Côte d'Azur Hidden Beaches

Clear waters, tiny pebbles and nobody there, your classic, hidden, Cote d'Azur beach

Information: Cote d'Azur Guide | France Tours | France Map

Some great, lesser-known Côte d'Azur beaches:

These Riviera beaches [the posh bit of the Cote d'Azur, roughly from St Tropez east to Italy] are listed in geographical order from east of Monaco, past Monaco and Nice, and ending just short of Cannes at Antibes/Juan-les-Pins.

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Plage de la Buse, a couple of kilometres east of Monaco and connected by a pleasant, coastal hiking trail, the Sentier des Douaniers.
This fine, though partly pebbly public beach offers a wide sweep of shallow water, an excellent beach café that also rents kayaks and is just 100m from the car park at Roquebrune train station.
A recommended, not far, reasonably-priced hotel: Les Deux Freres [+33 4 93 28 99 00 www.lesdeuxfreres.com], 1 km from the beach but it's worth it, and bus travel are available.

Cap d'Ail, Mala Plage, a few minutes west of Monaco is a good size and has a rarely crowded public beach zone perfectly embraced by cliffs, with marine activities rentals and a fine restaurant.
Access is via a steep - though agreeable - 10 minute hike down from Avenue Princesse Grace. Take either a bus to the Beaverbrook stop or drive and park in the Cap d'Ail car park, walking down Ave. Francois de May until you see brown signs indicating the way to the beach.
A recommended, nearby, 2* low-price hotel: Hotel Normandy [+33 4 93 78 21 77 77].

Cap Ferrat, Paloma Plage. A few minutes walk from smart, affluent Saint-Jean village, Paloma sits on a calm, sandy bay lapped by crystal waters. There is a private beach club area and a pricey café/restaurant as well as the public beach. When swimming becomes a bore take a hike along the delightful little trail Sentier Edmund Davies around the Paloma Point headland.
A recommended, nearby, reasonably-priced 3* hotel: Hotel Brise Marine [+33 4 93 76 04 36 www.hotel-brisemarine.com], 2 minutes walk to the beach.

Villefranche, Plage de Passable, a sheltered stretch of pebbly bay popular with local families in-the-know, Passable has a good restaurant and is the starting point for a terrific 4km Cap Ferrat hiking trail around the Ferrat peninsula.
A recommended, nearby, reasonably-priced hotel: Le Panoramic [+33 4 93 76 00 37], 10 minutes walk from the beach.

Cap d'Antibes [Antibes' very exclusive peninsula], Plage de la Garoupe is the place for wealth-spotting, just a Bentley waft from possibly the Riviera's best hotel, the Eden Roc; La Garoupe's public area is limited by posh beach clubs and outrageous poseurs but the sand is powder, the rocks welcoming, the waters fresh, the views of Antibes spectacular and the snorkelling pretty good.
A recommended, nearby, 4* pricey hotel: Baie Dorée [+33 4 93 67 30 67, www.baiedoree.com], with its own private part of the beach.

Juans-les-Pins [Antibes peninsula base], Port de Crouton Plage, a long and sandy, sheltered and shallow, kid-friendly beach a couple of hundred metres from Le Meridien Hotel. To find the public sand head past the cluster of beach huts and the Belles Rives' terrace. There's a decent restaurant en route.
Recommended, adjacent, is a very pricey hotel: Belles Rives [+33 4 93 61 02 79 www.bellesrives.com].

To get away from the teeming Riviera, try the Iles d'Hyères [resort islands with more wildness and less motors], or even a bit further away, Corsica, via car ferries from Nice, Marseilles or Toulon. See our Guide to Corsica or for an idea of France's best beaches see France Beaches.

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Photos and information of neighbouring 'Rivieras': Italy Beach Pictures | Spain Beaches | Portugal Beaches