The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
‘These are the seaside towns and villages I get excited about’
From Menton with its Belle Époque palaces to Cavalaire with its ‘palms, pines, light and sea’, Anthony Peregrine picks his top 20 coastal spots – each with a peerless place to stay
It is almost spring, the Easter holidays are looming, and this can mean only one thing: it is time to plan for that loveliest of recreational pastimes, a trip to the French seaside. But where, exactly? Here’s a top 20 of coastal spots. My top 20. I have tried to avoid too many of the blindingly obvious places. Others are omitted simply because I am not keen, such as Cannes (a film festival with an uninteresting town attached) and St Tropez (which is over-priced, over-crowded and underwhelming).
I am also, usually, looking for much more than just prettiness. I like oomph, and perhaps a story, in a place (and if the weather isn’t beach-friendly during your visit, you will too). In short, these are the seaside towns and villages I get most excited about revisiting – ranked with my favourite first.
1
Menton Côte d’Azur
‘The Alps rise sharp behind, the sea sparkles and the beaches entice’
Population: 32,000
Menton stands apart from its ring-ading Riviera neighbours. It’s more tranquil, rooted and courteous, with a history of welcoming well-bred Britons. They brought with them gardening, good manners and TB. Aubrey Beardsley and William Webb Ellis are among those filling up hill-top cemeteries. Sedate? Not really. The nearness of Italy – at the end of the prom – ensures arm-waving vivacity. And Menton’s own Med past stacks up in a steep warren of twisting alleys and stairs, boisterous children, Baroque churches and cooking smells. The old town is flanked by villas and Belle Époque palaces created for our wintering forefathers, who added style to Menton’s natural splendour. The Alps rise behind, the sea sparkles and the beaches entice. Menton dissolves moneyed flash in cultured class.
Stay: The seafront Hôtel Prince de Galles (princedegalles.com; doubles from £63)
2
St-Jean-de-Luz French Basque country
‘Basque to its bootstraps, with beaches for all’
Population: 14,282
The thinking person’s Biarritz, St Jean is Basque to its bootstraps, with beaches for all. But the soul has not been ceded to sea-sidery. The fishing port still bustles and clanks and, behind, the centre – substantial white houses, red wood trimmings – revels in a past of fishing, fiesta and the flashing of balls, pelota and rugby. Also in memories of Louis XIV’s marriage to Marie-Thérèse of Austria. Visit the church, then repair to Pierre Oteiza’s shop. Oteiza saved the local Kintoa breed of pig. Here, on Rue de la République, you can buy the resulting cured meats. Don’t hesitate.
Stay: The Hôtel Madison (madison-saintjeandeluz.com; doubles from £126)
3
Sanary-sur-Mer Provence
‘Breezy insouciance with a literary sub-plot’
Population: 17,800
Sanary has pretty much everything offered by more famous fleshpots further east on the Riviera – excellent beaches and bars, wine, smart shops, a terrific Wednesday market, a comely seafront – but stripped of the supercilious self-love that sometimes suffuses the Côte-d’Azur. Plus the breezy insouciance has a literary subplot. Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World here. Later, Sanary was refuge to German artists and writers fleeing fascism. Thomas Mann, Lion Feuchtwanger, Bertolt Brecht and others would gather in either Le Nautique or La Marine bars. So might you. Both still exist.
“We were in paradise, against our will,” wrote the philosopher Ludwig Marcuse. These days, “paradise” might still apply, notably from Portissol beach – sandy, mildly wild, slotted into a rocky creek and suitable for surfing when the breeze is sufficient.
Stay: The Hotel de la Tour, in the same family since 1936 (sanary-hoteldelatour. com; doubles from £77)
4
Collioure Roussillon
‘Forts cap summits. Vineyards rise vertical’
Population: 2,130
Fierce of sun, colour and Catalan temperament, Collioure is the only Occitanie resort with the self-conscious aura of spanglier Riviera resorts further east. That said, rugby, strong wine and the eating of anchovies replace Riviera airs and graces. The coast, pretty much flat from the Rhône estuary, has suddenly sprung rocks, creeks and hills. The final sighs of the Pyrenees drop to the Med. Forts cap summits. Vineyards rise vertical.
Nestling by the sea, Collioure itself has more than sunny holidays in its CV, as testified by the vast castle of the kings of Mallorca (long story), an idiosyncratic seaside church and reproductions hither and yon of works by Matisse and Derain. The artists wrought the extreme light, sea and furious colours into fauvism. “No sky in all France is bluer than that of Collioure,” said Matisse. These days, a snuggle of narrow streets is crammed with commerce, including the Cinquième Péché restaurant where Masashi Iijima fuses Japanese and Catalan cuisine. At £31 for a threecourse lunch, it’s a steal.
Stay: The Casa Païral (hotel-casapairal.com; doubles from £133)
5
Agay Côte-d’Azur
‘The road to it has more hairpins than a beehive hairdo’
Population: 1,420
Agay gives the lie to claims that the Côte-d’Azur is concrete end to end. As red porphyry rocks of the Esterel massif plunge directly to the sea, overdevelopment would mean moving mountains. As it is, the corniche road from Cannes has more hairpins than a beehive hairdo. Just before St Raphaël, Agay bay opens up, embraced by scrub-covered hills. A 2,300ft gently shelving beach fronts a hamlet hosting a sufficiency of bars, restaurants and opportunities for waterborne activities. The surrounds offer hide-away creeks, and the exceptional Camp Long beach. Should that pale, you may walk, ride or bike the Esterel massif behind to your heart’s delight.
Stay: The Relais d’Agay (relaisdagay. com; doubles from £53)
6
Porquerolles Provence
‘The best of the Provençal coast’
Population: 350
Off Hyères, Porquerolles island is a distillation of the best of the Provençal coast. Crammed into five square miles are crags and lovely beaches, sparse development and no cars. Forests of pine and other smoky items scent the southern air. Back from the port, the only village is compact. Its square, once a parade ground for colonial troops, is now softened into summer shape with oleander, bougainvillaea, fruit stalls and bars. From here, you set off, by foot or hired bike, to follow the trails – to the crags and creeks of the south side or fine beaches to the north. You will take in the spiffing Villa Carmignac contemporary art gallery as you pass. Then, come evening, you return to the village. Day-trippers have gone. You are among the chosen few. John Dory and chilled rosé beckon.
Stay: The Villa Sainte Anne, bang on the village square (sainteanne.com; doubles from £172)
7
Trouville Normandy
‘Though on the right bank, it retains a Left Bank feel’
Population: 4,603
On one side of the Touques estuary is Deauville, 19th-century protectorate of palace hotels, pumped-up villas and posh shops – the Normandy seaside as filtered through the Parisian glitterati. On the other side, Trouville is more venerable. There’s a cracking fish market and opposite it is a bustle of riverfront restaurants.
In the 1800s, artists and the worldly discovered Trouville. Villas went up along the seafront. Gigantic hotels, too. Then Deauville drained off the beau monde, leaving Trouville to artists and fishermen. Though on the right bank, it retains a Left Bank feel.
Stay: Le Fer à Cheval (hotel-trouville. com; doubles from £65)
8
Arromanches Normandy
‘A visit is humbling’
Population: 435
To stand on the headland above Arromanches is humbling. To the right stretches the five miles of Gold Beach. To the left, seaside Arromanches nestles in the cliffs, Omaha and Utah beaches beyond. Out front is the Channel upon which – 80 years ago this year, on June 6 1944 – 6,939 vessels unloaded young men for the re-taking of Europe. What’s left of the Mulberry harbour still pokes through the waves, rather heroically.
This is the year to go. Arromanches’s D-Day museum (Musée du Débarquement) has just been expanded. The Arromanches 360° brings the entire battle of Normandy to a circular-screen cinema.
Stay: Les Villas d’Arromanches (lesvillas darromanches.fr; doubles from £70)
Daytrippers have gone. You are among the chosen few. John Dory and chilled rosé beckon
9
Cap Ferret Aquitaine
‘It is essentially Cotswolds-on-Sea’
Population: 8,460
Cap Ferret is a full-stop to the lick of land closing the Bassin-d’Arcachon from the Atlantic. Surrounded by 20,000 acres of forest and endless beaches, it seems more a French colony than France itself. Hence, perhaps, its appeal to A-listers such as Marion Cotillard and Philippe Starck. This is essentially Cotswolds-on-Sea. Village life revolves around the beaches – on the Atlantic, my favourite is Le Truc Vert. And nothing distinguishes Oscar-winners from other oyster-eaters (accountants, plumbers, me) gathered in ramshackle villages for white wine and shellfish at the Cap or nearby l’Herbe.
Stay: Hôtel Les Dunes (hoteldesdunes. com; doubles from £148)
10
Wissant Pas-de-Calais
‘It has no idea how attractive its modesty is’
Population: 850
Twenty minutes out of Calais, the Opal Coast has already grown grand. Heath and farmland roll up to the great Cap Blanc-Nez and Cap Gris-Nez headlands. The seven-mile white-sand beach is ideal for sand-yachting –and cricket. Both Caesar and the Germans lusted after invading Britain from here. They could see it clearly across the briny. Then there is Wissant; it has no idea how attractive its modesty makes it. On the long prom, the entente is cordiale. And sablé-de-wissant cheese is one of the rare mild cheeses from northern France.
Stay: The Hotel de la Baie (hoteldelabaie dewissant.com; doubles from £102)
11
Barfleur Normandy
‘A fishing village from Central Casting’
Population: 553
For such a small place, Barfleur – at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula – has had its moments. Le Mora, the ship in which William the Conqueror sailed to England, was built in the port which, post-Conquest, became the key departure point for crossing the Channel. Later, in 1348, Edward III set fire to the port, so there is not much medieval left. But the 17th and 18th century granite cottages lend the necessary dignity to what is a fishing village from Central Casting – grey-walled harbour, insane seagulls, boats a-bobbing with the promise of wild mussels and seabass, plus three decent beaches nearby.
Stay: The Le Mora chambres-d’hôtes (lemora.fr; B&B doubles from £138)
12
St Valéry-sur-Somme Picardy
‘The Somme bay is vast, mesmerising and alive’
Population: 2,435
The medieval port provided shelter for the fleet of William the Bastard before he set out for England to become “the Conqueror”. He would probably still find his way around. The village’s old streets, overcome with flowers (see the hollyhocks!) and colour, still wind steeply up the hill. Below, vintage sea-front villas once hosted Hugo, Degas and Sisley.
Out front, the Somme bay is vast, mesmerising and alive with birds, seals and, on drier bits, sheep later to furnish salt-marsh lamb. To explore in style, take the steam train round the bay.
Stay: Hotel Les Pilotes (lespilotes.fr; doubles from £87)
13
Sète Languedoc
‘You’re rarely more than six feet from a turbot’
Population: 44,800
The port town encircles a coastal hill: sea out front, oyster-rich lagoon behind, canals linking the two, and people jammed in between. This is the Med coast unfiltered. Trawlers barrel into the centre along the canals, so you are rarely more than six feet from a turbot. There is a commercial port beyond. Visitors slip in between the fishing, the freight and the festivities which, at their height, involve waterborne jousting with steel-tipped lances. It’s a swirl of a place all year round for, when the jet set clear off skiing, the trawler set stay put.
Savour the tielle cuttlefish pies – and enough beach for all of Europe’s towels.
Stay: The Grand Hotel overlooking the Grand Canal (legrandhotelsete.com; doubles from £126)
14
Roscoff Brittany
‘Bretons are basically us with added berets’
Population: 3,362
Exit the ferry but stick around awhile. We have links with this place. Bretons are basically us with added berets. Post-Romans, our people – OK, the Cornish and the Welsh – came hurtling across the sea fleeing Norse rabble. We settled in, changed the region’s name to Brittany and its language to something like Welsh. From 1830, fellows from Roscoff sailed to Britain, cycling off to flog their Roscoff onions door-to-door.
The little granite port is open to the sea and battened down against its darker moods. It is lively with bars and restaurants – including Ti Saozon, purveyors of the finest Breton pancakes.
Stay: Résidence des Artistes (hotelroscofflaresidence.fr; doubles from £73)
15
Mers-les-Bains Picardy
‘The faded resort recalls Belle Époque days’
Population: 2,840
This is lovely. You are strolling along the chalk cliffs of Picardy – talk about bracing – and then you’re winding down to
Mers, its endless beach and 600 white beach cabins. The resort, faded just right, recalls Victorian and Belle Époque days when the bourgeois from Paris and Lille summered here, in the lee of the cliffs. Their villas – soaring with turrets, multi-coloured galleries, loggias and other items from the outer fringes of carpentry – still cheer up a seafront which is pretty cheerful already.
Stay: L’Itinérance – which used to be the Bellevue – reopened in June 2023 after new owners overhauled it completely (litinerance.fr; doubles from £78)
16
Fouesnant Brittany
‘The spot could only be better for families if it had pandas’
Population: 10,060
Here’s the pick of the softer, south Brittany seaside. That’s why they’ve started to call the stretch from Fouesnant to Bénodet the “Breton Riviera”. We’re talking nine miles of sand, from the great sweep of Cap Coz beach to creeks around the Beg-Meil hamlet. Beyond the village, the coast swings from headland to headland with woodland behind – thus as much walking, cycling, kayaking and otherwise knocking yourself out as you want. Shops and markets, bars and restaurants abound. The spot could only be better for families if it had pandas, or maybe Peppa Pig, living nearby.
Stay: The Hôtel Belle-Vue (hotel-bellevue.com; doubles from £88)
17
Gruissan Languedoc
‘Beyond await ridges, smoky pines and vineyards’
Population: 5,271
South of Narbonne, Gruissan nestles at the feet of La Clape massif, the only rocky crags of the Languedoc coast. From what’s left of a castle up top, the old village spirals out, enfolding shops, bars, the church and real life at the Café de la Paix.
Beyond, the village expands in a tangle of lagoons, marshland, modern pleasure facilities, sea, channels, a port and the beach chalets-on-stilts that enlivened the 1986 movie Betty Blue. There’s fun for all, while the medieval core gives modern holiday frivolity a rooted dimension. Beyond, await the ridges, smoky pines and vineyards of La Clape. Stay: Château Le Bouis, chambres d’hôtes on an elegant wine estate just out of town (chateau-lebouis.com; B&B doubles from £76)
18
Toulon Provence
‘Streets once seedy as hell are now bright with coffee shops’
Population: 181,500
Toulon was always a city of two tales. In the headline story, the place starred as France’s main naval base. The harbour and glorious bay underpinned maritime aspirations. The second was a saltier tale of sailors and guns, darkened bars and dirty money. The extraordinary thing is that, in recent years, the city has checked into rehab. Pedestrian streets formerly as seedy as hell are now bright with coffee shops, decent bars and galleries. The central Place Puget no longer looks as if it has failed to pay protection money. The food court in the old art deco market is terrific, as are the morning market, the navy and art museums, the rugby stadium (hail Jonny Wilkinson) and the funicular up Mount Faron.
Of course, rehab is rarely total. This remains a big port assembling cultures from around the Med. But Toulon needs to simmer a little or lose its flavour. And the huge Morillon beaches – the equal of any in Provence – allow it to breathe out when pressure builds. Stay: L’Eautel, groovily emblematic of Toulon’s renaissance (leautel-toulon. com; doubles from £70)
19
Lampaul, Ile d’Ouessant Brittany
‘It’s six square miles of heathland, cliffs and creeks’
Population: 832
Off the Finistère coast, Ouessant (“Ushant” to British mariners) is a concentration of the greatest hits of Brittany, hacked off and hurled out to sea. It’s six square miles of heathland, cliffs and creeks. Seas surging around the rocks regularly sink ships. These include the Drummond Castle, which went down in 1896, en route from South Africa to England. The spire on Lampaul village church was a gift from Queen Victoria, thanks for the dignity with which islanders handled the 242 bodies.
Women used to run the island, for the men were away at sea, often for years. These ladies were, according to a 1945 visitor, “big and strong and well-planted on solid legs”. They had to be. Life was tough and lived low. Winds kept trees down. These days, Lampaul, the island’s only, and delightful, village affects summer wear (cafés, restaurants, gift shops, gardens), but it’s granite underneath.
Stay: The Roc’h Ar Mor (lerocharmor ouessant.bzh; doubles from £75)
20
Cavalaire Provence
‘It is St Tropez without the obnoxious sense of exclusivity’
Population: 7,800
You’re a family, you require a full-tilt holiday, you go to Cavalaire. The resort shares the same sun, sea and insouciance as St Tropez, 12 miles yonder, but without the obnoxious sense of exclusivity. They like families here. Granted, quaint it ain’t. Once a fishing village, Cavalaire is now a mainly post-War creation of apartments and modern streets. But palms and pines, light and sea attenuate the effect, the corniche surroundings are grand – and youngsters don’t care for quaint anyway. They want activity. Cavalaire has every maritime pursuit known to man, short of whaling.
When the weather is right, the main three-mile beach (take the free shuttle bus) is itself ideal for bucket-and-spadery. Further out are creeks and more elemental beaches. Behind rises the Massif des Maures, and that gets wild in moments.
Stay: The Hotel du Parc (hotelduparccavalaire.com, B&B doubles from £189)
In the 1800s artists discovered Trouville. Villas went up along the seafront. Gigantic hotels, too