Top 20 Beaches in France
There are several rankings of the best beaches in France, as well as an official beach quality label known as the Blue Flag.
If we use the most widely available indicator — visitor ratings on Google Maps — the ranking compiled by Holidu France highlights the country's highest-rated beaches.
Contrary to popular belief, France's highest-rated beaches are found not on the French Riviera but in Brittany.
— inFrancer
Top 20 Beaches in France
The clear leader of the ranking is Brittany, particularly the Côte d'Iroise area. Normandy comes second with several beaches also making the top twenty.
Format: Beach name – Department (Region), coastline (Rating / Reviews)
- Plage des Blancs-Sablons – Finistère (Brittany)
Côte d'Iroise (4.8 / 1,241) - Plage de Pen-Hat – Crozon Peninsula (Brittany)
Côte d'Iroise (4.8 / 651) - Les Grands-Sables – Morbihan (Brittany)
Groix Island and the Lorient Coast (4.8 / 247) - Plage d’Étretat – Seine-Maritime (Normandy)
Alabaster Coast (Côte d'Albâtre) (4.7 / 8,031) - Plage de Grande-Anse – Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe)
Caribbean Coast of Basse-Terre (4.7 / 8,016) - Omaha Beach – Calvados (Normandy)
Côte de Nacre (4.7 / 6,395) - Plage de la Perle – Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe)
Caribbean Coast of Basse-Terre (4.7 / 4,895) - Calanque de Port Pin – Bouches-du-Rhône (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur)
Calanques between Cassis and Marseille (4.7 / 4,648) - Plage de la Baie des Trépassés – Cléden-Cap-Sizun and Plogoff (Brittany)
Cap Sizun and Pointe du Raz (4.7 / 3,670) - Utah Beach – Manche (Normandy)
Côte de la Manche (4.7 / 2,668) - Plage du Cap Blanc-Nez – Pas-de-Calais (Hauts-de-France)
Opal Coast (Côte d'Opale) (4.7 / 2,640) - Plage de Saleccia – Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda (Corsica)
Agriates Desert and Gulf of Saint-Florent (4.7 / 2,577) - Grande-Plage de Saint-Lunaire – Ille-et-Vilaine (Brittany)
Emerald Coast (Côte d'Émeraude) (4.7 / 2,535) - Plage des Salines – Sainte-Anne (Martinique)
Southern Caribbean Coast of Martinique (4.7 / 2,448) - Plage de Tourony – Trégastel (Brittany)
Pink Granite Coast (Côte de Granit Rose) (4.7 / 1,954) - Plage d’Hendaye – Pyrénées-Atlantiques (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
French Basque Country (4.7 / 1,756) - Le Porge Océan – Gironde (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
Silver Coast (Côte d'Argent) (4.7 / 1,485) - Plage du Veillon – Vendée (Pays de la Loire)
Coast of Light (Côte de Lumière) (4.7 / 1,466) - Plage de Ficaghjola – Piana (Corsica)
Gulf of Porto and Calanques of Piana (4.7 / 1,259) - Plage sauvage de Morgiou – Marseille (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur)
Calanques National Park (4.7 / 1,100)
Which French regions dominate the ranking?
The biggest surprise is Brittany's dominance, with six beaches featured in the top twenty. Normandy, Corsica and the French overseas territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique are also strongly represented.
Meanwhile, the famous French Riviera is almost absent from the ranking and only appears near the bottom of the list. Once again, this shows that international fame does not always translate into the highest visitor satisfaction.
Beaches on the map
Most of France's highest-rated beaches are located along the Atlantic coast and in Brittany.