Best beaches on the French Riviera: 8 coves worthy of a film

The French Riviera changes colour every few kilometres. In the Estérel the rock is red, at Cap-Ferrat the water turns green under the pines and on Porquerolles the sand is almost white.

The best beaches on the French Riviera are spread across those three landscapes, from the Hyères islands to the border with Monaco. Many are small pebble coves; a few are long stretches of sand with a reputation of their own.

If it is your first time in the south of France, it helps to know that the coast is very easy to travel by train. And that the prettiest coves are usually the ones whose neighbours get up earliest.

This selection mixes family beaches, coves reached by stairs and an island without cars.

1 Plage Mala, at the foot of the cliffs of Cap-d’Ail

Right next to Monaco, in the municipality of Cap-d’Ail, Plage Mala sits wedged beneath a wall of rock and villas hanging among pines. The water is clear and usually calm when the easterly wind isn’t blowing.

You get there by going down a long staircase from the centre of the village. The other option is the coastal path, an easy 3.6 kilometres from Marquet beach that skirts the coast among rocks.

It is not a beach for pushchairs or for anyone who has difficulty walking. Parking nearby is hard: the Cap-d’Ail train station is a short walk away.

The rocky sides are good for watching fish with a mask and snorkel.

2 Paloma Beach, on the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula

Plage de la Paloma faces east from Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, with the bay of Beaulieu and the hills of Èze opposite. It is a cove of fine gravel with stone pines that give shade right down to the shore.

It has a public section and a beach-club section, and in both the atmosphere is calm.

Before your swim it is worth walking part of the path that circles the peninsula. It passes villas, coves and viewpoints over the water.

3 Plage de Pampelonne, the long sandy stretch of Saint-Tropez

Plage de Pampelonne belongs to the municipality of Ramatuelle, next to Saint-Tropez. It is almost 5 kilometres of golden sand south of the port.

It is the beach of the famous clubs, but it is not all sunbeds. Between one club and the next there are more open stretches with dunes and low scrub.

For a walk along the shore at sunset, few Riviera beaches have so much space. There are lifeguards in season.

4 Plage Notre-Dame, on the island of Porquerolles

The island of Porquerolles, opposite the Giens peninsula (Hyères), is part of the Port-Cros National Park. Its best-known beach, Plage Notre-Dame, has been named on several occasions one of the most beautiful in Europe.

The water is shallow and very clear, over a bed of pale sand. Behind it grows a pine forest.

The boat leaves from the port of La Tour Fondue, in Giens, and takes about 20 minutes. Visitors’ cars are not allowed on the island, so the rest of the way is done by bike or on foot.

Bring water and food from the village of Porquerolles: there are no shops on the beach itself.

5 Plage des Marinières, the family beach of Villefranche

Opposite the old town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Plage des Marinières stretches nearly 1 kilometre along the bay. The entry into the water is gentle, which is welcome with children.

Its great asset is logistics. The train station is less than 100 metres from the sand, so you can come from Nice without a car.

From your towel you can see the headland of Cap-Ferrat ahead and the ochre and pink facades of the port to one side.

6 Plage de la Petite Afrique, in Beaulieu-sur-Mer

East of the marina of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Plage de la Petite Afrique shelters beneath a tall limestone cliff that protects it from the north wind. Its name comes from that mild climate.

It is a beach of sand and fine pebbles with palm trees and pines beside the shore. It has a children’s play area and beach volleyball courts.

If you travel as a family and want something comfortable between Nice and Monaco, it is one of the easiest in the area.

7 Plage de la Garoupe, on Cap d’Antibes

On the Cap d’Antibes peninsula, Plage de la Garoupe is a cove of pale sand sheltered from the swell.

Its fame dates from the 1920s. The American couple Gerald and Sara Murphy had their Villa America nearby and made summer bathing fashionable on the Riviera; F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of their regular guests.

Here begins the cape’s coastal path, the old customs officers’ trail, a loop of about 5 kilometres among rocks. It is closed during storms or strong wind.

8 Pointe de l’Aiguille, the red rocks of Théoule-sur-Mer

At Théoule-sur-Mer, west of Cannes, the Estérel massif drops down to the sea. The small beaches of the Pointe de l’Aiguille, inside a nature park, have a landscape unlike the rest of the coast.

The rock is volcanic and reddish, and contrasts with the blue of the water in a very photogenic way. Among the stones there are spots for snorkelling.

The best beaches on the French Riviera without a car

The TER regional train runs along the coast between Cannes and Menton and stops at almost every town on this list. Villefranche, Beaulieu and Cap-d’Ail have stations a short distance from the beach.

In July and August the coastal road clogs up and car parks near coves such as Mala or Paloma fill early. The train avoids both problems.

What to put in your bag: water shoes for the gravel, a diving mask and sunscreen. Many coves have no shade at midday.

How to split the route along the Riviera

If you have few days, group by area. One day for Villefranche, Cap-Ferrat and Beaulieu, which are a few minutes from each other. Another for Antibes and the Estérel, west of Nice.

Porquerolles and Pampelonne lie further west, in the Var, and need a day of their own. (The island, with boat and bike, fills the whole day without effort).

Will you start with the red rocks of the Estérel or the white sand of Porquerolles?