Coastal Property in France

Given that France has 3,427 km of coastline and that our definition of ‘a coastal French property’ is one which falls within 50km of that coast, these pages will spoil you for choice if you’re looking for a French property within half an hour’s drive of the sea.

While a beach property might be the ultimate dream home, proximity to the sea is perhaps the search criteria above all others on which it pays to compromise. Whereas you will always pay a premium for beach-side or sea-view French property, start to move inland and prices start to fall away dramatically. A rural retreat within a short drive of the sea will not only cost you less but could offer you the best of both worlds.

Coastal property in Languedoc-Roussillon will give you access to a record eighteen blue flag (Pavillon Bleu) beaches; while coastal property in both the Loire and Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur regions will put you within a stone’s throw of 15 blue flags beaches.

Coastal Nord-Pas-de-Calais property will mean easy access to the UK by ferry (Calais), tunnel (Calais) or plane (Le Touquet) which means it is perfect for weekend jaunts. Le Touquet’s Paris Plage (Paris Beach) is – as it’s name might suggest – popular with Parisians and in addition to the requisite good shopping and restaurants, the town also offers two golf courses (and another four within half an hour’s drive), a casino, horse-riding, tennis, sailing, sand-surfing and both sea and inland fishing.

If you buy coastal Normandy property in Calvados, you are within easy reach of the hauntingly poignant D-Day landing beaches and the pristine beaches of Deauville and Cabourg which come with sand further than the eye can see. There are regular flights with Ryanair flights from Stanstead to Deauville.

Property in the seaside resorts of Brittany can be expensive but a little inland you can find coastal property in delightful locations such as Dinan, which is a short drive away from Dinard (with its direct flights from the UK), and St. Malo with its ferry crossings.

Coastal Charente-Maritime property gives you access not only to this department’s enviable micro-climate, but also to the beaches of beautiful La Rochelle (with its direct flights to the UK) and to the delights of Isle de Ré and Isle d’Oléron.

Further south, coastal Aquitaine property will put you within easy reach of the vast pine-fringed sandy beaches of south-west France. Whether you want to surf the best breakers in Europe, enjoy its eight international golf courses or just indulge yourself in chic resorts like Biarritz (with its direct flights from the UK), this massive yet sparsely populated area has countless property gems for you to discover.

Meanwhile, basking in the Mediterranean sunshine, coastal Languedoc-Roussillon property will afford you the same climate and sandy beaches as Provence, but at half the price. In the Pyrénées-Orientales department, coastal property is also a stone’s throw from Spain and within easy reach of Pyrénéan ski stations.

Finally, coastal Provence property gives you access not only to the sun-kissed, lavender scented charm of the Provençal countryside and its picturesque villages, but also to the golden sands and azure waters of the Mediterranean. And if this simple, yet exclusive, life isn’t glamorous enough, then coastal Côte d’Azur property is the place where your heaven and earth will meet!