The 7 Most Beautiful Beaches in and Around Montpellier

Time and time again Espiguette beach is voted one of the most beautiful beaches in France. East of Le Grau-du-Roi, Espiguette Beach is a wild stretch of sand (around 18 kilometres long), with dunes at the back and great waves crashing onto the shoreline. Head towards L’Espiguette Lighthouse – a pretty look-out point built in 1869 – for the secluded spots.

La Grande Conque beach looks like a more Provencal beach being tucked into a volcanic rock cove in the Cap d’Agde. The black sand also makes a change from the usual Languedoc’s white beaches. The setting is striking with Les Deux Frères rocks and succulents edging the water.

Carnon-Plage is a seaside resort to the south of Montpellier. It’s made our list because of its closeness to the city and the ease with which you can get there. Carnon Plage doesn’t have the wild, unspoilt location that a lot of the other beaches do, but really, once you are walking towards the sea, all you can see is crystal blue and white sand. That’s good enough for us!

La Plagette beach also falls under Cap d’Agde and is another gorgeous, petite space of sand. It has a high headland on one side and a rocky section on the other. So close to the centre of town and with free parking, it’s perfect for a refreshing dip after a morning of sight seeing.

This beach is only just east of Carnon-Plage and yet it has a gorgeous wild feel due to the dune and wild grass backdrop. Le Mistral beach bar sits on this beach and is the perfect place to have a refreshing drink away from the sun. We love how easy it is to pull up in your car just metres from the beach, too.

To the south-west of Montpellier you’ll find Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, a little coastal town. The beach that’s closest to this commune is Maguelone beach and it really is a special spot. There is an attractive cathedral just to the north of the beach that gives a pretty backdrop. This is the area of the Languedoc that is filled with ponds, canals and sea water.

Couchant beach is part of the seaside resort of La Grande-Motte and has the ‘sand for miles’ feel of a lot of the Languedoc beaches. When you’re on Couchant beach, you’ll be able to take in La Grande-Motte’s architecture. Jean Balladur was the architect behind the collection of Modernist, pyramid and other shaped apartment blocks.