Soaking up the Sun on a Mediterranean Beach
Soaking up the sun on a Mediterranean beach is easy in this part of France – there are hundreds of miles of coastline along the south of France, some of them are extraordinary, and some are just ordinary. And, in Cathar Country, there are 100km of glorious beaches winding from Port du Cap d’Agde to Le Barcarès, (North of Perpignan) that includes family areas, remote areas, and lots of resorts, including the obligatory naturist spots. Keep traveling down to the beautiful town of Colliure [south of Perpignan], and you have nearly 150 km of beach to choose from. What keeps us coming back are the beach side restaurants [where you must make a reservation], and the tiny ports full of great little seafood restaurants that serve only that day’s fresh catch (no reservation required).
In the Beziers area, [definitely Cathar Country, where the massacre at Béziers occurred on 22 July 1209], our favourite beach area is Le Sérignan Plage, where one can book a table for lunch along with sunloungers for the day, at the private beach area of the Latino Beach Restaurant . South of Narbonne, for us is the jewel in the crown as far as Aude beach towns are concerned, and that is arguably Leucate Plage. Similar to Latino Beach already mentioned, there are a few fun and fantastic beach days to be had. At the top of Leucate is La Franqui Plage where you will find Le ChiChi Plage a fun beach side family-friendly restaurant. Further along the plage, is Le Poulpe, directly on the beach with sun-loungers and parasols available for hire, along with fresh seafood daily and creative cocktails. Biquet Plage, rounds out the offer at Leucate Plage, with a creative menu, sun-loungers, parasols and a great vibe. Restaurants will offer sun-loungers to their customers, but usually, not to anyone else; so if you’re unable to get a lunch reservation it is also unlikely you will get a sun-lounger, but of course, you are welcome to bring your own!
The beaches in Narbonne offer a variety of excellent beaches to soak up the Mediterranean sun; from quiet, sandy coves to family friendly beaches and what we call “city beaches”. Gruissan Plage is also a great spot with lots of resorts and something for everyone. Both have numerous holiday villas and apartments a short walk from the beach (plage).
The azure waters of the Mediterranean are breathtaking and for first-time visitors the vast view of cool blue water always lives up to expectations. Still, it is also the clean warm sand, the kind of fine sand that you don’t always find in every seaside region. What is most impressive about the Mediterranean beaches in this region is that they are always clean; leaving rubbish on the beach is about the worst social faux-pas that you could make. The idyllic beauty of the beaches in this region demands that you respect them and it doesn’t seem like anyone objects to maintaining the pristine beauty.
During Spring, Summer and Autumn, you will find Kite surfing, Windsurfing and Sand Yachting along this stretch of coastline, taking full advantage of the winds that can be quite strong, particularly between Leucate and Gruissan. Leucate plage is sheltered by the winds thanks to a large cliff to the West; Gruissan does not benefit from a natural wind-block, but during the summer months you will mostly find conditions are rather calm.
If soaking up the sun on a Mediterranean beach is on your to-do list, you can do far worse than to visit the beach side towns of Cathar Country, but don’t just take our word for it, come and see for yourself!
*cover photo of Narbonne Beach courtesy of visitfrance.fr*
