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Laid-back French Beach towns?

Hey everyone,
I have a last minute trip in the works trying to use a couple days on a France-Germany Eurail pass left over from family travel. I've been schlepping my family all over Europe for the summer and would just like a low-key break, somewhere sunny with a nice beach for swimming in a charming town. Traveling August 30, returning Sept 2nd. I don't need a town with lots of attractions or things to do - just sand, sun, and some nice cafes/bars for the evenings will do the trick. Provence is out as the train reservations from Stuttgart/Paris to Marsielle are still too difficult to get and I don't want to go further than that area for a short trip. I'm considering Brittany and Normandy instead, then. Aside from St. Malo (which I've been to but am considering) does anyone have any suggestions?

Posted by
32867 posts

North Sea beaches in Germany? The only problem there, same as Normandy and Brittany, is where do we get a "sunny" guarantee?

Posted by
9110 posts

Honfleur and Dunkerque have been beach resorts since the mammoths died off. But, like Nigel said ...

Posted by
973 posts

Was in Dunkerque 2 weeks ago and at Zaandvort two days ago- nice beaches, not like the rocks on the Med. Youd have to be patient with the weather: rainy most of one day, cleared up in the afternoon/evening, nice another morning, rained around 7pm. Most pictures look gloomy. When the wind came up, it was sharp. The D- Day beaches also have nice sand.
Thought the beach communities looked like fun but not what I'd call "charming". There were a couple of music festivals going on on the coast that looked like fun.