Surfing in France

Surf France - Quick Facts
LOCATION: Europe.
POPULATION: 66000000
NATIONALITY: French
LANGUAGE: French
CURRENCY: Euro

France (land of the Franks) is actually the most visited country in the world and receives 80 million visitors a year. It is bordered by Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra and is linked to England by the Channel Tunnel.

Great consistent surf. Good nightlife. World class beachbreaks. Beginning to sound any good yet? Sitting directly south of England on the west coast of Europe, France gets lots of consistent swells from the low pressures tracking across the top of England and further north. The Atlantic coast receives the best swells but waves can also be found on the north coast with swells creeping along the channel and also small short lived swells generated on the Mediterranean coast.

French surfing regions can be split into three main areas. There's the Mediterranean coast in the south east. We won't dwell on this area as the surf is small, often non-existent and if you are planning a surf trip it's not even worth bothering about. Next is the North facing coast stretching from Brest in North Brittany right through the Normandy Coast to Belgium. The surf is better the closer to the north west tip, there are some nice reef breaks waiting for you to discover them. The further east you go the worse the swell gets. This area receives the same swells as the south coast of England. A big swell up the channel and wehey! So that leaves the West, Atlantic facing coast - this is where the action is and this coast is where everyone wanting some top notch waves should head.

The west coast of France can again be split into 3 main surfing areas - South Brittany's coast (furthest north), the Coast of Light (Cote de Lumiere) which stretches from Brittany down to La Rochelle and Poitou-Charente and then the Silver Coast (Gironde (Lacanau), Landes (Hossegor), and the Basque Country (Biarritz) ) — meeting with Spain in the south.


Britanny cops plenty of large swell and has some mean reef breaks to suit the more experienced surfer. There are plenty of spots to keep away from the crowds and a large variety of wave types to suit every surfer. As you go further south the coast cuts away to face south west and as a result misses out on some swells that other French coasts receive. That said, there are still some great waves to be found.



The Coast of Light needs bigger swells to start working due to its coastline but still offers a wide variety of waves. It has some great waves for summer surfers and is generally less crowded that the Silver Coast surf spots. There are also plenty of surf school options for anyone wanting to learn to surf.

The Silver Coast has surf spot after surf spot after surf spot. If the swell is good the entire coast lights up. This really is the area to head for with some ultra hollow consistent beach breaks to pound all day. The quality of the waves here is so good due to the funnel shape of the Bay of Biscay - channeling the waves in to the eager surfers. The pick of the waves can be found around Hossegor and Biarritz — be prepared for the crowds in the summer.

Those wanting big waves spots are also in luck. France has a couple of well known classics, Belharra and Guethary. Both can handle 5 metre swells.

Surfing France - The Good
Consistent Waves & Plenty of Spots to Choose From
World Class Beach Breaks
Topless Sunbathing (did we really say that?)
Biarritz and it's surrounding beaches
Hossegor - one of the worlds premier beach breaks

Surf France - The Bad and the Ugly
Cold Winter Water Temps.
Crowded Summer Surf (damn those English holidaymakers!).

France Surfing Conditions

France Swell Size (ft)

France Water Temperature (#deg;C)

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Click the link for some background (non surfing related) information on France.