France has over 5,500 kilometres of coastline – spanning the English Channel and the Atlantic coast to down along the Mediterranean. 

Many people planning trips to France prioritise time at the beach – in fact, one in five American visitors in 2022 told Le Figaro they would be spending time relaxing au bord de la mer (at the seaside).

But French beaches are not lawless – there are still plenty of rules you should remember to respect when tanning on the sand.

Nudity and sex

While France may have a reputation for being pretty laissez-faire about nudity, there are rules – and, while there is no law against being naked in public in France, there is one against disturbing the public order. More than one naturist has been fined in the past after surprising clothed walkers while  a-wandering in the countryside.

Going completely naked on the beach is usually best kept to stretches of isolated public sand or on designated nudist beaches or colonies like the famous Cap d’Agde, which is located in the south of France along the Riviera and offers a ‘Village Naturiste”.

Aside from dedicated resorts and campgrounds, there are plenty of dedicated nudist areas on beaches, which will be clearly signed. If you’re in a designated nudist area, it’s considered polite to either be naked or – if you’re not comfortable with that – move to the non-nudist section of the beach.

For women, going topless is generally OK on the beach, although municipalities may have their own local rules. the ‘Paris plages’ (which are not really beaches) do not allow women to go topless.

READ MORE: Paris Plages: What to expect from the city ‘beaches’ in summer 2023

If there are any bylaws about going topless, then a sign ought to be posted at the entrance of the beach. Fines for non-compliance tend to be around €38.

For men, going topless on the beach is fine but it’s considered polite to put on a shirt or T-shirt if you’re going into a town or to a restaurant, many municipalities will have signs up reminding men of this.

And beware – any sexual exhibition in public (ie on the public beach) is punishable by up to a year’s imprisonment and a fine for €15,000, according to Article 222-32 of the French Penal Code. Sex on the beach is a cocktail, not a suggestion. 

Burkinis

The modest swimsuit often preferred by Muslim women is not allowed in many of France’s public pools, which are run by municipalities. The ban is technically in place for hygiene reasons — not on religious grounds — while swimmers are not under any legal obligation to hide their religion while bathing.

However, wearing a burkini on the beach is allowed. France’s Conseil d’État has overturned previous attempts to ban the full-body swimsuit on public beaches.

Smoking and drinking

Several French beaches have decided to ban cigarette smoking – as of 2022 at least 50 beaches along the French coastline had opted to be designated as ‘tobacco-free’ in order to protect the natural environment and decrease others’ exposure to cigarette smoke.

Local authorities in Nice have taken part, having become the country’s first smoke-free beach in 2012. 

If a beach is considered smoke free, then you can be fined for failing to comply. To verify whether any smoking rules are in place, be sure to look carefully at signage that may read sans tabac, or no smoking. You can also find an interactive map of tobacco-free outdoor areas across the country here.

When it comes to drinking on the beach, there are outright bans and normally taking wine or beer onto the beach is fine. However, municipal decrees can apply, and it is still unlawful to be drunk in public. 

READ MORE: What are the rules for drinking in public in France?

Beach showers

As France faces hotter and drier summers due to climate change, several municipalities have decided to shut off the water to their beach-side showers. Recently, the beach La Ciotat in the Bouches-du-Rhône département opted to do so, and removed nine of their beach showers previously placed along the coastline. According to TF1, this will save the amount of water that would be used to fill three municipal swimming pools.

Other beaches have followed suit – abolishing beach showers by préfectoral decree, like in the Alpes-Maritimes département.

Taking sand away

Taking sand off the beach is not allowed. Only ‘windblown sand’ – sand that the wind has blown off the beach and to another location – can be collected. In practice, if you are just taking a small amount as a holiday keepsake authorities will tolerate it.

But if you’re trying to make off with several sacks of sand to create your own urban beach or mix up some mortar, you can be prosecuted.

The same rules apply to a shingle beach and while a couple of pebbles will be tolerated, taking large amounts could get you the maximum fine of €1,500.

Before we forget, some types of seaside plants are protected by environmental laws. If you take a protected marine coastal plant you could be fined up to €9,000 for “alteration, degradation or destruction of the environment of a plant species in a protected site”.

While there is no specific law covering driftwood or sea glass, both can be considered part of the “seaside landscape” so their collection must remain reasonable. A couple of pieces for a souvenir would be fine, but if you’re looking to start a business making furniture or ornaments out of driftwood, it would be wise to seek permission from the authorities first.

Foraging seafood

Some places also impose limits on the amounts of seafood that you can forage (also called pèche a pied in French) from beaches. From oysters to razor clams, collecting your own lunch is a lovely seaside pastime, but most areas impose a limit of a couple of kilos on the amount you can take. It’s intended to stop commercial operations, and limits will be displayed on boards on the seafront. 

Coastal départements typically also have the rules for collecting seafood on their websites, like Charente-Maritime for example, which specifies that oysters and clams cannot be collected from areas designated as ‘natural reserves’.

There may also be rules regarding the time of year where foraging is allowed, in an attempt to allow sea creature populations to replenish.

Wild camping

In France, it is illegal to camp on sea shores or beaches. If you are interested in wild camping you can find more of the rules in this guide to the French outdoors.

For the most part, if you are looking to camp near the beach, opt for a traditional campsite. Many are not too far of a distance away, and they may also offer a public swimming pool too. 

Dogs 

Most French municipalities do not allow dogs on public beaches, and this is most often the case if the area is a popular resort town that gets a large number of tourists.

However, there may be one or two beaches in an area that explicitly do allow dogs. You can find out by contacting the local town hall or tourist office. Keep in mind that some beaches may allow dogs to be walked on leashes in the winter, while they may have restrictions during the high-tourism parts of the summer.

You can also find a list of beaches accepting dogs on the website of the animal rights group, 30 millions d’amis.  

Private beaches

In addition to all the rules listed above, private beaches – which are more or less legal in France – can impose additional regulations.

The status of ‘private beaches’ is a bit confusing in France. In reality, none of these beachfront hotels, resorts or beach operators actually own that land, as the sea and the beach are considered ‘public maritime’ and are therefore the domain of the French state.

This means that technically there are technically no private beaches in France, as no one is supposed to be allowed to own the beach, though there are some caveats to that rule.

READ MORE: Reader question: Are there private beaches in France?

Since 1986, the State has been able to grant ‘concessions’ to allow for parts of the beach to be temporarily rented. Thus, hotels, resorts or beach operators can request a temporary rental of the beach for a specific period of time – the maximum duration being twelve years, which is renewable. If the local town hall agrees, then the renter will pay a fee (typically between €15,000 and €100,000 per year). 

This might seem like a de facto way of allowing beaches to be privatised, but the few who manage to ‘rent the beach’ are still subject to some constraints. For instance, they are only allowed to occupy the beach for six months of the year (sometimes this can be extended up to eight months with the permission of the town hall, or twelve months in less common circumstances).

At the end of the season, they are required to dismantle their installations, so permanent private structures on the beach are therefore not allowed.