Charente Beaches

If you're really wanting a beach holiday or simply just a great day out by the sea, then you really have plenty of choice but they only thing is you will have to go to the Charente Maritime to find the beaches! The coast of the Poitou-Charentes region has up to 100 beaches spread along the coastline and the easily accessible islands to be found just off the Atlantic coast. All of these have long stretches of clean, soft sand and many have protected status.

One good place to start is the islands, including Ile de Ré found off the coast of the glamorous town of La Rochelle. It's here that the beautiful people of France come for weeks of fun in the sun. Then there are family friendly beaches to be found in the area round Royan while if you like surfing then you will love the wild beauty of the Côte Sauvage.

Here are some of the best beaches accessible when you travel to the Charente Maritime:

Le-Bois-Plage-en-Ré
On the Ile de Ré. many people believe that the best beaches are to be found on the south side of this beautiful island and this is certainly one of the prettiest and most popular with 7 km of very gently shelving white sand alongside clear blue water and with a very attractive village nearby.

Grande Plage
Ile d'Oléron. The southern part of the beach is designated as a naturist area so if you don't like to be seen in the nude, stick to the northern section! This wonderful beach which stretches for 12 km is found on the southern tip of the island and is backed by sand dunes and the typical pine forests of the area

Châtelaillon plage
This is located on the Atlantic coast, not far from La Rochelle and it faces the Ile de Ré, Aix and Oleron islands. You can see Fort Boyard from the beach. Here you will find 3 km of sandy beach with the nearby old world resort town which is renowned for its Belle Epoque architecture. In the summer there are plenty of activities for children of all ages.

La Palmyre
This is north of Royan and is part of the Côte Sauvage. 5 km of beautiful sandy beach backed by sand dunes and forest. As the name Côte Sauvage - wild coast - suggests, the waves can bepretty big here which is why it's so popular with surfers and wind-surfers. It is usually not a crowded beach and is not patrolled by lifeguards so you must be careful.

Saint Palais-sur-Mer
To the north-west of Royan, this curved sandy beach is to be found in the estuary surrounded by a small but attractive seaside town. The place really comes alive in the evenings with music to be heard in the numerous cafés and restaurants.

Grande Conche
In Royan itself. here you will find a 2km beach with pretty striped tents dotted along it.