aren't allowed in the vicinity of Les Elmes, making it the quieter of the two. Banyuls' gentle climate means that it's one of the few places in France where oranges grow year-round, alongside mimosa and olive trees. And the sweet wine produced in Banyuls is as honeyed and golden as its sands.
Tourist office: 00 33 4 68 88 31 58; www.banyuls-sur-mer.com
SUNDAY: WHERE THE WIND BLOWS
Further east along the coast, the fishing village of Gruissan grew up around the Barberousse Tower, an imposing 13th-century monument that still dominates the port. To the south, the pine-covered slopes of the Massif de la Clape rise above the resort. Boasting a 16km unspoiled shoreline, Gruissan was once considered avant-garde because of its beachside settlement consisting of some 1,300 chalets on stilts. These days, the Plage des Chalets is classified as a listed beach by the Conservatoire du Littoral. Gruissan, and in particular Mateille beach with its salt lake, is especially popular with windsurfers but other seaside pursuits such as beach volleyball, kitesurfing, sailing and game fishing for tuna are all readily available. Experienced windsurfers can take on the northerly off-shore wind nicknamed La Tram at La Vieille Nouvelle beach and at Les Salins.
Tourist office: 00 33 4 68 49 09 00, www.gruissan-mediterranee.com
MONDAY: BACK TO NATURE
For a different kind of holiday experience altogether, carry on to the very retro Cap d'Agde. It is located between Montpellier and Béziers. Constructed in the Sixties, Cap d'Agde is probably best known for housing the Mediterranean's leading naturist centre - complete with its own 5km beach, and clothes-optional banks, shops and restaurants. Yet it also provides a base to explore a swathe of fine sandy coast, framed by basalt cliffs and dotted with creeks and rocky islets. The Canal du Midi and the river Hérault meet the sea here and this corner of France lays claim to a glorious average of 267 days of sunshine a year.
Families with young children can take full advantage of the resort's theme parks, such as Captain Jako and Aqualand, while the summer season sees the nightlife come into its own. For unbeatable seafood, head to the port of Sète, just a few miles up the road. The tourist office publishes a guide to the beaches giving details of cleanliness and water quality.
Tourist office: 00 33 4 67 01 04 04; www.capdagde.com
TUESDAY: WITH THE IT CROWD
No crawl of the Med's beaches would be complete without paying homage to the starlet behind the whole Côte d'Azur mythology, St-Trop, to give it its breezy abbreviation. As much the fleshpot as it ever was, St-Tropez seemed to segue flawlessly from Picasso, Brigitte et al in the Fifties and Sixties to Kate, Naomi and Elle today. Of course, it does get unbelievably crowded in July and August when the fashionistas fight to be seen on the terraces of the harbourside cafés and the dance floors of the newest clubs. But there are many reasons to include St-Tropez on a week-long itinerary: the chance to watch the sky turn red as the sun sinks down beneath purple hills; the time to savour a pastis while observing a nail-biting game of boules in the Place des Lices; or simply to indulge in that age-old sport of people-watching on some of the most paparazzi-snapped beaches on earth.
Tourist office: 00 33 4 94 97 45 21, www.ot-saint-tropez.com
WEDNESDAY: THE GOLDEN COAST
The lovely resort of St-Raphaël sits halfway between St-Tropez and Cannes. Bordering the Var and Alpes-Maritime départements, it manages to marry the glamour of the Riviera and the timeless feel of a Provençal village. With 36km of indented coastline and more than 30 different beaches - some sand, some pebble - St-Raphaël is very spread out but this section of the coast is rightly famed for its beauty. The coves and inlets are carved from the red rock of the mountains giving rise to pink outcrops while the bleached sand contrasts with the wooded hinterland. With five separate harbours, the former fishing community attracts keen sailors by the boatload. For supervised beaches, choose from the Plage du Veillat, Beaurivage, Péguière, Le Dramont, Agay and Le Lido.
Tourist office: 00 33 4 94 19 52 52; www.saint-raphael.com
THURSDAY: THE JAZZ AGE
Next stop, the dual resort of Antibes and Juan-les-Pins where the art of sunbathing is said to have been born. Lounging on a bay of the Cap d'Antibes in the middle of Cannes and Nice, Juan-les-Pins faces into the hot sirocco wind and has soft clean beaches running for two miles as far as the Golfe Juan with long stretches that are open to the public. Meanwhile, Antibes with its old town has retained much of the charm that made it such a hit with the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Twenties. The peninsula that separates them is studded with exclusive villas and palatial hotel retreats. The highlight of every summer is the prestigious Jazz à Juan festival that pulls in the crème de la crème of international musicians. This year's takes place from 13-22 July.
Tourist office: 00 33 4 92 90 53 00; www.antibesjuanlespins.com
FRIDAY: THE QUEEN OF THE SUD
Save the best until last by ending the week in Nice, the grand old dowager queen of the French Riviera. It doesn't matter that the beaches are shingle; there's plenty on offer to keep your mind off any resulting pebble rash including 19 eclectic museums and galleries as well as a jewel of an old quarter with stunning baroque Italianate mansions. If it was good enough for Queen Victoria...
There are 15 private beaches in Nice and a series of well-kept public beaches in between where the sea water is monitored on a regular basis and accorded a good rating by European standards. La Plage Publique de Beau Rivage is a free beach with excellent facilities but get there early to bag your space in the sand. La Reserve is another public beach of note, situated by the sailing school to the east of the port. Be sure to try the local Niçois specialities: ratatouille and socca, a salty pancake made from chickpea flour.
Tourist office: 00 33 8 92 70 74 07; www.nicetourism.com
by Independent.co.uk
