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quaint beach town in southern france?

Posted by (los angeles, ca, usa) on

hi all,

my husband and i are going on a 3 week honeymoon in august. we want to go to 3 locations that we've never been to and spend a week in each so that we can rent an apartment and get a better sense of each place. the only place we have both agreed on is prague. i am craving france and have never been to the south, but i know that time of year is probably crazy. does anyone have any recommendations for a quaint beach town that is gorgeous and ideally sleepy (or if not, just so completely outstanding that the craziness is worth it) ? you should know: 1. we are not afraid to go off the beaten path if it means a truly outstanding find & 2. we are foodies and winos :)

also, if anyone has any suggestions for our 3rd location they would be appreciated! right now the contenders are: greece (probably the island of sifnos), bruges, geneva, barcelona, dubrovnik, but we're open!!

thanks! :)

Posted by
4132 posts

Ashley, the only place I can think of is Collioure, in French Catalonia near the Spanish border. It's a charming spot, but not good for more than a few days, in my view.

There are probably some other nice beaches on the Languedoc coast.

Are you wedded to beach? And/or, might you consider making one of your weeks a more-peripatetic tour?

I think you could have swell time in Provence, though it is high season and the heart of Provence is not maritime, with some great wine to boot. Or a memorable week visiting sites between the Dordogne River and Spain, including a day or two in Collioure.

All this is colored by my own sense that were I to rent a place for a week, I'd want to be someplace where there is lots to do. Maybe that doesn't matter so much to you, though.

Good luck!

Posted by
17 posts

Hi

I absolutely love Menton, which is the last town in France on the coast before you enter Italy. I have gone there for years. love the beach, the town market near the harbor and town itself is old fishing village. It is not sleepy though more of a real town than any other French riveria spot I know. I am afraid August is an awful time of year as nearly all of Europe vacations then. Crowded,higher prices, bad traffic. Could you honeymoon in Sept?

Posted by
1078 posts

When I saw your post, I immediate thought "Collioure." Been there twice, would go back in a heartbeat--the Sunday market great, the area wines have risen dramatically in the last five years, and it is the place where some of the Impressionist painters would vacation at because of the light. It is French with a wiff of Catalan so you can get a taste of two cultures in one place.

Posted by
1329 posts

I don't know what it's like in August but my favorite coastal town in France is Cassis. Great food and wine, decent beach, fairly close to other worthwhile places to visit in Provence.

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