Beachgoers plunge into an aquamarine sea, where the soft sand is the color of whipped vanilla cream, or hike along coastal trails that reveal secret inlets of red cliffs and mint-green transparent coves. Add to that fresh fish pulled from the sea and outdoor markets heaped with seasonal produce — plump red, green and yellow tomatoes, shiny baby eggplants, vine peaches, wild strawberries, ripe purple figs and juicy lemons. Here’s a selection of the best beach towns in the south of France, from Menton to just beyond Marseille, where dining at the water’s edge will give aquanauts, water babies, sun worshippers and food lovers all reason to rejoice.
1. Menton
Why go: Sheltered by mountains, this serene, slow-moving town flush with the Italian border conjures a languorous dolce vita holiday, combining sorbet-colored stacked houses and cobblestoned backstreets with soft, sandy beaches lined with seafront cafés.Once a hot spot for sun-chasing royals and wealthy foreigners who indulged some of their wildest horticultural fantasies, Menton’s subtropical gardens are still teeming with emblematic lemons, exotic fruit and flowering succulents. For an unparalleled dining experience, head to Three-Star restaurant Mirazur (also awarded a Green Star) on a hilltop overlooking the sea, where Argentinian-born Chef Mauro Colagreco combines delicate flavors and textures using locally sourced fruit, vegetable and flowers (some plucked from the chef’s own permaculture garden), as well as freshly caught seafood and meat, creating an ever-changing menu of inspired, poetic dishes.
Across the street, Colagreco’s informal Casa Fuego features Argentinian family-style recipes, from wood-fire grilled asado beef and free-range chicken cooked in embers to a mix of Mediterranean specialties including barbecued fish and Ligurian pasta.
Where to Stay: If you’re looking for a front-row sea view and tumble-out-of-bed beach access, book a room at the unpretentious, arty Hotel Napoleon, lined with original vintage posters and lithographs and featuring a Jean Cocteau rooftop suite.
2. Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Why go: Awash with Belle Époque architecture and once frequented by everyone from crowned heads to dolce vita film stars, this tiny Riviera enclave has resisted overdevelopment and lost none of its village charm.
Expect a toasty microclimate at the beach La Petite Afrique, encircled by pale boulders where exotic vegetation still thrives. On weekends, families picnic on pans bagnats (essentially a salad niçoise on a roll, sold at the snack shack) under shady palms, and there are also two private beach clubs for sunbed lounging. A tip: throw down your towel at the quieter easternmost section where the turquoise water is at its clearest. Across from Casino Beaulieu, La Plage des Fourmis, a curve of tiny pebbles that looks out on the glittering bay, is ideal for an evening splash and romantic moonrise.
At the elegant fin-de-siècle palace La Réserve de Beaulieu, try one of three Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus orchestrated by Chef Julien Roucheteau at the One-Star Restaurant des Rois, with its stunning sea-view terrace. For creative regional fare, head to So’Mets, an intimate bistro where Chef Anne-Sophie Sabini offers a daily chalkboard lunch and specialties including a surf and turf combination of octopus and black pudding.
Where to Stay: Reopened after a stylish refurbishment, the 40-room La Réserve de Beaulieu features a new spa by La Prairie, an iconic pool and a two-story opulent suite where Queen Victoria once stayed.
3. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Why go: This secluded finger of land, known for its luxurious high-hedged mansions and miniscule portside village, is a wind-sheltered natural paradise with a winding, rocky coastal footpath and a diverse range of beaches.
Families with children in tow may prefer popular spots like the sandy Plage Passable, located on the westernmost side, which has public and private sections, or Plage Cros deï Pin, near the port. Add to that a handful of pebbly coves with shimmering turquoise shallows, including Paloma Beach (whose glamorous private restaurant and beach club is temporarily closed as of May 2025) and Plage des Fosses, a slender strip partially shaded by pines where locals flock for the dreamy view and excellent snorkeling conditions.
Among numerous dining options at the Belle Époque landmark Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat Four Seasons, hidden away behind lush, landscaped gardens, don’t miss dinner at the Two-MICHELIN-Starred Le Cap. Chef Yoric Tièche excels in elegantly revisited Provençal dishes and seafood — raw tuna with caviar, Saint Pierre fish with yuzu topped with cherries, crunchy-creamy pastries filled with puffed rice ice cream — on a breezy pine-shaded dining terrace facing the sea.
Where to Stay: Book the Grand-Hôtel du Cap Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel, for Club Dauphin’s stunning Olympic-size seawater pool, seaside cabanas and luminous contemporary rooms designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon.
4. Cap d’Antibes
Why go: This 1 1/2 square mile pine-clad peninsula, wedged between Antibes and Cannes, is best known as a glitzy, celebrity-packed resort, but only a century ago it was practically deserted.
Along came Jazz Age expatriate couple Sara and Gerald Murphy and their friends — Pablo Picasso and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald — who invented the summer season in this tranquil fishing port covered with exuberant Mediterranean vegetation. Head for the part-public-part-private sandy cove, La Garoupe Beach, where the 1920s artistic avant-garde once held elaborate costumed picnics, and plunge into the crystalline jade and aquamarine water.
Hidden behind the winding coastal road near Villa Eilenroc — a sumptuous mansion and gardens once owned by Roaring Twenties party hosts the Count and Countess de Beaumont — you’ll find a path along a lovely stone creek to Baie des Milliardaires Beach. Our Inspectors recommend One-Star Restaurant LouRoc at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, where Chef Sébastien Broda whips up signature dishes including sea bass topped with basil sauce and fennel purée, and a refreshing citrus tart for dessert. For an equally hypnotic sea vista, dine at La Passagère headed by Chef Aurélien Véquaud at the Art Deco mini-palace Belles Rives, formerly the Fitzgeralds’ 1926 summer villa before it became a hotel.
Where to Stay: The glamorous 1853 seaside palace Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, with 111 redesigned contemporary guest rooms and three private villas, features private pine-shaded cabanas perched above the sea and a legendary saltwater infinity pool carved into the rock.
5. Théoule-sur-Mer
Why go: The jaw-dropping views surrounding Théoule-sur-Mer — an untouched 9-mile stretch of rugged Estérel coastline with secret emerald inlets, craggy rust-colored rocks and pine-shaded bluffs — are like nowhere else on the Riviera.
Many of these tiny coves require a short hike down a steep path, and there are no lifeguards or food concessions, so bring your own lunch. Park on the roadside and take in the timeless wild atmosphere at the pebbly Aiguille Beach, or head further west along the winding coastal road to the red rock Calanques d’Antheor/Le Trayas for snorkeling. Stop for lunch at Maréa, overlooking the pretty Port de la Figueirette, where former fishmonger Chef Jérôme Cervera whips up plates of fresh seafood — sea bream ceviche with passion fruit or a hearty bowl of bouillabaisse — served on a panoramic terrace.
Dine at the newly awarded One-Star Mareluna at beachside Château de Théoule-sur-Mer, helmed by Naples-born Chef Francesco Fezza, whose three tasting menus include expertly crafted combinations of meat and fish — veal sweetbread and langoustine, rabbit tortellini and sea urchin — plus a creative vegetarian option.
Where to Stay: Château de Théoule-sur-Mer, a 17th-century soap factory transformed into a turreted castle in 1910, is an artfully restored boutique hotel on a curve of powdery sand. It boasts 44 spacious seashell-themed rooms and suites, a spa and a beach club with toes-in-the-sand dining.
6. Saint-Raphaël
Why go: For more red rock splendor and clear waters, this tranquil city (described by F. Scott Fitzgerald as “a little red town built close to the sea, with gay, red-roofed houses and an air of repressed carnival about it”) hasn’t changed all that much when it comes to beguiling places for swimming and snorkeling.
At the top of the list is the Plage de l’Ile d’Or, with a sweeping vista facing a castle tower on a rocky island that inspired the Black Island from The Adventures of Tintin. History buffs will enjoy the spacious Plage de Dramont, a 1944 World War II landing site, or the more secluded coves at Calanque des Anglais or Calanque de Maubois. At One-Star restaurant Récif, perched on the top floor of the waterside hotel Les Roches Rouges, Chef Alexandre Baule offers diners a Provençal surprise menu of six or eight courses, with an accent on locally sourced products. Signature dishes include squid with fava beans and black garlic or lamb with zucchini.
Where to Stay: Perched at the water’s edge, this stylishly revamped 1950s hotel, Les Roches Rouges, has just added 25 luminous sea-facing rooms. Add to that a lap pool and spectacular saltwater pool carved out of rock, plus an on-the-beach restaurant with sunbeds.
7. Saint-Tropez
Why go: Contrary to its global reputation as a flashy hedonistic summer playground, the village — pre-Brigitte Bardot — was once a tranquil, yacht-less, pastel-colored fishermen’s port where painters like André Derain, Alfred Sisley and Henri Matisse created masterpieces.
Forget the bling factor, though — authenticity is taken to a fine art in the vibrant culinary scene. Avoid the traffic snarls and take a short stroll from the village, where you can plonk down your towel for a quick dip at Plage de la Ponche, a circlet of sand where Roger Vadim filmed And God Created Woman, or take the Chemin des Salins to the pine-shaded white-sand Plage des Canoubiers where locals swim and sail.
Have lunch or dinner at One-Star Colette (named after the French writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, who had a home nearby) at the Hotel Sezz. There, Chef Philippe Colinet takes you on a journey with artfully assembled dishes served beside a dreamy pool. Choose from six- or seven-course menus or à la carte Mediterranean specialties like a deconstructed pan bagnat that resembles an artist’s palette.
Don’t leave Saint-Tropez without booking a table at Three-MICHELIN-Star La Vague d’Or at the beachfront hotel Cheval Blanc St-Tropez, where Chef Arnaud Donckele concocts his highly personal and poetic cuisine. Expect conceptual, nuanced textures that unfurl with quiet elegance and defy categorical description.
Where to Stay: Emblematic of Saint-Tropez’s playful spirit, the long-established Hotel Byblos Saint-Tropez keeps reinventing itself with new suites by interior designer Laura Gonzalez, innovative treatments at the Sisley Spa, a new Sky Bar, plus delicious lunches and lazy afternoons at Byblos Beach.
8. Ramatuelle
Why go: Pampelonne, a legendary nearly 3-mile stretch of powder-soft sand with both private concessions and public beaches, boasts different ambiances that range from fiercely festive to laid-back hippy chic.
A mix of upscale locals, foodies and visiting VIPs book tables at the beach club La Réserve à la Plage. Its Mediterranean menus are overseen by Chef Eric Canino — think zucchini flower fritters, fish tartare and grilled lamb — in a stylish Philippe Starck-designed space, plus sunbeds for lounging.
A more serene, off-the-grid option hidden away between Cap Camarat and Cap Taillat is the Plage de L’Escalet, where you can explore little inlets full of marine life and glide through the clear waters with your fins and snorkel. Dine at Two-Star La Voile at La Réserve de Ramatuelle in an elegant, intimate setting helmed by Chef Eric Canino, whose refined Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus are in perfect sync with the hypnotic vista of blue sea and wooded bluffs.
Where to Stay: Set back on a cliff, La Réserve Ramatuelle is a chic, relaxing retreat with elegant interiors, spacious rooms and suites, a state-of-the-art wellness spa and outdoor pools.
9. La Croix-Valmer
Why go: No need to strut the latest designer beachwear in this family-friendly, laid-back coastal town, where the sand is fine and golden and you can relax without the throbbing bass of noisy beach bars.
Accessible by a steep, rocky set of stairs, the Plage de Sylvabelle is an ideal spot to page through a bestseller in utter peace. Further down the coastal path is Plage du Vergeron, a quiet turquoise cove. The more popular and spacious Plage de Gigaro and the picturesque Plage d’Héraclée are also ideal for swimming and soaking up the sun. Our Inspectors recommend dining at the palm-lined One-Star restaurant La Palmeraie at hotel Château Valmer, set in an enchanting, lush garden surrounded by vineyards and orchards. Chef Alexandre Fabris excels in delicate Provençal recipes and offers three set menus including one vegetarian option.
Where to Stay: Perched on Gigaro Hill overlooking the sea, Lily of the Valley is a stylish retreat surrounded by vineyards, with Philippe Starck-designed rooms, a health-focused restaurant, two large pools and a cutting-edge spa with bespoke wellness treatments and sports programs, plus a family-friendly beach club.
10. Cassis
Why go: Its dazzling coastal limestone cliffs — les Calanques — lead to transparent azure creeks via hiking trails that are nothing short of sublime. At the bottom you can pick the perfect spot to unfurl your towel and explore underwater fissures and grottoes.
Among the loveliest beaches along the path is Calanque de Port-Pin, a small sand and pebble inlet. Closer to Cassis’ miniature port — a curve of pink, yellow ochre and eggshell-blue houses and wooden fishing boats — is the charming and more accessible Plage du Bestouan.
Dinner options are a sensory fête: At Les Belles Canailles, in the hotel Les Roches Blanches, book a table on the terrace in front of the glinting gold Cap Canaille. Chef Nicolas Sintès serves up inspired Mediterranean cuisine with a focus on seafood.
For an exceptional experience under the stars, visit the Three-MICHELIN-Star Villa Madie, tucked away in greenery above the pristine cove Anse Corton. Chef Dimitri Droisneau, a wizard with produce from the land (direct from their gardens and orchard) and the sea, dreams up seasonal tasting menus that are a veritable ode to the Mediterranean.
Where to Stay: An Art Nouveau gem hanging over the sea at the water’s edge, Les Roches Blanches is an elegant, relaxed hideaway surrounded by parasol pines with sunlit contemporary rooms and suites, two pools, a Sisley Spa and impressive coastal views from every corner of the hotel.
11. Carry-le-Rouet
Why go: Only 22 miles west of Marseille, this tiny, postcard-perfect fishing port conjures a timeless landscape by Paul Cézanne (who lived in the neighboring town of L’Estaque), bordered by pretty beaches that are off the tourist radar.
The family-friendly Plage du Rouet has private concessions for lounging and shallow waters. The protected cove Cap Rousset and the wild, secluded Calanque des Eaux Salée are other inviting options. Dine at the recently opened harborside restaurant L’Oursin, where Marseille-born rising star Chef Ilane Tinchant dishes up exquisite combinations of ultra-fresh seafood. His creative, modern signature dishes include cuttlefish tempura candied in its ink and grilled Saint Pierre fish with buckwheat, black garlic and shellfish. Book a table on the terrace suspended over the quay with a sweeping vista of the sky and sea.
Where to stay: Bathed in deep blue marine colors, the contemporary L’Hôtel Bleu has comfortable rooms with a prettily decorated ocean-liner vibe and a Phytomer Spa to immerse yourself completely in aquatic healing.
Hero Image: Restaurant Le Vent Debout, Hotel La Réserve de Beaulieu
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