Best Beaches on the French Riviera

There are many wonderful sights on the Cote d'Azur but one of the greatest pleasures is enjoying one of the magnificent French Riviera beaches. There's a tremendous variety of beaches on the French Riviera from the galets of Nice beaches to the sandy beaches of Cap d'Ail or Cap d'Antibes. It's true that you won't be alone on a Riviera beach in July and August but there are beaches that are less frequented than others. Below (in no particular order) is my highly personal list of the Riviera's best beaches.

Mala Plage , Cap d'Ail
This delightful sandy beach snuggled under high cliffs is easily accessible from the Cap d'Ail train station. Food isn't a problem; there's a fine restaurant right on the beach.

Plage de La Garoupe, Cap d'Antibes
Don't be put off by the star power of Cap d'Antibes. This sandy beach on a cove is partly private and partly public.

Paloma Plage, Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat
A few smooth white pebbles on Cap Ferrat's best-known beach are part of its rugged allure and the setting is stunning.

Plage des Marinieres, Villefranche-sur-Mer
The gravelly sand makes this a comfortable beach. The setting is magnificent but, yes, it can be crowded in summer.

Plage de la Buse, Roquebrune-Cap Martin
This is as close as you can come to a secret beach even though it's just steps from the train station. It's a rocky beach so bring plastic beach shoes.

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