The best beaches in France close to Paris by train
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Where to find the best beaches in France near Paris
Although Paris is quite some distance from the coast (around 200 kilometres), thanks to the country’s excellent rail network, it’s possible to combine a trip to the capital with a day or two at the seaside. But where are the best beaches in France close to Paris? And which is the best beach near Paris by train?
There are some pretty good stretches of sandy beach along the Normandy coast of France – Deauville, Trouville and Le Crotoy are popular with Parisians. This is where you’ll find the closest beaches to Paris. However, if it’s guaranteed good weather you yearn for, you’ll need to travel a little further – the west coast Vendee region of France is famed for its long stretches of sand. Meanwhile, thanks to the high speed TGV you can actually get all the way from Paris to Marseille in as little as three hours (and four minutes) should you wish to bask in the Mediterranean sunshine – it’s more like eight hours if you go by car.
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Ensure you research train times – if you book the wrong one, you could end up doubling your journey time. Sometimes there may only be one high speed service in each direction per day. If you’re planning a day trip, your destination may be dictated by which town has the latest return journey back to Paris. Train tickets are usually cheaper if you book in advance.
In this article, I’ve only included French seaside towns which are under three hours by direct train from Paris.
Need France family holiday inspiration? Check out my guide to visiting France with kids.
Map of beaches near Paris by train
Are there beaches in Paris?
During the summer months, sand, palm trees and umbrellas appear along the banks of the Seine. Known as Paris Plages, this series of “beaches” in Paris has been a summer feature of the capital since 2002. Unlike an actual beach, there’s no swimming (and no sea!)
What is the closest beach to Paris?
In this article, I have detailed the beaches which are most easily reached from Paris by train. However, if you are travelling by car, the nearest beach to Paris is the sandy Plage du Butin at Honfleur. Coming a close second is the port town of Dieppe which has a pebbly beach. However, it’s generally agreed that it’s worth travelling an extra few kilometres to the beaches of Deauville and Trouville near Honfleur for a proper seaside experience.
Hauts-de-France beaches close to Paris
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
- Travel from Paris Gare du Nord to Etaples – le Touquet
- Journey time from Paris: two hours and 11 minutes
- Distance from train station to beach: seven kilometres -10 minutes by electric shuttle bus
Le Touquet was originally a popular haunt with both wealthy French and British tourists, particularly during its 1920s heyday. Sadly, much of the town was destroyed during the Second World War but its holiday homes were rebuilt and it remains a popular second home for the French.
The term “Paris-Plage” dates back 100 years but this didn’t stop the Paris mayor’s office from attempting to sue Le Touquet for trademark infringement in 2006 – Paris Plages in the name given to the series of “beaches” which pop up along the Seine in the summer. A rather silly action, the case was dropped a few years later.
Le Touquet hosts motorcycling events as well as tennis, golf and horse racing. The town is also a popular shopping destination, its main drag packed with designer stores.
Positioned on the Canche estuary, Le Touquet has a reassuringly long – 11 kilometres – sandy beach. Much of it is backed by dunes and forests making it a popular destination for walkers and nature lovers.
Le Crotoy
- Travel from Paris Gare du Nord
- Journey time from Paris: one hour 45 minutes to Noyelles-sur-Mer, then 25 minutes by steam train or 10 minutes by bus or taxi
- Distance from train station to beach: one kilometre
Le Crotoy, and its neighbours Noyelles-sur-Mer and Saint Valery-sur-Somme make for a delightful coastal break from the French capital.
Noyelles-sur-Mer is a speedy one hour 45 minutes from Paris Gare du Nord. From there, you can pick up the scenic Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme which takes visitors across meadows and salt marshes to the seaside town of Le Crotoy in one direction or the attractive port town of Saint Valery in the other.
Le Crotoy is the only south facing beach on the Normandy coast. Once an important fishing port, Le Crotoy is now a popular tourist resort. Fishermen’s huts sit side by side with holiday villas and the town’s many seafood restaurants pay tribute to its fishing heritage.
Set on the Somme Bay, Le Crotoy beach is vast and at low tide it’s quite a feat to reach the water. It’s better to swim once the tide has come in. The beach is backed by a long promenade.
Beaches near Paris in Normandy
Le Tréport
- Travel from Paris Gare du Nord
- Journey time from Paris: two and a half hours
- Distance from train station to beach: 1.5 kilometres
The seaside town of Le Tréport has a striking setting, positioned between chalk cliffs on the Alabaster Coast. The beach below is pebbly. A funicular railway takes visitors from the beach up to the town, tunnelling through the cliffs – alternatively you can climb the MANY steps to reach the town.
There are a couple of museums in Le Tréport. The small Museum of Vieux-Tréport has mostly sea-related artefacts including an area dedicated to shipwrecks. Used as a bunker by the Germans during WWII, the museum Le Kahl Burg is a series of tunnels in the cliffs, dug out by prisoners of war during the Nazi occupation.
If time allows, it’s worth visiting Le Tréport’s neighbouring towns, the spa town of Mers-les-Bains and Eu with its impressive chateau. There’s a little tourist road train which links the three towns.
Deauville and Trouville
- Travel from Paris Saint Lazare to Trouville-Deauville
- Journey time from Paris: around two hours and 15 minutes
- Distance from train station to beach: two kilometres to either beach
I’ve lumped these two Normandy towns together because they share a railway station and are just separated from one another by the River Touques. However, they are two quite distinct towns. Deauville, to the west, is home to fancy shops, polo matches and the prestigious American Film Festival. Trouville meanwhile is older and is famed for its fishing port and busy fish market.
Reflected in its historic casino and elegant holiday villas, Trouville was one of the original French seaside resorts attracting artists and wealthy Parisians. Trouville’s sandy beach is backed by a wooden promenade which dates back to 1867.
Beaches close to Paris in Brittany
Tempted by a holiday in Brittany? Read about our stay on the Morbihan Gulf.
St Malo
- Travel from Paris Montparnasse
- Journey time from Paris: two hours 20 minutes
- Distance from train station to beach: 1.2 kilometres
If you visit the beach at St Malo, ensure you stay over to enjoy the evening entertainment. We spent a night in St Malo before catching a ferry the following morning. The fortified old town has a great atmosphere – it was packed with people enjoying music, food and drink as we wandered through. You can climb the ramparts and take in the view of the beach or admire the antics in the streets below.
St Malo has several beaches to choose from. As the tide recedes, Plage de Bon-Secours reveals a sea water swimming pool, complete with diving board. This beach also allows access at low tide to the islands of Petit Be and Grand Be, the latter being the resting place of writer François-René de Chateaubriand.
The closest beaches to Paris on the west coast of France
Over on the west coast of France, in southern Brittany, you’ll find the beach resort of La Baule with its nine kilometres of sand. It’s a journey time of around three hours from Paris by train.
Fancy some slightly warmer weather? If you’re willing to sit on the train for a little bit longer, a journey time of two hours and 47 minutes will allow you to reach the sunny port town of La Rochelle, gateway to magical Ile de Re.
La Rochelle itself has a lovely big sweep of sand – the beach of Minimes which can be reached from the train station in around 20 minutes.
If you don’t fancy navigating the streets of La Rochelle to find the bus to take you over the bridge to the Ile de Re, another option is the Vendee seaside resort of Les Sables d’Olonne and its long stretch of sand, three hours and 17 minutes from Paris Montparnasse.
Looking for other charming towns to visit in France? Check out the website Les Plus Beaux Village de France.
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Do you have a favourite beach in France close to Paris? Let me know in the comments below.
I’ve also written articles about the closest beaches to Rome and to London by train – check them out if you’re going to be visiting these European capitals in the summertime.
