Beach Property in France (less than 2km)

Languedoc-Roussillon is the region with the hightest number of blue flag (Pavillon Bleu) beaches, boasting 18. The Loire and Provence Alpes Côtes d’Azur both share second spot with 15 blue flags a piece. Recently given the accolade were Cassis in the Bouches du Rhône department of Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur and Plouscat in Brittany’s Finistère department.

It’s worth remembering that the closer a property is to the beach, they higher its price. Unless money is no object, it is worth exploring a few roads back from the beach and perhaps losing that panoramic sea view if you want to get better value for money.

On these pages, we have asked our agents to include only beach properties which are either on the seafront or within 2 kilometre of it.

Stand-out resorts for beach properties include Le Touquet in Nord Pas de Calais which is so close to the UK by ferry, tunnel and plane that it is pefect for weekend jaunts. Le Touquet Paris Plage (Paris Beach) is – as it’s name might suggest – popular with Parisians and in addition to the requisite good shopping and restaurants, the town also offers two golf courses (and another four within half an hour’s drive), a casino, horse-riding, tennis, sailing, sand-surfing and both sea and inland fishing.

Just before the hauntingly poignant D-Day landing beaches of Calvados are the pristine beaches of Deauville and Cabourg with sand further than the eye can see. A ‘pied dans l’eau’ (toes-in-the-water) beach property here is expensive but is easily reached with Ryanair flights from Stanstead to Deauville.

Dinard in the Côtes d’Armor department of Brittany has direct flights from the UK and is close to the delightful towns of Dinan inland and St. Malo on the coast. Beach property on Isle de Ré in the Charente-Maritime department could be prohibitively expensive as the inhabitants of this tiny island (30km by 5km) enjoy as many days sunshine per year as the Côte d’Azur. Fly to La Rochelle and then pay your toll to cross the 3 km bridge before rejoining your beach property on Paradise island.

Further down the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of Aquitaine, small but perfectly formed Biarritz has superb beaches which are famous for good surf. There are direct flights from the UK to this chic resort. Across on the Mediterranean coast Collioure and Argelès not only have superb sandy beaches but are also a stone’s throw from Spain and within easy reach of Pyrénéan ski stations.

If you can afford to buy a beach property on the glamorous Côte d’Azur then you can enjoy the sun, the sea and the sand all year round. You can even take your sophisticated, cosmopolitan lifestyle on to the beach with you as you dine ‘alfresco’ in the beach restaurants of some of the top hotels. And if you fancy a change from the beach there are even ski stations within an hour’s drive!