The 6 most beautiful French coastal towns you may not know yet

Ah, the beautiful life in France. The baguettes, the wines, the cheeses, I love them. Okay, my French vocabulary was (is still by the way, no idea if I spelled the earlier words in good French) just enough for that 5.5 on my final exam, but the love for France scores higher, you know. Because that French life, I really like it. And not Paris, because — don’t get mad — that city doesn’t really charm me. Am I one of the few in that belief, excuse me. But those French coastal towns… Yes, they really do it for me. And not necessarily Nice (even though that remains a cool city), but rather the places that are just a bit less known. Are you also in the mood for a trip sur la plage? Check out these French coastal towns, maybe there’s something for you among them.

1. Boulogne-sur-Mer
Ideal if you want to get away for a bit, but don’t want to make a gigantic trip. You can also drive to Boulogne-sur-Mer. It’s located a bit below Calais, so if you put the pedal to the metal, you’ll be there in less than five hours (from Amsterdam that is). It has a beautiful old center surrounded by thick city walls. Exactly what you imagine when you think of an old French town. And so nice by the coast. Weekend away, anyone?
2. Dieppe
This little village is quite a bit further than the previous one, but it’s still doable by car (over six hours, again from Amsterdam). It’s actually the easiest option and the cheapest too, because plane tickets to the nearby airports (Dieppe and Rouen) are quite expensive or just not available, but a good road trip is always a nice bonus. And you get the following in return: a beautiful view, the sea, peace, and very tasty scallops – they are actually a big source of income in this French coastal town.

3. La Rochelle
Just the name alone sounds great. I don’t know why, but La Rochelle sounds like music to my ears and I expect sunshine, wine, and a beautiful sunset. And well, that’s pretty much correct. The two eye-catchers here are the two towers that used to protect the city. Or well, that mainly had to protect the harbor. La Rochelle is connected to the Île de Ré peninsula, which is also nice for a day trip.

4. Collioure
All the previous coastal towns are on the west coast of France, this one you’ll find on the east coast. And then close to the border of Spain, just below Argelès sur Mer, which in my teenage years was known as a surfers’ and party town. We’ll skip that for now, but the smaller village of Collioure is definitely worth it. A bit of a Mediterranean touch here and there, but mainly just nicely French. And those Mediterranean temperatures of course, huh.
5. Banyuls-sur-Mer
And Collioure is very well combined with Banyuls-sur-Mer. The distance between them is actually not even half an hour. But they both deserve a separate spot on the list, because Banyuls-sur-Mer is just a bit closer to Spain and feels much less French with all the white houses. It’s also very nice to walk through, if you manage to get off the beach of course.
6. Saint-Malo
And we’re going back up again, to this coastal town in Brittany. And I love Brittany. We used to always go camping there (not even at the beach) and since then I’ve always been happy when we return. And then indeed at the beach. Especially if you like a bit of history, this is a nice destination. It used to be a refuge for pirates and was heavily damaged in the war. You can still see the traces of that, which makes it a very interesting destination. Well, on y va.