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I'm going to be studying in france over the summer in paris. I was wondering if anyone knew a beachtown that I could spend weekends in. Something with the size, feel of santa barbara, central california coast. Someplace with things to do, but not in a large city.
thanks,
Sam
Personally, I enjoyed Antibes more than any other city in the French Riviera.
It had a nice sandy beach and was very walkable. It also had the Picasso museum, though of course Nice is unmissable for its Chagall museum, among other artist sites.
But my favorite spots were further south, closer to the Spanish border.
These towns were less touristy and more relaxed, and even had an interesting Spanish flavor despite being French. PM me if you'd like more info.
OTOH
I still have not been to the Atlantic side. Some day...
OTOH
I still have not been to the Atlantic side. Some day...
If you visit the Atlantic coast of France, there's lots of nice spots to visit, much less crowded and commercialized than the Mediterranean coast. In Brittany, the seaside town of La Baule is a nice seaside resort, most visitors are from Paris area and some Brits go there too. La Baule is north of Nantes, roughly due west from Paris. It's a beautiful drive through the Loire river valley past Le Mans and Chartres on your way from Paris to Nantes and La Baule. Spent a couple of weeks in the area many years ago, can't imagine it has changed radically as the place seemed almost timeless when I visited.
The best bet for you for a week-end from Paris will either be Normandy or Brittany as the South of France even by TGV would mean quite a bit of travelling. I personally prefer Brittany as it's a bit wilder and has in my opinion prettier beaches and if you want to stay in a really nice town ( completely unlike Santa Barbara , it is France after all) try St Malo my favourite town in Brittany and it has beaches dotted around the remparts. It's a walled town ( as it used to be big on Navy and was at one point its own pirate's republic) and in the summer it will be very busy as it's very popular but there are always festivals, flim festivals and the tall Ship festival and lots of big round the world yachting races start from there. I also love the Nothern coast of Brittany down to the Finistere ( the Breton county on the far western side of Brittany).
In Normandy you could try Deauville ( famous film festival ) or Trouville, it's a bit chi-chi and snobby for my taste but people seem to love it ( Celebrities flock from all over the world flock there and it's full of expensive restaurants and hotels). I much prefer Caen ( which is a fairly big city though) . Etretat a bit north is quite spectacular and a bit more unspoilt, Monet painted a lot there.
Some of the Norman beaches are sandy, quite a few are pebbly so do your homework if you are into sunbathing. Bear in mind that the water in the Atlantic is fairly cold if you are unused to it ( I personally love it, very bracing!) but that the beaches in summer will be VERY busy as French people take their holidays in July and August. The beaches will pretty much all empty at lunchtime ( 12-2) and people tend to go home around 5 or 6pm to head home for dinner.
Southern Brittany is lovely but VERY popular, the prettiest town is Vannes, a glorious medieval place. You can take a boat to all the Morbihan ( one of the Breton counties) islands. The beaches are a LOT warmer but in my opinion too crowded and not quite as pretty.
If you do decide to head to Southern France, in summer, it will be jam packed with people. The prettiest bit of the coast is near Marseille ( huge city but the Old Port is really worth a look). Get To Cassis a lovely little fishing port and now quite rich and take the boat tours of "the Calanques" . It is really worth the money and the coast seen from a boat is absolutely glorious. Some of the boat companies will drop some people off on little hard to access beaches or you can walk along the coastal path . The beaches are glorious, the water is warm and the scenery superb.
I hate Nice and Cannes two really snooty towns , but people love them so I guess you have to decide for yourself. St Tropez thoguh very pretty is a tourist nightmare but once again people love the celebrity watching and the big flashy yachts.
If you had a week or so I would strongly recommend you try and find a budget flight from Paris and fly to Corsica, the stunning French island in the Med, hire a car and tour the island it is GORGEOUS !
I guess I didn't explain that well...I meant a French seaside town that is not huge or busy, but still has a few things to do. Someplace to get out of the Paris hustle and bustle. A place that is touristy is fine, but not one where the beaches are completely packed.
I guess I didn't explain that well...I meant a French seaside town that is not huge or busy, but still has a few things to do. Someplace to get out of the Paris hustle and bustle. A place that is touristy is fine, but not one where the beaches are completely packed.
WHEW...Thanks for clarifying! I thought you were one of those Americans that goes to Europe wondering why nobody speaks English, why they won't take U.S. Dollars at every mom-and-pop shop or why they have funny-looking toilets that are down the hall instead of in their room.... Have a great trip!
BTW, the beaches in Santa Barbara and the Central California coast are awesome, not sure you could capture their essence anywhere else in the world!
BTW, the beaches in Santa Barbara and the Central California coast are awesome, not sure you could capture their essence anywhere else in the world!
The funny thing is that to me, Santa Barbara felt so much like Europe.
It just sort of has that Old World feel to it.
I could compare the world's beach towns all day.
Recyclyed, I'd like to get to Brittany,the west (and also the southwest) Atlantic side is where I would really like to go. I'll get there some day.
Cil, I think you're on to something there! I need to go revisit Santa Barbara now that I've been to Europe and am much older and (hopefully wiser than when I visited Santa Barbera...)
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Have a great trip!
