10 most beautiful places on the French Atlantic Coast

The French Atlantic coast is a paradise for beach-goers, surfers and adventurers. You can explore the island of Île de Ré by bike, surf the largest dune in Europe , gallop on horseback across endless beaches and discover your inner Robinson Crusoe on an uninhabited island. Where exactly should you be? We recommend the most beautiful places along the Atlantic coast in France and the best things to do for families - although they are also great fun for holidaymakers without children.

A holiday with the whole family deserves to be beautifully captured. You can do that with the Travel Diaries App  The name says it all, in this app you keep your own travel diary, including the most beautiful photos. Afterwards you can have the diary printed and so you always have the opportunity to browse through this book full of memories.

The most beautiful places on the Atlantic coast of France

1. Île de Ré

Île de Ré is accessible via a toll bridge from La Rochelle. Once you cross the bridge, you will be greeted by enchanting landscapes and unspoilt nature. Here you will find beautiful sandy beaches, dunes and pine forests, but also the traditional white houses with green shutters contribute to the charm of the island.

The island is perfect for cycling trips with the whole family. The highest point of the island is nineteen meters high and a hundred kilometers of cycle paths will take you to every corner of the island with ease. On every street corner you can rent tandems, electric bicycles and bicycle trailers for children. In this way you roll from village to village and from beach to beach. You pass vineyards and wheat fields, interrupted every now and then by a pine forest.

Want to take it easy? With so many beautiful beaches in the area, it is also highly recommended to go to the beach for a day. Plage des Gollandières, Plage de la Conche, and Plage des Grenettes are all beautiful.

^{Foto: fietsen van strand naar strand door landesatlantiquesud}

2. Lilleau des Niges Nature Reserve

The Lilleau des Niges nature reserve offers wilder scenery, with its salt flats, marshes and thousands of birds. Even in the busy summer months, you can find deserted beaches on the western tip of the island, which is shaped like a fishhook. Plage de la Conche des Baleines is a long, deserted stretch of sand that leads to Plage de la Conche and Plage du Lizay. This is the place to be to avoid the crowds of sunbathers. On this west coast, you can sample freshly caught oysters and mussels at unbelievably low prices.

^{Foto links: Alisson Boissard, Foto rechts Alexandre Lamoureux}

3. La Rochelle

From Île de Ré you can easily reach La Rochelle, an important port in the Middle Ages for the trade of salt, wine and fabrics. This port still exudes the charm of times gone by. The bustling centre around the old harbour is dotted with cosy cafés, restaurants and shops, making it a popular place for both locals and tourists.

4. Biarritz

Biarritz is one of the best places in France to learn to surf, because of the smaller waves and the huge number of surf schools in the area. You brave the waves at the foot of the Pyrenees, so you can also relax on the beach with a beautiful view. You learn to surf here by falling and getting up, and falling is never hard.

^{Photo left: the wild coastline of Hendaye by Ph.Laplace, Photo right: surfing in Biarritz by Damien Domhen}

Tired of surfing? Visit the ruins of a 17th-century fortress or the iconic Château de Antoine d'Abbadie, which overlooks the sea. On Wednesdays, stroll through the market and the rest of the week through the picturesque old harbour. Here you will find the most beautiful houses. Biarritz was once a small fishing village, but in the 19th century it grew into a chic seaside resort after Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, chose it as her favourite holiday destination.

5. Bordeaux

Bordeaux is known for its wine and around the city you will find many beautiful vineyards and places to taste the local wines. But you should not only be here for the wine. The city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of its neoclassical and 18th century architecture. The city also has a vibrant center full of art and culture and many museums. A few museums that are worth visiting are the Musée d'Aquitaine and CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain. You will also find lively streets, nice boutiques, cozy cafes and annual cultural events such as the Bordeaux Wine Festival.

6. Dune du Pilat

Dune du Pilat, located in the Arcachon basin , holds the record for the largest dune in Europe, but it is not satisfied with that. Every year, the enormous pile of sand grows one and a half metres. It has already swallowed up trees, a crossroads and even a hotel, so the story goes. Between April and November, you can climb the colossus via a wooden staircase, which is erected every year to help tourists. Of course, you would prefer to go barefoot, although the sand can be freezing cold in winter and very hot in summer.

^{Foto: Dune du Pilat door David Remazeilles} 

Grab a surfboard, bodyboard or snowboard and set off early in the morning, before the sun sends temperatures soaring and other tourists can spoil the fun. From the summit, 115 metres high, you can look out over endless stretches of sand and the Banc d'Arguin bird sanctuary to the west, and a sea of ​​dark green pine forests to the east. Strap on your snowboard, lie down on your bodyboard or climb onto your surfboard, and glide down the gritty slopes.

^{Foto: Banc d'arguin door Patrice Hauser}

7. Île d'Oléron (Island of Oleron)

Île d'Oléron is the largest island off the French Atlantic coast. Here you will find a beautiful mix of nature, culture, vast beaches and being active. The island is a popular destination for lovers of surfing, kite surfing, sailing and other water sports because of the favorable wind conditions and waves. You can also cycle there beautifully. In a city like Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron you will find nice markets and cozy cafes where you can taste all kinds of local delicacies. For yourself a few oysters, for the kids a nice fresh croissant.

8. Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo is a beautiful old town on the coast of Brittany. There is an old centre with beautiful streets and a beautiful boulevard where locals and tourists stroll or find a spot on the beach. The city still breathes fishing everywhere and everyone here proudly wears a Breton stripe. A lovely town to stroll around or to relax on the beach for a day.

9. Saint-Jean-de-Monts

What could be more romantic than horseback riding along a stretch of coastline at sunset? Hooves pounding in the sand and men flapping in the salty sea breeze. With a bit of luck, your horse won't be afraid of the water and will dip your feet in the sea. Or just put on your swimsuit and go for a swim with your horse. Advanced riders gallop through the dunes and children have the time of their lives on a pony. Around the seaside resort of Saint-Jean-de-Monts there are several ranches where you can go for guided tours, such as Nelly's Ranch and La Chevauchée des Dunes.

10. Saint Nazaire

Dive into the world of cruise ships in Saint Nazaire , the French seaside resort where enormous cruise ships have been built since the beginning of the last century. You can see how this is done at Escal'Atlantic . This German-built submarine base is one of the only buildings to survive the bombings of the Second World War. Now it is home to one of France's most talked-about museums. You literally walk over a gangplank and step onto a cruise ship, get a taste of life on board and travel through the history of the transatlantic ocean liners.

And that's not all. Saint Nazaire is also called the city of twenty beaches, because it is surrounded by, yes, twenty long stretches of sand. You will undoubtedly know one of those beaches from the French film classic Les Vacances de Mr. Hulot by Jacques Tati. The port town was a shelter for submarines during the war and is surrounded by 170 kilometers of cycle paths.

Spend the night in the most beautiful places on the Atlantic coast of France

Spend the night on an uninhabited island

At first glance, the Landes forest is a dark green sea of ​​pine forests. But behind it lies a world full of surprises. Villages, rivers, streams and springs stretch across the million hectares that make up the forest. In the far south of the nature reserve lies Sorde-l'Abbaye, a small village of prehistoric origin, where a Benedictine monastery from the tenth century stands in all its glory and the last wild river in France meanders through it: the Gave d'Oloron.

You will explore this by canoe under the guidance of locals who know the area like the back of their hand. You will brave the river currents with your paddle and end up on an uninhabited island, where you will set up camp for the night. The campfire flickers under the starry sky, you will grill a freshly caught fish and sleep in a hammock. The next morning you will wake up stiff but satisfied and paddle back to the village.

Stay at family-friendly glamping sites

The five-star campsite Village de la Guyonnière in Saint-Julien-des-Landes is located in a green area on the edge of Lac du Jounay. Within a 30-minute drive you are on one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe: Sables-d'Olonne. Experience glamping with the whole family. Sleep in a fully equipped safari tent with a view over the lake or one of the luxury cottages on the site.

^{Foto's: five-star campsite Village de la Guyonnière} 

Another favourite in the region is Camping la Grigne in Le Porge . This family-friendly campsite offers entertainment for everyone. There is an entertainment team for the kids, an open-air cinema and a mini-golf course. Go on an adventure on the Cap-Ferret peninsula, climb the Dune du Pilat: the highest sand dune in Europe, stroll through the city of Bordeaux or visit one of the wine chateaux in the Médoc.

^{Foto: mobile home at Camping la Grigne}

This article was created in collaboration with Atlantic Coast France. Do you want to go on an adventure along the most beautiful places on the Atlantic Coast in France? On their website you will find great tips and much more travel inspiration.