Palavas-les-Flots
The closest beach to Montpellier is in the seaside resort of Palavas-les-Flots. It was originally a fishing village and from the late 19th century until 1968 a train took Montpellierians all the way there. The heart of the village is located where the River Lez joins the Meditterranean Sea at the Canal du Rhone and the coastline stretches out either side of the canal. From the right of the canal (rive droite) you can stroll along the promenade between the beach and the 1960s hotel and apartments behind it, to find your spot. On the other side (rive gauche) there’s more beach, as well as the pretty streets of the old part of town. This side has a few kid’s attractions too; there’s a big playground, a crazy golf and a waterslide park, Koaland. The beach itself is pretty lively with volleyball pitches, watersports, showers and kids clubs. It gets very busy in the summer and the mid-century architecture can put you off a bit, but the beach itself is nice with lots of rocks for exploring or sunbathing on, and some of the rocky inlets can make for calm water, perfect for kids.
An interesting way to get from one side of the canal to the other is on the little cable car. It’s pretty cheap, and much more fun than walking up to the bridge.
Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone
In the village of Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, just west of Palavas-les-Flots there’s a much more natural and quieter beach. You’ll find it by driving into the village and following the signs to the ‘plage’. As you arrive at the Canal du Rhone there’s a car park where you can leave your vehicle and continue to the beach on foot, or bike. Cross the bridge over the canal and follow the wide path along. It’s a pleasant walk past herons and pale pink flamingos in the salty etang on your right and fields of vines on your left. Eventually you’ll reach the golden sands of the Plage du Pilou and the Plage de Prevost. If you’re cycling there’s quite a few racks for you to park your bike before heading on to the beach. And in the hot summer months there’s a little train that’ll take you from the car park to the beach.
There’s restaurant on the beach in the summer too, but apart from that it feels very unspoilt. If you’re not keen on nude sunbathing however, you might want to try another beach as it’s a popular spot for naturists.
Parking: €4 between May and mid-September. Free at other times.
The walkway to the beach is open afternoons on weekdays, and all day on weekends during the winter and spring. In the summer it’s open all day, every day. Here’s the exact times: Oct, (weekdays) 1pm-6pm; (weekends) 10am-6pm. Nov-Mar, (weekdays) 1pm-5pm; (weekends) 10am-5pm. April, (weekdays) 1pm to 6pm; (weekends) 10am-6pm. May, 10am-7pm. June, 8am-8.30pm. July-August, 8am-8.30pm (until 10pm on Saturdays). September, 8am-8.30pm.
Le petit train du Pilou runs from the car park to the beach between May and September, 9am-7.45pm.
Les Grand et Petit Travers
A little way further east from Palavas is a strip of coastline known as Le Petit Travers and Le Grand Travers. Although it’s not quite as convenient it’s worth the journey to spend the day on this long expanse of golden sand between Carnon and Le Grand Motte. The beach runs parallel to the narrow D59 and you can park anywhere along here in front of the pine trees. Once you’ve found a spot (this could be slightly tricky in the summer!), just cross the road and walk along one of the short paths that lead through the sand dunes to the beach. There’s a cycle path along this road too for those who’d rather bike it.
If you’re after a shower and a bigger car park, Petit Travers is your best bet, or alternatively go all the way up to Le Grand Motte end of Le Grand Travers, where you’ll find some showers at the entrances to the beach.
The beach itself feels pretty clean and it helps that there are large covered bins submerged into the sand at the back. During the summer pop-up bars appear along the sand where you can buy refreshments, eat at tables or relax on sunbeds, but out of season remember to bring a picnic as there aren’t any shops nearby.
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