MametasThey know the Riviera.
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BEACHES · THE USEFUL CHOICE

Which beach do you actually need?

Sand, pebbles, no car, quiet, family, scenery, beach club or just a quick swim. Start with what you want from the sea. We’ll narrow the coast.

A sandy beach on the Cannes coastline, French Riviera
The Mametas rule

A magnificent beach 75 minutes from your hotel can still be the wrong beach for today. Practicality first, postcard second.

Still choosing your base? →

CHOOSE WHAT YOU NEED

Eight moods. Eight answers.

There is no single “best beach on the French Riviera”. There is a best answer to the day you are actually having.

La Gravette sandy beach beside Old AntibesSand

Antibes.

La Gravette for the old town; Ponteil or Salis for an easy sandy swim. Nice does not need to win this one.

See the options → Pebbles on a Nice beachPebbles

Nice. Accept them.

They line the main seafront. In return: a swim in the middle of the city with almost no logistics.

Choose the right section → Baie des Fourmis in Beaulieu-sur-MerNo car

Marinières or Baie des Fourmis.

Coastal train, then a short walk. The scenery looks considerably more complicated than the journey.

See around Nice → Les Fossettes cove on Cap-FerratQuiet

Les Fossettes.

Small and more discreet on Cap-Ferrat. Not secret, just less built to absorb the whole Riviera.

See the selection → Plage des Ondes on the Cap d’AntibesFamily

Antibes again.

Sand and shallow water at Ponteil or Salis; La Gravette if you want to stay close to the old town.

Choose in Antibes → Plage Mala at Cap-d’AilSpectacular

Plage Mala.

Cliffs, cove, water and stairs. Beauty has decided to charge part of the price in calf muscles.

See the access → Petite Afrique beach in Beaulieu-sur-MerBeach club

Petite Afrique.

A proper beach day with facilities and seasonal private beach venues. More equipped than wild, deliberately.

See Beaulieu & the Cap → Ponchettes and the Nice seafrontQuick swim

Ponchettes.

At the foot of Old Nice. If you have two hours rather than a day, do not turn the swim into an expedition.

See Nice →

Or just choose your area.

Nice

The urban swim

Ponchettes, La Réserve, Coco Beach: pebbles, rocks and very little logistics.

See Nice East of Nice

Villefranche, Beaulieu, Cap-Ferrat, Mala

When twenty minutes of transport really changes the scenery.

See the selection Antibes

Useful sand

Old town, family, Juan-les-Pins or the start of the Cap: different beaches for different jobs.

See Antibes Cannes

Central sand

Croisette, Midi, Bijou or Mouré Rouge: one city, four very different beach days.

See CannesSaint-Tropez

The peninsula

A deliberate beach day.

See Saint-Tropez