Southern France’s best sunspots

February 12, 2019

Tags:

,

Drenched in seasons of sunshine, the south of France’s sun-soaked beaches offer sugary sand that are lapped gently by the temperate waters of the Mediterranean sea. Though unimposing, the Mediterranean tides seem to have brought with them influences from Italy and Spain. The architecture, particularly in the quaint and quiet seaside towns, such as Èze, emulates that same rustic charm you’ll find wandering down the cobbled streets of unspoiled Italian villages.

 

Cannes

Cannes has become synonymous with opulence and luxury. The expansive stretches of sandy coast are lined with grandiose hotels and designer shopping and the Vieux Port houses some of the stateliest yachts and boats.

Exuding exotic appeal, don your finest swimwear and throw down your beach mat at the popular Plage de la Bocca, or head to the city’s old quarter and bask in the sunshine at Plage du Midi.

 

Cassis

Emulating the same rustic charm as a provincial town on the calderas of the Amalfi coast, Cassis offers narrow, terracotta and sun-bleached buildings. The edifices are stacked, their shuttered windows painted in shades of turquoise, peppermint and forest green that somehow manage to complement each other with effortless, continental style.

It’s where the natives go to soak in the same modish atmosphere you’ll find in St-Tropez, but without the flurry of tourism.

 

Sète

Surrounded by beautiful waters, Sète is a lengthy split that resides with the ocean on one side and a saltwater lagoon on the other. This narrow stretch of land is also a labyrinth of canals, earning itself the title as ‘Venice of the Languedoc’.

Eight miles of almost untouched, unexplored beaches make Sète the ideal sunspot for the traveller who prefers a quiet retreat.

 

Verdon Gorge

This sublime river canyon in the mountains of the Cote D’azur carries with it an indescribable beauty. The landscape, wild and cragged, is made up of a serpentine, azure waterway and calanques, chalk white cliffs interspersed with flashes of greenery.

Hire a kayak for the day and enjoy the hours and hours of sunshine, protected by the wind from the mountains on either side of you. For some traditional tanning, find a break in the forestry and wander down, towel under arm, to the sands of the gorge’s river beach.

 

Provence

Catching the best sunspots doesn’t just mean the warming, midday rays on your (SPF protected) skin, though no one is denying the fundamentality of it, but also finding the best spots to catch the sunsets in southern France.

Topping that list has to be the lavender fields of Provence. The melding of pinks, oranges and yellows in the sky above turn the narrow tracks between lavender a radiating hue of amber before the sun finally sinks behind the backdrop of the rugged, Gallic hills.

Comments are closed