HOLIDAYS ON THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST
The sea in Occitania
220 km of preserved coastline, stretching from the Gard Camargue to the Côte Vermeille: this is the sea in Occitania. With a record number of beaches and Blue Flag ports, constant sunshine and the sea at 24°C all summer through. Swimming, water sports, thalassotherapy, naturalistic, cultural and gastronomic tours: what a cocktail for your summer in Occitania, a blend of fishing villages, marinas and seaside resorts.
BEACHES
Coves and fine sand
Along the Côte Vermeille, touching on Spain, coves of turquoise water invite you: Porteil, Bernardi, Terrimbo, Paulilles Bay,… And, as a backdrop? Cap Béar and the Pyrenees.
And then? Fine sand: from Racou's wild beach to Argelès-sur-Mer, and on to the Espiguette dunes, passing La Franqui, one of the most beautiful beaches in France. The Côte d’Améthyste, edged with vineyards, offers you a cinema scenescape, culminating with the cliffs of Cap Leucate, Mount Saint-Clair and Sète, and stretching to the lava cliffs of Cap d’Agde.
SEASIDE RESORTS
Choose your style
There's something for everyone among our 28 seaside resorts. You'll find the European capitals of camping and naturism (Argelès-sur-Mer, Cap d’Agde); family-friendly resorts (Collioure, Saint-Pierre-la-Mer, Vias, Carnon, Palavas-les-Flots); for sports-lovers (Leucate, Frontignan); the ever-so hip (Canet-en-Roussillon). You can also choose between natural surroundings (La Palme, Vic-la-Gardiole), retro-style (Banyuls-sur-Mer, Valras) and totally up-to-the-minute (La Grande Motte, Port Camargue). Let's not forget fishing villages like Port-Leucate and Grau d’Agde.
The French Pavillon Bleu ("Blue Flag") label ensures good bathing water quality. Occitania ranks 1st for the number of beaches granted the label, and 2ndfor its marinas.
WATER SPORTS & RECREATION
After the beach, a host of pleasures awaits
Occitania invites you to enjoy France's top funboarding, windsurfing and kitesurfing spots. Have a go at sand-yachting on La Franqui Beach, beach-paddling on Sigean Lagoon, sea kayaking and jetskiing. Dive in the Gulf of Lion marine nature park, off the coast at Banyuls-sur-Mer. Hike along the coastal path, cycle through the Narbonnaise Regional Nature Park. Gallop across the Camargue, and swing your style on the golf greens at La Grande-Motte and Saint Cyprien!
Relax with thalasso in Banyuls-sur-Mer, La Grande-Motte, Port-Camargue, Saint-Cyprien, Canet-en-Roussillon. Get fit in Balaruc-les-Bains, France's leading thermal bath and spa resort.
NATURE & ENVIRONMENT
Authentic, preserved sites
Occitania's protected marine and lagoon environments over flow with biodiversity! Visit a manade in the Gard Camargue mixing bulls, horses and pink flamingoes. Contemplate migratory birdsin the Narbonnaise Regional Nature Park, or in the Scamandre Regional Nature Reserve. Admire the panorama over the Canigou mountain range from the site at Dosses (Le Barcarès). Head off on a boat and observe the dolphins off the Canet-en-Roussillon coast. Emotion guaranteed!
"Baraquettes"is the charming local word for the frequently-luxurious beach clubs and beach café huts dotted along the coast, where you can sit back, relax with a drink while contemplating the sea.
SEA FARMERS
Traditions and an art of living
Mediterranean oysters and mussels: along the Occitania coast, women and men cultivate these gastronomic delights. A must-not-miss: a boat trip on Thau Lake, including a visit to an oyster farm. And why not pop along to meet lampara-net fishermenin Port-Vendres. Visit the fish auction belvedere in Grau d’Agde, an anchovy cannery site in Collioure, the salt marshes forming pink-coloured mountains in Aigues-Mortes and on Saint-Martin Island (Gruissan). Unforgettable : Sète specialities such as la tielle, la macaronade and stuffed squid.
Destination Le Grau du Roi – Port Camargue
Enjoy holidays at the gateway to the Camargue. Have fun playing beach-volley, beach-paddle, with kids as happy as fish in water, and enjoy the wild nature of Espiguette Beach, one of the most outstanding dune systems in the north part of the Mediterranean basin. Video 1:31 © Le Grau du Roi – Port Camargue
Our selection
La Grande Motte
A unique pyramidal architecture 40 years ago born of the will of man.
Le Grau du Roi - Port Camargue
In the Camargue, this "wild and mysterious place" has preserved its traditional character.
Leucate - La Franqui
Startling varied landscapes and unspoiled paradise for lovers of wind.
Banyuls-sur-Mer
At the foot of Albères, terraced vineyards plunge into the Mediterranean.
- By car: the sea is always close to any A9 motorway exit between Nîmes and Spain
- By train: TGV high-speed rail connects Montpellier, Nîmes, Béziers and Perpignan. The Avignon-Cerbère TER (regional train) line stops at 12 Occitania seaside resorts. The Toulouse-Cerbère line can also get you here.
- By plane:from Nîmes, Montpellier, Béziers, Carcassonne and Perpignan airports, connected to numerous French and European cities.