The Pavillon Bleu (blue flag) designation is a label given to France’s best beaches – those that have passed inspections regarding cleanliness, safety and accessibility.

READ ALSO Discover France’s 8 new ‘blue flag’ beaches

One thing they are not required to be is by the sea, in fact the Pavillon Bleu website is divided into plages littoral (coastal beaches) and plages (beaches). 

The reason for this is the profusion of lake or riverside beaches in France, bringing the seaside experience to people far from the sea.

France is a pretty big country, so a large part of the population live too far away from the coastline to make seaside day-trips feasible. This is where lake and river beaches come in – usually created and/or maintained by local authorities, they create a sandy or pebbly ‘beach’ by the side of a lake, reservoir or river.

Some of these are just a strip of sand, others are far more ambitious with sun loungers and umbrellas, swimming areas with lifeguards, bars, cafés and restaurants, seaside entertainments like arcade games and crazy golf.

Many also run a programme of night-time entertainments such as live music and are popular hangouts for families and young people alike. 

So if you hear your French neighbours say they’re ‘going to the lake’ at the weekend, they don’t just mean they’re going to stare at some water.

They’re such a big part of the French social landscape that a lake beach is the setting for the classic French horror/suspense movie L’Inconnu du Lac (Stranger by the lake) – although in our experience most French lake beaches have a little less sex and murder and more in the way of ice cream stalls and sandcastles. 

There are thousands of smaller, lesser-known inland beaches, but here are some of the most famous non-seaside beaches in France.

Les gorges du Verdon

The Verdon gorge is one of the biggest and most beautiful in Europe – situated in south east France, inland from the Riviera, it is best known as a white-water rafting and extreme sports area.

However, there are multiple beautiful beaches along the River Verdon as is carves its way through the mountains, so those who prefer to chill and soak up the sun are also catered for.

The site can get busy in the summer, and some areas are well known as party hangouts for young people.

Annecy – Haute-Savoie

The huge, beautiful and crystal-clear Lake Annecy has the town of Annecy on one side, while much of the other sides are covered with wide, sandy beaches.

The lake, fed with meltwater from the Alps that you can see towering above it, is perfect for swimming, with diving platforms and life-guards in the summer. There are also water-sports in summer including sailing and kayaking.

Pont d’Arc – Ardèche

Another river beach, this lies along the Gorges de l’Ardèche. The ‘pont’ – a natural bridge created by the river slicing through the rock, is an instantly recognisable tourist attraction, and on both sides of the bridge are wide, sandy beaches.

The river offers sports such as kayaking, while the surrounding mountains are very popular with climbers.

Soustons – Landes

This lake in south west France is nestled among pine forests providing a quiet and peaceful backdrop, although the lake itself has plenty going on including paddle-boarding.

There are also semi-regular ‘sardine parties’ at the lakeside where you can enjoy grilled fish, drinks and music.

Aydat Lake – Puy-De-Dome

In central France, the historic Auvergne region is about as far from the coast as its possible to get – but it is home to stunning scenery of mountains (some of which are actually defunct volcanoes) and lakes.

The Aydat lake is part of the natural park and offers a wide variety of water-sports and fishing in the summer.

The lake shores have beaches plus plenty of bars, cafés and restaurants and activities for children.

. . . and don’t forget the Paris ‘plages’.

If you’re in Paris you don’t need to travel to a beach – for around six weeks in the summer the beach comes to you. City authorities create two city ‘beaches’ – one along the banks of the Seine in the city centre and one by the Bassin de la Villette in northern Paris.

While they don’t actually have sand, there is supervised swimming, deckchairs and umbrellas to help you soak up the sun and a variety of games and activities.