Surfing in France

Surf France - Quick Facts
LOCATION: Europe.
POPULATION: 60600000
NATIONALITY: French
LANGUAGE: French
CURRENCY: Euro
France Surf Spot Map 

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 near the north west tip of France right through to Belgium.The surf is better the closer to the north west tip you can get with some nice reef breaks to be found. 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.

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The west coast of France can again be split into 3 main surfing areas - Brittany (furthest north), the Coast of Light (Cote de Lumiere) which stretches from Brittany down to La Rochelle and then the Silver Coast - the straight coast that joins 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.

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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 beginners spots for summer surfers and is generally less crowded that the Silver Coast surf spots.

The Silver Coast has spot after spot after spot. If the swell is good the entire coast lights up. This really is the are 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 in and around Hossegor and Biarritz - be prepared for the crowds in the summer.

Surfing France - The Good
Consistent Waves & Plenty of Spots to Choose From.
World Class Beach Breaks.
Topless Sunbathing (did we really say that?)

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

France Surfing Conditions

France Swell Size	France Water Temperature

If you have information on surfing in France we would like to know. Tell us how good or bad your surfing vacation was by posting your trip details on our Surf Forum.

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

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If you are serious about surfing and travel you will need a decent surfing guide book. Take a look at the Stormrider Guide Europe, Stormrider Guide North America and the World Stormrider Guide books. We cannot emphasise just how good these books are.